Of course, you know what PR is. But why is it necessary for you in the age of the internet? The same rules apply online as they do offline. You still need to create the “right” image of your company in the eyes of the target audience. You also need to work with people’s perceptions and beliefs about the company, its products, or services. And you must quickly respond to criticism and block attacks from opponents. All of these offline tasks have shifted online.
The unique features of the online environment also influence PR tools on the internet. Due to the popularity of web technologies, online PR has an explosive effect. In this article, we will discuss how public relations unfold on social platforms and what methods are needed for effective positioning. The main methods of network PR include: SERM, viral marketing (word of mouth), blogging, SMO, and SMM.
SMO and SMM
SMO stands for Social media optimization. This should be the first task on your list, as the social media audience is growing every day. Brand pages on Facebook, Instagram, and other similar platforms are like small or large media outlets with their own readership.
Key aspects of SMO optimization:
- Interesting, well-written content on the main website and across all marketing channels: blogs, newsletters, free and paid external resources. If people are interested in an article, they will stay on the page longer, remember the resource, and the company.
- The content must be easily shareable across popular social networks. To encourage people to share it, necessary buttons should be placed next to the content.
SMO helps attract users to engage with your brand’s community. Therefore, links to social network accounts (with attractive avatars and a sufficient number of followers) should be placed on the company’s main site.
SMM, or social media marketing, is a continuation of the SMO strategy. Using SMM methods, future clients are attracted to the brand’s social media pages by creating interesting and useful content and launching engaging interactive campaigns, contests, etc.
Blogging
Interesting content is the foundation of all network PR methods. Many business owners believe that website visitors never visit the “Our Articles” section. In fact, a blog can become an essential part of a PR campaign: potential clients search for information by typing key queries into search engines. The more of these key terms appear in blog articles, the more often clients will visit your website.
The effectiveness of the method can be measured by the number of views, likes, comments, and shares – these metrics will help understand what else clients want to learn and allow you to create articles that interest them. To encourage people to become clients more often, a lightbox, slide-in offers, and CTAs (calls to action) should be placed above the fold, and heatmaps should be reviewed.
Viral marketing
Experts often answer the question of what PR is with the catchy and timeless phrase “word of mouth.” “Viral” marketing refers to an idea that will appeal to people and quickly “infect” a large audience. People will spread such information through social networks on their own. To create a viral campaign, you need to:
- Create positive content that emphasizes the strengths of the subject or concept.
- The information should be aimed at eliciting a strong reaction from the audience.
- The message should be useful and practical.
SERM
Finally, we come to the online PR image. Sometimes companies order fake positive reviews about themselves and negative ones about their competitors. “White” methods are far more effective because it’s better to place a block with real reviews – both positive and moderately negative – in your landing pages or newsletters. The presence of different reviews serves as proof that the company is not trying to deceive. Users understand that everyone makes mistakes, and they won’t believe “sugary” reviews.
The more honest the PR tools online, the more long-lasting the effect, and conscientious methods of attracting clients will ensure a large audience of loyal customers.
