When I ask the question, what is digital P.R.? The answer I get is mostly; crisis management or let’s ask the PR agency :). It seems to be a future event and not a continuous activity!
Digital P.R is not just about reactionary marketing and engagement to save face or resolve a crisis. It is, in fact, a marketing strategy that can significantly improve a brand’s online presence and discoverability.
Networking and engaging with online writers (journalists/columnists), bloggers and influencers is important for any brand strategy. Articles shared by/with these people are a source of quality backlinks and social media mentions, which in turn improve the brand’s website SEO.
Partnering with a blogger, a podcaster or an influencer are all digital P.R. activities.
With this in mind, what are some of the activities to engage in to capitalize on Digital P.R?
- Engage relevant influencers, bloggers and podcasters. Take it a step further by designing affiliate programs that pay your influencers a commission, for customer referrals.
- Publish blogs, articles, videos and audios on your website that are entertaining, newsworthy or educational and create web feeds that allow your audience to subscribe. This is known as content syndication.
- Get your brand’s leadership interviewed by online publications and shows
- Host offline press, influencer and or blogger events that are educational. The impact of the event will very likely be gaining your brand online coverage as content creators are constantly looking for new content angles to share what they learn.
That’s it for now, stay tuned for part 2 DIGITAL P.R. (Part 2); Effective Crisis Management
