Digital PR is a strategy that aims to create a brand image, spread awareness about a company, raise awareness, and improve market position by using digital communication channels. It is also actively used to communicate with partners and audiences, strengthening connections with them.
Digital PR agencies are tasked with bringing traditional methods and tactics for building a relationship with society into the digital space and realizing effective communication by integrating them with online tools. Digital PR combines content marketing, social media marketing, SEO, and various advertising mechanisms.
Online PR specialists often use a wide spectrum of strategies to achieve the desired results, such as:
- Using Online PR tactics in integrated marketing communication
- Managing business accounts
- Conducting SWOT and PEST analyses in digital spaces to gauge public opinion
- Developing and implementing digital PR programs
- Building a relationship with the media
- Managing online reputation
- Managing social media
- Creating content
- Crisis communication
- Influencer marketing
- Online branding and positioning (advertising, running online events and campaigns)
- Analysis and monitoring of the effectiveness of a campaign
Below we will discuss the basic elements which guide the work of digital PR agencies in more detail:
- Relationship with the media: Communication and cooperation with journalist, bloggers, and influencers is one of the most important aspects of digital PR management. It encompasses running crisis CSR campaigns, setting up interviews and reviews, and working on online magazines, brochures, storytelling materials, and press releases.
- Online Reputation Management: Online reputation is the sum total of the opinions and thoughts that consumers have about a person, company, or product. The purpose of managing it is to create the desired reputation in the digital space, solidifying the authority of the brand, increasing trust in it, and being an advertisement for the sale of the product or service. However, we should not forget that public relations (PR) and online reputation management are two different strategies for creating a brand image. Using digital PR, companies are able to direct public opinion about them. For example, by curating responses to reviews, comments, and posts.
- Social Media Management: The purpose of this element is to work out social media strategies to deliver the desired message to the target audience. Social media management comprises content creation, development of posts, SEO Optimization Service, community management, and monitoring various KPI metrics.
- Content Creation: One goal of an agency is the creation of attractive and relevant content to make users interested, giving them possibilities for interaction, and increasing faith in the company. Such content includes blog posts, articles, videos, infographics, and more. The choice of format is dependent on the target audience, the digital communication channels, and the goals. All of those elements are normally kept in the content marketing strategy, which is created from studies on the interests of users, analyses of materials on the company which have already been printed, and the results of other types of research. After working out a content marketing strategy, it is necessary to write up a media publishing schedule and do monitoring and reporting on the results.
- Crisis Communication: One more factor that a digital marketing agency is to take care of is managing crises that occur in relation to a company, either through soultions or damage control. This element comprises the preparation of documents for communicating with the media, teaching best practices for crisis communication with clients, and managing the existing narrative in the digital space to minimize damage to the reputation.
- Influencer Marketing: This is one of the major components of digital PR, since working with influencers and bloggers for brand personalization often significantly assists the popularization of a product or service. In addition, influencer marketing helps brands to be able to maintain a large number of consumers, grow awareness of themselves, improve trust, speed sales, and effectively use their budget and time resources.
- Digital Branding and Positioning: The purpose of the plan activities for this element is to create a brand identity, acquaint the public with its values and unique characteristics by using various digital platforms, and to make a strong brand image.
- Digital Events and Campaigns: Planning events, creating campaigns, and successfully launching products are all important activities for digital agencies. Specialists actively work on webinars, training, virtual press conferences, competitions, viral spreading of social media campaigns, and helping to interact with the public.
- Analysis and Monitoring of the Effectiveness of Digital PR: Agencies pay close attention to and analysis the results of the activities they have planned. That may include analysis and monitoring of media coverage and the activities of consumers on social media and websites.
Georgia and PR – From Soviet Times up to the Modern Day
The history of public relations in Georgia has gone through some interesting twists and turns. We offer you here a few important details about the development tendencies of PR in this country.
During the Soviet period (1921-1991), the field of public relations, as we know it today, did not exist. At that time in Georgia, as in the other countries of the Soviet Union, censorship was in effect, and all the media was under government control. Any widely-disseminated information was, essentially, beholden to the propaganda of Soviet ideology and the image of the people in power. It is interesting to note that propaganda posters from the Soviet period contained commercial, political, and social messages.
In 1991, after Georgia gained its independence, development started on instituting democratic principles of governance and a market economy. This process was a big help to the first steps of PR and its subsequent development. In the beginning of the 2000s, business companies, different kinds of organizations, and government media started to put the principles of PR into practice. It was at that period that the first PR agencies and public relations departments were created in Georgia. Their services were mainly in media relations, event management, and crisis communication.
From 2000 to 2010, the spectrum of work performed by PR agencies and specialists broadened to include services such as communication planning, managing online reputations, social media management, and influencer marketing. In addition, the best international standards and practices were being actively introduced to the market. Professional associations like the Georgian Public Relations Association (GPRA) were created.
Nowadays, imagining the work of PR agencies without digital marketing is nearly impossible. That is why one of their most important tasks is to effectively implant new marketing forms and digitals into communication.
The Advantages
With the help of digital PR, a company can:
- Disseminate information and draw attention
- Maintain equilibrium between expenses and profit
- Improve reputation and create an image
- Find/maintain new customers
- Brand positioning and strengthening
- Increase website traffic through SEO strategies
- Generate leads
- Define and inspect the results achieved
So, if a brand is looking for a connection with a wide audience, to create/maintain a reputation, or to advertise their product or service, then it would be hard to pass digital PR. Time has shown us again and again that to achieve those goals, it is one of the most effective methods.
