How a Digital PR Strategy Can Create Value for Companies

by William Nestor

There is a new generation of consumers who look firstly, and often solely, to the internet as the primary source for their news and information. To reach these consumers a company has to have a digital PR strategy which utilises a combination of a website presence together with linked social media channels to reach out to a wider audience. 
 
Search Engine Optimisation 
Search Engine Optimisation is at the heart of a digital media strategy. 93% of all online experiences start with search engines such as Google and Bing, therefore it is vital to ensure that your website is easy to find and appears within the first few organic (non paid for) results returned by search engines. According to ImFORZA.com 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results. There are many techniques to help ensure good ranking results and the use of such techniques is referred to as Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).  SEO increases your websites visibility on the web and increases the search 'hits' you get. SEO techniques include: 

• The Application of keyword research to find out what your company's target market will typically be searching for. By updating the content of your web pages to include such keywords you will ensure that they get included within the Google indexes and direct queries including those keywords to your site. 
• Utilising Backlinks (which are sometimes referred to as Inbound Links). These are hyperlinks that connect from an external web page directly to your own web page. Google's ranking algorithm considers web pages with more backlinks to be more relevant and this often results in getting a higher ranking spot. An example of appropriate backlinks that could be added are direct links from the company’s social media to their website.
• Improving on page optimisation is also an essential task to carry out. For example, pages should not be filled with too much media as it can increase the amount of time it takes users to load the web page, this is important as 40% of internet users will abandon a website if it takes more than three seconds to load (Source: Econsultancy).
• In recent search engine updates from Google the page content has become one of the main factors regarding search ranking. Google’s ranking algorithm can detect web pages for text and media content. Web pages with more appropriate content will be ranked higher by the algorithm.  To ensure the content is considered to be appropriate, keywords found to be successful from the keyword research should be used in the text and on the alt tags for media.

 
Search Engine Optimisation isn't a one off exercise. Once a SEO strategy is put in place it has to be regularly reviewed and modified due to the fact that competitors may also take action to improve their own search ranking. Another reason it is important to frequently check a SEO strategy is that Google and other search engines release updated regulations and algorithms that can require changes to be made. 
 
 Social Media
As well as being a mechanism to engage with clients, a social media presence is rapidly becoming a 'must have' with many younger customers. These customers look for an active and relevant social media presence to prove that they are dealing with a 'real' and 'substantial' company - as exemplified by this quote from Bridget Greenwood, president of The Financial Social Media UK
 
"I am used to going on Twitter and finding out more about someone. I am used to Googling a product, a holiday or a service and then finding out what other people say about it and what they say about themselves across social media channels. I am used to communicating that way. If I can’t find someone who does, I discount them.”
 
 Social Media Channels
There are many different competing social platforms and individual customers will have their own preferences as to which of these channels they wish to use, with some utilising multiple channels for different purposes or to communicate with different groups of friends and colleagues.
 A company needs to decide how many, and which social media platforms they wish to utilise, and conduct market research of their existing and target client base in order to determine the best mix of platforms to invest in. 
 Social media can play an important role in creating digital content to appeal very specifically to a target market. Social data allows digital marketers to understand the demographics and interests of target audiences, which can be used to tailor content. There has been an increase in the use of YouTube by businesses in recent years, which is most likely down to the fact that it has been stated that posts with links to YouTube videos have a 75% higher share rate (LI Marketing Solutions).
  
Measuring the effectiveness of Digital PR
An advantage of Digital PR is that its success and progress can be easily measured and tracked using a variety of tools, these tools include:

• Google Analytics - This tool allows you to look at metrics that are generated by web sites as well as information on traffic to a website. This information is particularly useful as you can compare statistics over a large period of time.
• Google URL Builder - This tool lets the user add tags to links and other promotional pieces which enables them to check statistics regarding a websites bounce rates, conversion rates and other statistics that can be found within Google Analytics.
• Open Site Explorer – A tool that can be used to monitor a website's backlink profile. This can offer valuable insight into what backlinks are attracting the most attention to the site and which links are less effective.
• Shared Count - Lets a user track information regarding how their social media is having an impact on their company as well as who is sharing their content and social posts. This information helps to identify the demographic they are reaching.

Summary
Formulating and implementing an effective Digital PR strategy requires top-down commitment and dedication of adequate resources to carry it through. If done well, it can be time and money very well spent - for example, according to imFORZA.com, SEO leads have a 14.6% close rate, while 'traditionally generated' leads (such as direct mail or print advertising) only have a 1.7% close rate. This shows why it is so important for companies to provide the necessary resources for establishing and improving their website's SEO and Social Media strategy.