Head of Digital PR and Outreach, Jennie Lindehoff takes us through why digital PR is essential for any 2021 marketing strategy.

Why Digital PR is Important in 2021

Digital PR is the best way to build your brand’s online presence. 2020 has seen more and more people turning to online shopping during the pandemic and we don’t see this dropping anytime soon. Now more than ever, it is crucial to have a strong online visibility.

Digital PR may mean more work to put into developing a strategy but in return it will improve your online presence and enhance other aspects of your digital marketing plan. The work carried out will lead to visibility in new places by reaching your target customers in the online newspapers they read, the websites they visit, the podcasts they listen to and the social media platforms they scroll through. It is also carries great potential to reach new customers you wouldn’t otherwise have access to.

You might be reading this article because;

• You are a new brand looking to increase your online brand awareness
• You do not have many links pointing to your website
• You keep getting coverage and links from the same publications
• You want to stand out online from other brands

If any of these statements describe you, keep reading!

Increase SEO visibility

Digital PR is one of the most effective and efficient ways of enhancing your online presence through acquiring links, either directly or indirectly. A direct acquisition would mean a user clicks the link and straight away converts/buys a product, while an indirect link would direct users to a non-converting page but would help improve your overall SEO and organic search strategy.

Consider indirect backlinks a sign of endorsement – when gained from credible sites they help strengthen your website and keyword rankings in the SERPs by improving your site's reputation or Domain Authority. The higher DA your site has, the more likely you are to earn higher rankings which will lead to more organic web traffic. The most valuable links would come from sites with a high DA themselves, as Google and users will see you as a credible and authoritative brand that reputable sites trust.

Build brand identity

Though a big priority for Digital PR is to acquire links that drive organic search growth, being mentioned in content or having articles published about your brand, without actually acquiring a link is still a great way to stay in front of potential customers. Even if they are not ready to make a purchase straight away, a distinctive piece of content will mean they will remember your brand for future purchases.

If you are regularly mentioned in the press, sharing knowledge and expertise within your industry and on topics your customer base finds interesting, you are building a brand identity they can connect with. You are showing that you have a lot to offer - you will become more than a retailer, and become a brand that they can relate and engage with.

Increase social engagement

Digital PR campaigns are a fantastic way of striking up conversations with your audience, via comments on news articles and blogs, but also on social media. Creating PR campaigns that divides people’s opinions is a great conversation starter as the more people engage with the content, the more they are likely to also share it on social media to see the reactions from their friends.

Ensuring you have an effective social strategy to support your PR campaigns will give your hard work that added push to reach a bigger audience. Not only will users sharing the content to their profiles boost visibility, but interactions such as likes or comments will also work with different platforms algorithms to appear on more newsfeeds. Create content that gets people talking and your campaign will grow exponentially.

Add credibility

In an ever-growing competitive market with lots of different brands to choose from, trust plays a very important part in customers’ decision-making process. If you are an unknown brand, being able to show that you have been featured in some of the biggest publications in the industry will give a sense of trustworthiness, even if users didn’t see the original campaign.

When you land great coverage and links on high-tier publications do not be afraid to shout about it as they’re a great wat to boost your reputation in a really positive way! Use it to add further value by including it on your press page and share on social media – even a simple “Thank you for featuring us” post is a clear signal to your audience that you’re being talked about in all the right places.

In summary, Digital PR strategies are a great way to hit your goals using a variety of tactics – no matter what they are! The main focus is to secure coverage and links on relevant news sites and websites, and build a relationship with your audience by creating a strong brand identity. If you can create engaging stories that journalists have no choice but to feature, you’re already half way to achieving those much needed links!

If you need help in building relationships with journalists to achieve these brand mentions, or to develop your Digital PR strategy, get in touch with our experts to find out more about our PR & Outreach services.