PR and digital marketing work well together. I call myself a PR consultant working with technology businesses. However PR and Digital Marketing are both evolving and now they often overlap and complement each other.
You will probably know that PR stands for Public Relations. The name is quite strange. Most companies who care about PR simply see it as part of their marketing communications.
PR and its history
The old school Public Relations profession was born after the Second World War. People leaving the Diplomatic Corps and Secret Services went back to Civvie Street and offered their skills to business. Employers found their skills useful for wining and dining clients, public speaking and meeting and greeting VIPs.
Today most people think of PR in connection with a company’s reputation, and especially in connection with positive stories in the media. Media used to mean newspapers, magazines and broadcast channels – today it includes online and social media as well. There are business and technical media for every market sector and niche you can think of, especially when you include the growing numbers of bloggers.
PR and Digital Marketing
We have reached a point where online media often matter more than print media. Readers are more aware of the environment and don’t want to throw paper away after a short life. It is often easier to read news online, and companies are thinking digitally for much of their marketing – their chief aim is to be visible online and rank high in search engines, and online articles play an important role here.
The relationship between PR and Digital Marketing is interesting. There was a period a few years ago when Digital Marketing seemed to sideline PR, because it promised quick measurable results which many business people found attractive. It also offered channels that are free of charge – the only cost is the resources used to create content and promote it.
However Digital Marketing changes all the time and it is becoming more sophisticated. Now people want high quality well-written content delivered to an editorial plan just like in the world of PR and publishing. People want articles and blog posts that are of publishable standard and “a good read”. In the context of online media, PR skills have become highly relevant again.
A writer on your team
It has become important to have someone on your team who can write, and write fast in a readable way. They need to be able to write for humans and for search engines, so they need to have a good understanding of the digital environment. Ideally they will be able to write a piece which works well to promote your company, and helps to bring organic traffic to your website from the Internet.
This form of PR helps companies to become visible in their market AND contributes to search engine ranking. It can explain complex marketing messages. It can reach out beyond a company’s own customer list and database and touch new contacts. Today there are many marketing and digital channels to consider. PR has moved on a long way from wining and dining clients.
If you might need a PR consultant or copywriter, you can reach me at anna.wood@technologypr.co.uk.
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