Marketing and PR:  The growing importance of social media and search Published November - December 2007 The growth of the web, and with it social media and user generated content, is causing marketers already using online channels for advertising to consider moving to the next communication stage: Online PR. It’s a well proven formula in all media that advertising leads and public relations follows. It was natural that when digital channels first began to open up that advertising would take the lead. This has seen a plethora of digital channels and devices being creatively used. It has resulted in almost every kind of digital device capable of receiving content being bombarded.  There have been some extremely creative digital executions. However, as with most advertising driven communication, it’s been largely one-way - what some call ‘megaphone marketing’.  As digital media matures, so is the need for marketers to constantly examine the tools they are using. Consumers, who use social media, expect to be talked with - not talked to.  Advertising is one way.  PR engages. Social media has put control in the hands of the consumer.  In fact online experts are saying that the next few years will be the age of engagement. It’s no longer enough to simply use digital channels to push out messages. Arguably, of all the media channels that have been developed and used over the last 100 years, none is less advertising, or theoretically more pr, centric than social media. Using social media is more than the mind-set of re-purposing the 30 second radio or television spot.  It’s about branding through developing a dialogue with the consumer. It involves delivering - or giving access to - information-rich and credible content aimed at engaging with intelligent consumers. This is PR - not advertising. This involves using a range of techniques from blogs and pod casts, to engaging in blogger dialogue and participating in forums.  It also recognises that many opinion formers and influencers who were traditionally found in traditional media - and who were communicated to via PR - now populate online.  Organisations need to employ the same methodology in dealing with these audiences - they are simply found in a different environment. But as dealing with media it requires specialist knowledge and expertise.  Again that’s the role of PR. Many marketers are intimidated by social media - they see that the power base has shifted to the consumer, and that it’s difficult- if not downright dangerous- to try and engage with consumers in what is effectively ‘their space’. Not so.  In fact, a recent survey in the UK found that more than half (51%) of internet users believe that brands should be engaging with them online. However, 55% of respondents said they expect companies that use the blogosphere to play by its rules. The reality is that what being said on social media has the potential to influence both corporate and brand reputation - and marketers can’t ignore it.  Bloggers, like traditional media, can be important influencers and forums can, like talk-back radio, feed on rumour and innuendo. Over the past 2-3 years there has been a realisation that pr can monitor and engage with social media for defensive corporate reputations purposes. However, only now are marketers beginning to realise that PR is also a tool that can enhance the online conversation about the business or brand and create word-of-mouth and buzz within social media. Being found through organic or natural search on Google increasingly matters. PR delivers this best. Google (and its sister search engines) was the first, and easiest, advertising medium for marketers to employ in the world of search. Buy words, and pay only if they were clicked.  Set it up immediately and get results within days. But that bubble is bursting. There’s increasing commentary that the PPC party is under pressure. PPC will always take a significant part of online marketing budgets, but critics point to clutter on sites, click fraud and rising costs as competitors bid against each other to get higher rankings. The economics of PPC advertising no longer stand as tall as they did. Also, as the novelty of search engines passes, consumers increasingly know what they want. And research all over the world shows that consumers are turning to, and trusting, natural or organic search results rather than paid-for listings that they see as advertising. Research in Australia, commissioned by Network PR, publisher of PR Influences, shows that 85% of online Australians click on natural or organic listings first. By contrast only 15% click on PPC listings or sponsored links.  Furthermore around 90% of respondents believe that natural or organic search listing are more relevant, are trusted more and are more likely to influence consumers. How do marketers get found in natural or organic search?  First, by researching what consumers are actually searching for on the Web. Second, by writing content that is more editorial than advertising.  Third, by correctly publishing that content on web sites, or distributing it through relevant online media channels.  If you want to be found in natural or organic search on search engines, it’s PR that will deliver this - not advertising. Pr is just one tool. But it’s increasingly becoming a’ must consider’ for online marketers. It was natural that advertising was the first marketing tool to tap digital channels and online space.  This has been followed by a large and diverse range of clever digital tools and devices.  These will continue to dominate the online budgets of marketers. However, just as few marketers would now not include public relations in their conventional marketing mix, the time has arrived where Online PR is also becoming a ‘must consider’ ingredient in the online marketer’s armoury. Further articles relevant to this topic: Online Reputation: Using PR to protect and enhance the brand Implications of internet growth on corporate and marketing communications PR and the Web: New strategies achieve higher rankings on search engines Click here to read further stories about online pr Network PR, publisher of PR Influences, specialises in Online PR. To read more about their services click here. To make a no-obligation enquiry click here.

PR Influences: Marketing and PR: the growing importance of social media and search