The fact is the Seach Engine Marketers got there first and routinely offer ‘Online PR’ as an added service including the production of online press releases. Ouch! They have managed to infiltrate the editorial agenda for company websites when this should really be in the PR remit. But the fact remains – the PR skillsets were not there in the first instance – at the right time.
Many clients just want their PR company to generate media coverage for them, setting up speaking engagements, devise sponsorships, create signed articles, organise press briefings, write press and brochure material. They don’t see PR as a lead generator and are quite happy, thank you very much, to leave that to their web designer. Or their online advertising buyer.
The internet has provided the PR industry with one of the most powerful communications tolls of all. Blogs, in particular, offer the quickest route to push news and information. So if PR is about two way communication and feedback then surely an online communications strategy needs to be part of any meaningful PR campaign today? If PR is about influencing opinion through the generation of news and information then it’s got to embrace online communications.
So where does offline PR and online PR cross over? Is it simply about search? Online PR is offered by many digital marketing agencies as a service. Usually linked to search engine marketing it is primarily about generating back links to increase traffic to a site. It’s all numbers. Or is it? Can the SEO
· Influence attitudes?
· Improve a company’s reputation?
· Deliver ‘sticky’ content?
· Create a positive image about a company through thought leadership?
· Manage a media crisis that spills over online?
