Research has shown that some 86% of marketing professionals use digital or content marketing to increase brand awareness. In today's digital age, having a strong online presence is integral to the success of any brand or business. However, with so many platforms and channels available, it can be overwhelming for companies as they try to navigate the complex world of digital on their own.
PR agencies have the digital expertise, experience, and network of contacts needed to help businesses grow and succeed. A PR agency can work closely with you to develop a comprehensive digital strategy that aligns with your goals, objectives, and values, and ultimately drives growth for your business.
With that in mind, here are five ways that hiring a PR agency can help to boost your brand’s digital presence.
1. Craft a strong digital strategy
By developing a digital strategy that leverages a mix of activities across media outreach, written or video content, social media campaigns, search engine optimisation (SEO), digital advertising and more, a PR agency can help your business to establish a strong and recognisable digital brand identity that resonates with your target audience.
Meanwhile, it’s important to understand that a digital strategy cannot be maximised if the results are not effectively measured. It’s crucial to know what’s working and what’s not, in order to be able to make informed decisions and improve the ROI of future campaigns.
An industry specialist PR agency can leverage their deep understanding of your industry to create compelling and targeted digital communication strategies and use proven metrics to enhance the effectiveness of campaigns. With years of experience, they can add extra value by tapping into their extensive knowledge of your target audience, competitors, and industry trends.
2. Create engaging content
A PR agency can support with creating engaging digital content that drives potential customers to your website or social channels. Whether it’s offering advice and guidance through downloadable whitepapers or eBooks, or keeping up with the latest trends, news, and developments through blog posts or social media, creating consistent content that is timely, relevant, and useful to your target audience will help to boost your profile and position your organisation as a thought leader in your industry. A recent study found that 47% of decision-makers engage with 3-5 pieces of content before talking to a salesperson.
3. Search Engine Optimisation - SEO
A digitally focused PR agency can apply SEO techniques drive strong growth for your business. With
SEO applied to both your media content and your own web content, you can ensure that customers can find you when you have the right solution for them. Search optimised PR content is one of the most powerful ways to find and close new business.
4. Build the right media relationships
A specialist PR agency will have an innate understanding of the media landscape in your industry and will have forged strong relationships with the journalists who can amplify your brand's message. This network of key contacts will ensure your message reaches the right people.
Most media outlets today will have an online presence. In fact, many publications are now only available online. A PR agency can work with you to create a strong pipeline of activities which will be of interest to key media in your industry, generating positive media coverage which can help to create a positive brand sentiment among your target audience.
In addition, the benefit of backlinks to your website from a respected media site cannot be overstated. All links from media sites are very influential in terms of boosting the search rankings of your own website, especially where the referring media site has higher search authority than your own.
5. Connect with key audiences
A strong digital presence helps you to connect with customers, potential customers, employees, potential employees and other stakeholders.
In the digital world, for example, employees carry out due diligence around potential employers online, and the more positive and engaging communications – especially those in respected independent media – that they can see from your organisation, the more attractive you look as an employer. In the current landscape, as we experience a war for talent and organisations are increasingly vying to fill positions from the same depleted pools, a PR agency can make a huge impact on your employer branding.
6. Manage social media
Social media is a powerful tool for building brand awareness and connecting with customers. However, managing social media accounts can be time-consuming and overwhelming, especially if you're trying to run your business at the same time. A PR agency can help to manage your social media presence, including creating targeted campaigns, responding to comments and messages, and tracking analytics to make informed decisions. By ensuring that your social media accounts are active and engaging, a PR agency can help you to gain a loyal following and drive traffic to your website.
Last words
By working with a PR agency, you can tap into vast industry knowledge to position your brand as a
thought leader and reach a wider audience. A PR agency with a digital focus can help you to establish and maintain a strong digital presence that will enhance engagement and build brand loyalty. In summary, a digitally switched-on PR agency can help ensure that your business is reaching the right people with the right message and, in turn, drive powerful growth.
Find out how a digitally savvy PR agency like Comit can help to boost your digital presence today.
