The world’s top companies use online PR to improve their business reputation, support their digital marketing and grow. It is a technique, which when done correctly, can make a significant impact on brand presence, international PR, attracting talent and generating leads.
Here’s 5 advantages of online PR:
1. Generate leads
More than 60% of the sales process is complete before there is a serious sales engagement. Modern buyers are in control of the sales process. They find the prospective supplier, not the other way round. Buyers do their own research and due diligence before there is contact with a salesperson. The company that owns the key positions on page one of Google is the company that will be best positioned to attract the prospect with that need.
Online PR can deliver great SEO profile via leading online news and other media when done in the right way. It offers a great way to secure several key positions on Google and supplement a company’s own website SEO. Critically, by securing multiple positions on page one of Google, businesses are bumping competitors onto later pages. It is often said that today’s marketing monopoly, especially for B2B marketers, is ownership of the premium locations Google search rankings.
2. Build website authority with media citations
Domain authority is important as it heavily influences how businesses rank on search engines. Citations of a business name in media and local directories is invaluable for maintaining strong search rankings. While citations do not hyperlink back to a website directly, the value is in the mention. Just making sure that the company name is used consistently enables search engines to associate mentions received in a variety of media with the home company website. In the past, it was all about having links to a website, but now Google will give sites an authority boost when simply cited in national, trade or regional online media as well as local directories.
3. Build international PR profile
Online PR can grow international PR brand awareness. Online coverage earned in the home market is available worldwide and this can make a significant impact on a company’s ability to attract interest and make a positive PR impression in its target international market. The key – especially for start-ups - is that fact that it is usually possible to get coverage in leading national media in the home market, where the company was founded and based, whereas it is usually more difficult to secure influential comment like this in international markets.
4. Attract talent
Just as SEO helps improve a brand’s online presence, online PR can help attract new talent. Many job seekers go online to gain to understand the personality of the company and to find out about its media reputation. Is it a well thought of firm? There is little more impactful on a person’s desire to secure a role in a firm than reading what leading independent journalists are writing about it.
Allocating time to promoting roles and company culture on social media, including blogs - and employee blogs in particular - is another great way of attracting talent.
5. Build and grow relationships through social media and blogs
If used right, social media can play a great role in building and growing online relationships. Each platform plays its own unique role and has particular strengths for building particular types of relationship with target segments. For example, LinkedIn has become a prominent site for B2B relationship building and referral. Publishing blogs and sharing expertise on LinkedIn can enable companies and professionals to reach prospective buyers in a very targeted way, with significant network effect relationship building and ultimately lead generation.
Whether it is gaining an SEO monopoly or establishing international PR presence, if you’re interested in developing your online PR efforts, you can contact us here.
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