Source: TopRank
Authenticity/personality – the world and web crave it
There are too many faceless brands, companies and even, amazingly, people on the planet. We crave authenticity – and digital channels reward it higher than traditional. This is because they are personal versus the fact that traditional channels produce content as the result of a polished, refined process. The truth is the web is not meant to be a finished product; it is merely an avenue to express ourselves. Additionally, the web enables you to talk with consumers and prospects, not at them. Embrace PR with this in mind and you’ll nurture a very different kind of relationship than those who treat it like a broadcast tool.
It scales – popular brands just get more popular
The idea of social media scaling for customer service is of course a misnomer – it doesn’t. But popularity on the other hand can continue to grow. That’s not to say it’s easy to keep up, but look at the runaway growth of certain brands, networks and media and you’ll see this to be true. People like Robert Scoble and Michael Arrington just get more popular, and socially active brands like Zappos and Whole Foods gain greater share of voice daily especially when stacked against competitors.
Social media applied strategically for PR helps make a brand referential. And when something becomes referential, it just keeps growing. Digital media – due to links, sourcing and aggregation potentiates anything which is referential. Staking a claim sooner rather than later is how you can do this and begin to grow organically. As digital channels continue rise in popularity and influence it will become more difficult to do this as more attempt to do so.
Long-term storytelling – build a permission asset
Permission marketing is a core skill for digital PR and marketing professionals to embrace. By growing a community and getting people to say “yes, I want to hear from you,” you’ll earn the permission to share your messages with them long term. And overtime you will develop influence, trust and eventually be seen as an authority on a subject. And as Brian Clarke sagely advises: authority rules.
Leverage – digital PR is your social proofing
If you acquire digital PR and never do anything with it, you’re not optimizing your social proofing. If you’re gaining endorsements from credible industry professionals or generating tons of buzz and links about your product and not showcasing that, it is a missed opportunity. While many will have seen the buzz initially, what about those who have not? Here at TopRank, we embrace this by aggregating mentions of our brand in a digital marketing newsroom. Put your digital PR to work instead of letting it accumulate digital dust. Even consider taking it offline to win new business: comments, endorsements, interviews and feedback from trusted externalities can be a persuasive force.
Intersection with SEO – links are by-product
As discussed frequently at Online Marketing Blog social media and SEO have a symbiotic relationship. And digital marketers who go a step further find there is a nexus between SEO, social media and PR. Uncover this and you will discover the three play off each other for even greater results. Your keyword glossary should not be used merely for SEO – rather, use it across all marketing channels, including in PR programs. After all, generating more search demand for keywords you are optimized for is only going to help you long term.
PR has changed – pull is now more effective
Pull PR is superior to push, there is no escaping this. A (not so) secret part of media is this: media report on media. It’s so simple, yet so overlooked. By becoming media you embrace a pull strategy naturally and will attract attention from all other types of media – both professional and amateur.
Conclusion
Social media for PR is a dynamic, constant process, and not all companies will be agile enough to embrace it. But it allows truly passionate and authentic brands to stand out, build a tribe and become referential. The few brands and professionals that get it right are memorable because there are so many who get it wrong.
Having an effective strategy and the patience to see it pay off, enabling your brand “tip” in the social web is reserved for those who can commit long term. But those who do will see returns far greater than traditional PR can offer.