Since change is regarded as the flavour of life, like every form of Marketing, PR has seen a drastic change over the years. From being restricted to the print media, and working with journalists, modern PR practices have evolved to being entirely different to what they used to be a couple of decades ago. With every company having an online presence and with customer engagement growing with every passing day, new forms of community outreach programs have started to come in vogue. Bloggers, Influencers and Social Media Managers have taken the role of Journalists in the modern area of Public Relations.
Traditional PR people who have only worked with press departments find the new concept of new age Digital PR done over the internet and social media to be funny. Blogging and contacting influencers seems odd to them. Some do not even recognise this as PR. However, the tech-savvy PR professional or ones who know about the internet industry recognise the importance attached to both word of mouth publicity and social media marketing. The digital-savvy journalists today know very well about the art and importance of sending out real-time information via Tweets live from an important Press Conference.
In the past press, radio, and TV were the main sources of information dissemination. These were the only mediums that could deliver a message and left the PR guys unaware of the results of these messages unless the campaign was highly successful. Today, digital PR not only helps in creating a two-way communication flow where the marketers get to determine the aspirations of the audiences and shape their messages and products accordingly. Also, modern day PR channels like blogs, social media, and general online promotional campaigns give the PR professionals an exact picture of the effect of their PR activities. They can add spice to the flavour as and when required. Even, the content of the messages in today’s PR campaigns has changed. It no more focuses on the brand and its spokesperson, but rather is determined to be giving something of value to the customer. Brands have stopped talking about themselves and how they are the “best” as there are 100s other saying the same thing. Content is the King in this age of information, whosoever has the best content will attract a greater number of audiences. Content endorsement by social media influencers is pivotal in gearing you up for success against your competitors in modern day digital PR. When others talk about you regularly, you reap the benefits of such positive mentions. This has made influencers very powerful in determining the growth of brands.
Depending on a Press Note for PR is not longer the only PR strategy, brands are writing blogs and encouraging other influential bloggers to review their products. Using a more visually interactive and attractive message helps the cause of the brands better and the more liked content, the more viral is the PR campaign. With Social Media being a very influential means of communication today, a brand cannot just shy away from these platforms. Brands continuously need to create engaging content that starts conversations between them and the audience.