Let the battle commence: Traditional vs Digital PR

Long gone are the days of PR experts having endless lists of press contacts stored in their little black book. But how exactly has PR evolved, and what do these changes mean for the modern business looking to increase brand awareness?

What is Digital PR?

Digital PR consists of creating content which can be shared across multiple online platforms. Unlike the traditional PR methods, there are unlimited interaction opportunities, which can create conversations between your business and potential customers.

Digital PR covers a huge range of mediums, including (but not limited to!):

• Online magazine stories
• Social sharing
• Video
• Photography
• Reporting
• Guest posting on academic publications

As a flexible and modern solution for businesses who want to improve their online presence, digital PR is rapidly becoming a cost-effective marketing choice.

How does traditional PR compare?

Traditional PR often refers to gathering information along with a quotation from relevant parties and creating a Press Release. This PR story is then sent out to publications such as local newspapers, magazines and relevant outlets.

Making PR work for your business

Any marketing activity that you carry out must be suitable for your industry, target audience and KPIs. For some, traditional PR is the ideal solution to reach their audience and showcase the work they are doing within their sector.

However, as an online marketing agency, we can’t ignore the copious benefits digital PR brings. Unlimited options are available in terms of the content you can create, how it can be displayed or showcased, and how many people can be reached.

Making a PR strategy work for your business requires an extensive understanding of your goals. As with any marketing activity, a multi-channel approach often works most effectively. For instance, including digital PR into an overarching marketing strategy which is inclusive of other key digital marketing activities such as SEO and PPC management.

Traditional PR still has its place too. Often for local businesses with a quest to improve their brand awareness within a chosen area, traditional PR can work extremely well. Establishing a relationship with local publications can help to increase knowledge of your company within the local area, driving footfall and visits.

Integrating Digital PR into an online marketing campaign

Digital PR can be an integral part of a wider online marketing strategy, working alongside other marketing techniques to create a bullet proof strategy. Our marketing team utilise digital PR to assist with SEO campaigns, using this activity to establish high quality backlinks on a range of online publications, academic websites and social platforms.

Backlinks are a key aspect of the offsite works required for search engine optimisation, therefore digital PR is both a brand awareness and search engine marketing tactic.

As there are no limitations in terms of the content that can be produced as a digital PR activity, businesses across a huge range of industries can utilise this marketing method. We have introduced digital PR for clients across finance and accountancy marketing, manufacturing, construction and industrial marketing sectors.

Monitoring the results from digital PR

Now onto the important bit…how do you monitor the results from your PR campaign?

For traditional PR, this is something has always been a barrier for some businesses. It can often be difficult to monitor the direct results of a PR story in a local newspaper or publication. This is because there are little to no statistics provided by these publications to show how many people have been reached, and of these people how many have engaged with your business as a result.

However, digital PR has a very different story. As with any digital marketing activity, results can be easily monitored. Statistics can be established in terms of reach and we can also monitor these down to show where enquiries and new visitors have come from.

Pick your corner…

Creating a marketing plan for your business requires expertise and knowledge of both marketing and your industry. Before embarking on a PR campaign, we would always recommend seeking the advice of a specialist. Although both digital and traditional PR have their benefits, it truly depends on what you would like to achieve with your marketing campaign, as to which option you opt for. 

Speak to us

If you would like to know more about the services we provide, our team are ready and waiting to hear from you! We work with a huge variety of businesses and offer a range of solutions to suit your requirements. Call our office on 01254 447050 or email hello@infused,media and our team will be in touch!