In order for your brand to succeed it is essential that you have a strong public relations team behind you. But with the rapid rise of digital media, have PR agencies adapted quickly and effectively to stay on top?
I say, YES
Before I go any further, let’s make sure we are on the same page in terms of what is digital PR, traditional PR and a new term for some people, SEO.
Traditional PR: uses high circulation, readership, and viewer ratings to determine who to approach when selling in content to media houses and publishers.
There is a notion that a ‘traditional pr’ agency still exists. I think not. Twitter celebrated its ten year anniversary last week. TEN YEARS. Digital media is not a new phenomenon. Does it constantly change and evolve? Yes. But that’s what we want and that’s what makes the internet such an amazing thing. So, if you think or know of an agency still exists where everything is done off line, please point me in their direction. I would love to see what a day in that office is like.
Digital PR: Doesn’t exclusively focus on the number of followers on social media sites and readers before approaching them. It also focuses on evaluating domain authority and non-paid opportunities for link citations.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO): SEO is the “process of getting traffic from the “free,” “organic,” “editorial” or “natural” search results on search engines. Its main goal is to improve search engine ranking. So when you type a brand on Google, an SEO agency wants to make sure its clients are as high on the list as possible.
The CIPR stated in an article, “The PR agency of the future is much more about creating content and sharing it across various digital platforms ensuring that we are engaging with the right audiences at the right times and engaging in relevant conversations.” The PR agency the CIPR mentions is the PR agency of the NOW.
Some agencies might find it difficult to portray that they are a digital agency. Here are three ways you can make your digital presence clear.
- Re-purpose client contacts for a number of platforms.
- Distribute stories to respond to online publication deadlines.
- Adapt and evolve to changes and updates on social platforms ensuring you remain ahead of the curve.
What about SEO?
One aspect of social media that many agencies have not anticipated is the rise and the actual role of SEO Agencies. If not properly managed or communicated, the SEO agency may have a negative effect on the work of digital agencies. Some SEO agencies are beginning to enter into the world of public relations by writing content for brands. The promises a SEO agency makes sound great. But what sacrifices will your brand make in order to achieve these dreams? For more information on what SEO is and what it does, read here.
Looking to the future
While PR agencies have made great strides to remain necessary and relevant in this evolving world of digital media it is important that agencies do not become complacent. The rise of SEO agencies making a place in the PR realm cannot be ignored.
Those are my thoughts on digital PR – what do you think? Do you have any predictions on how the PR landscape may change? I would love to hear your thoughts, please share below!
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