Public relations and digital marketing are two of the most powerful marketing tools available to businesses today, but in a traditional agency PR and marketing teams often still work independently. The PR team primary focuses on building brand awareness and executive profiling through media relations, events and other tactics.
Meanwhile, the digital team, located in a separate area of the office, works on tasks such as keyword research for ad campaigns, analysing research patterns to create SEO strategies and drafting blog posts to secure backlinks.
While they each serve unique purposes, combining the two can produce a synergistic effect that can supercharge a brand’s overall communications strategy. The key is to leverage the strengths of each discipline in a way that complements the other.
Here are a few examples:
ONLINE PRESENCE IS CRITICAL
As people spend more time online, it has become crucial for both individuals and brands to have an online presence, without it, you literally don’t exist. To tackle this, PR teams are creating more content in various forms such as press releases, interviews, blog posts, and articles.
However, to maximise the impact of this content, digital teams can help by analysing research patterns and extracting the right keywords. This can aid PR teams in crafting more powerful content that is more discoverable online.
On the other hand, if the digital team is working on a landing page for a new product or service, a PR expert can provide guidance on presenting the content in an engaging manner while delivering key messages effectively.
BACKLINKS ARE THE NEW GOLD
The importance of generating high-quality backlinks cannot be overstated in today’s digital landscape. By securing links from authoritative websites, businesses can not only improve their ranking but also can drive qualified traffic to their website and improve their overall online visibility.
Typically, SEO teams are responsible for acquiring backlinks and may have numerous partner websites to accomplish this. However, the challenge is that not all of these partner websites may have a local or regional presence where your business operates, and their reputation and credibility may not be high in the eyes of Google.
Conversely, PR specialists have connections with various media outlets, including tier one publications that hold a high level of credibility with Google. Securing backlinks from these media outlets is a more effective tactic, although it is not an easy task. Therefore, combining the efforts of both teams can lead to fantastic results.
HARD CHOICE
Brands frequently encounter difficulties determining where to begin and which marketing elements to prioritise, whether it be PR, advertising or digital marketing. The good news is that you do not have to make a choice. Combining various tactics can yield the greatest benefits.
Here’s an example how this can be achieved. Using the power of social media is crucial in building customer engagement, while media coverage can help establish credibility.
Establish your brand image to the public through PR (interview, expert piece, other) and promote it further through your digital and social media teams using the power of social media platforms. By doing so, you are generating buzz and drawing attention to your company in a different way.
‘‘PR TEAMS ARE CREATING MORE CONTENT IN VARIOUS FORMS SUCH AS PRESS RELEASES, INTERVIEWS, BLOG POSTS, AND ARTICLES’’
MEASURING CAMPAIGNS
The primary role of PR is to inform and educate. In your sales funnel, PR works with the top layer – building brand awareness, educating your audience, and generating appeal.
As your customer moves further down the funnel, your marketing and sales teams work to convert the lead. Throughout this process, valuable insights can be obtained through data analysis, which is where digital marketing teams can provide significant support.
Measuring the results of digital PR campaigns is essential for assessing their effectiveness and making data-driven decisions for future campaigns. By tracking key data, businesses can gain valuable insights into their target audience’s behaviour, preferences, and interests.
Additionally, by setting clear and measurable goals at the outset of their campaigns, brands can ensure that they are focusing their efforts on achieving specific objectives and generating a greater return on investment.
By Anastasiya Golovatenko, Account Director, Sherpa Communications
