Digital PR vs Traditional PR

The scope of this debate is vast as PR (Public Relations) is an essential component of the business strategy of almost each and every brand or company. It is one of the primary tools when it comes to increasing brand awareness and becoming absorbed into the consciousness of potential clients and the right demographic within the general public.
The bare bones of PR is that it is a strategy to generate beneficial connections among clients and through mutual association with other entities. An accurate and exciting picture of the company’s profile is painted and constantly maintained through communication (either direct or indirect) via a range of media.

PR has undergone something of a revolution in recent years, with a brand new form of digital PR strategy meaning that older methods are now referred to as ‘traditional’ PR. While the two differing approaches are defined by the different ways in which they seek to attract clients and spread a brand message, it is worth emphasizing that the goals remain unified.

Traditional PR

When we speak of traditional PR, we are talking about traditional media outlets. You should be thinking newspapers, magazines, TV and radio. When it comes to getting rapid brand awareness then these sort of outlets can be very effective. You could also benefit from these approaches should your company be less driven by technology than most. Traditional PR does lack in its ability to filter demographics – i.e. you have less information on the potential customers that you will be reaching with this sort of PR. You will also have less accurate information when it comes to numbers as most of these mediums only use estimates. You could benefit more from traditional PR if you are targeting specific demographics, however. For instance, the older generation do respond incredibly well to this form of marketing, being as it’s what they are most comfortable with and used to.

Digital PR

With each passing month and year more companies are turning to the many advantages that digital PR has to offer. As technology continues to evolve, digital PR will not only grow in importance but also evolve alongside the technology, offering greater and greater advantages over traditional PR. It has already become an integral part of nearly all PR campaigns. Search Engine Optimization (SEO), which has been a vital part of digital PR for a long time now, involves optimizing websites for the benefit of search engines, ensuring that pages get high rankings. The way this is achieved is ever-changing as engines like Google change their algorithms to ensure that robotic, key-word filled nonsense articles are consigned to the history books.

Now SEO is still vital but involves integrating customer-centred content alongside the key words and strategic methodology. Now, more than ever two factors are vital in digital PR. Firstly a successful social media campaign is obligatory. One that accurately and attractively portrays branding with a unique voice and one that makes customers feel special. On top of this it is also vital to interact with digital influencers such as bloggers and vloggers and key industry voices to build symbiotic relationships. It really is modern day networking at its most successful.