PR professionals are repositioning their services with the new moniker “Digital PR” to compete in the media landscape now dominated by the internet and social media.
In the past, marketing, advertising and PR agencies had clear and delineated business roles. In the new digital landscape, those roles have blurred. Marketing, advertising and PR agencies and now social media agencies now offer overlapping or nearly identical services and often compete for the same business. Many PR firms believe they can win more clients and larger accounts if they rebrand themselves as digital PR agencies and promote their digital and social media capabilities.
Digital Differences from Traditional PR
Digital PR agencies are careful to differentiate themselves from traditional PR firms. Traditional PR builds relationships. To a great extent their work entails developing press releases and pitching story ideas to newspaper reporters to achieve earned media placements. Like traditional PR, digital PR relies on relationship-building and communications to promote brands. Cynics may view the term as a matter of semantics and branding, but digital PR agencies say they offer capabilities that go beyond the scope of traditional PR.
In addition to submitting news to newspapers, digital PR firms reach out to bloggers and social media influencers. They’re proficient at social media marketing, creating interactive digital content, and SEO tactics such as accumulating backlinks. They use tools like Google Analytics, and social media monitoring and social media analytics to gauge the success of their tactics. Many include pay-per-click advertising, crisis communications and website design in their toolbox.
“What really distinguishes digital public relations from its traditional counterpart is the ability to clearly track and measure success, says Jess Camp, a digital PR specialist at Blue Fountain Media. “If you’re looking for solid and measurable numbers behind the marketing and PR tactics your team is implementing, then digital is likely the way to go.”
Some PR firms are even becoming recognized video producers. Praytell, a young PR agency, launched its own studio, Praytell Films, reports Forbes.
“PR agencies are rising to a new level of best practices for digital video, leveraging their expertise at earning media, to set a strong foothold in digital marketing,” Dr. Stephen Rapier, professor of marketing at the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School and a former ad and PR agency executive, told Forbes. “PR firms have an edge in their ability to develop credible, strategic content that integrates across media platforms, including social media, to connect meaningfully with the target audience.”
Solo Digital PR Pros
While many digital PR pros work at agencies, others strike out on their own as independent consultants.
“There’s never been a better time to start your own (digital) PR company,” writes David Zude, who recently started his own digital PR firm, Zude PR, in the UK. The word “digital” is key, Zude says. “Retraining yourself is hard work. But it’s worth it. And if you’re truly committed to providing a stellar PR service to clients, there’s no other long-term option, unless you really target a lucrative niche.”
The demand for digital services is largely being fulfilled by digital marketing and SEO firms, or a plethora of niche suppliers, he says. That often leads incoherent communications strategies and tactics.
Digital PR pros say offering web-based services has become imperative in the current media environment. Two-thirds of Americans say they get at least some of their news on social media and 20 percent do so often, according to Pew Research Center. Seven out of 10 hashtags are now branded, points out Stephanie Smith, a digital engagement strategist at Incentric Digital Marketing. Also, 8 million Instagram profiles are businesses, compared to just 1.6 million in 2016.
“The days of waiting for the 6 o’clock news or Sunday paper are gone. Instead, you more than likely look to your Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter feeds for updates and trends,” Smith says. “To stay relevant in public relations you must take from the past, transform, and continually evolve within digital technologies.”
Bottom Line: Digital PR agencies and freelancers offer a unique combination of traditional PR and social media and internet marketing services. That blend of services, they argue, provides a unified strategy to effectively promote clients.
William J. Comcowich founded and served as CEO of CyberAlert LLC, the predecessor of Glean.info. He is currently serving as Interim CEO and member of the Board of Directors. Glean.info provides customized media monitoring, media measurement and analytics solutions across all types of traditional and social media.
