Understanding PR in the Digital Age

So you’ve heard the term ‘Public Relations’, but are you still confused about what it really means? In the digital age, what you need to know is how you can harness the power of PR to make your business stand out from the crowd.

Check out our breakdown of traditional vs digital PR to determine your next strategy.

What is PR?

Public Relations (PR) is an often forgotten, yet extremely important, factor for business growth.

PR is defined as effective communication between a business and its target audience and aims to create and maintain a positive public image. PR is also important in growing your business and establishing credibility and trust.

Evolution of PR

PR has evolved in order to keep up with, and take advantage of, today’s modern and digital society. Channels such as social media, websites, forums and blogs have made it cheaper and more accessible than ever for businesses to reach their audience.

Digital PR

The tactics used in digital PR are not too dissimilar to the traditional, focusing on building relationships, brand awareness and informing consumers. However, digital PR allows easier and more accurate measuring of results along with better insights and analytics.

Digital PR allows for easier sharing of content and interaction with consumers, thanks largely to social media.

Gaining consumer attention

In today’s digital age, it can either be a piece of cake or a seemingly impossible task to get noticed. Modern media channels such as Facebook and Instagram make it easier than ever to share information and engage with your audience. However, the downside of social media can be over-saturation. It can be difficult for businesses to stand out and tiresome for consumers to deal with a constant barrage of ads and information, so it is important to make content that consumers want to see and interact with.

Be present

Being present is more than having a website or social media account, it’s actively engaging with consumers by using and updating those channels. Similarly, it is important to make your content accessible. Using Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and collecting and analysing data, like the amount of views and interactions your account, website and content have, can easily allow a business to see its weaknesses and areas for improvement.