What is Digital PR?
Digital PR, or Digital Public Relations, represents the evolution of traditional PR strategies in the digital age. It combines classic public relations techniques with modern digital marketing practices to establish a brand’s online presence and reputation.
As businesses increasingly operate in digital spaces, Digital PR has become an essential tool for effective communication with target audiences.
In recent years, Digital PR has transformed how companies interact with consumers, journalists, and influencers. This approach leverages online platforms, social media, and content marketing to create impactful, shareable stories that resonate with audiences and boost brand visibility.
By adapting to the digital landscape, PR professionals can now reach wider audiences more quickly and with greater personality than ever before.
Choosing a PR agency that can harness these powers and supercharge your brand to the online public has become crucial in today’s digital age.
Differences Between Digital PR & Traditional PR
While traditional PR and Digital PR share the common goal of boosting and maintaining a brand’s positive image, their methods and channels differ significantly:
| Traditional PR – The Old Guard | Digital PR – The Brave New World | |
| Reach | Often focuses on print media, TV, and radio. | Expands into online publications, blogs, social media platforms, and influencer networks. |
| Speed | Typically operates on longer timelines. | Allows for rapid dissemination of information, enabling brands to respond to trends and news in real-time. |
| Interaction | Tends to be more one-directional. | Facilitates two-way communication between brands and audiences, fostering engagement and relationship-building |
| Content Type | Relies more heavily on press releases and written materials. | Leverages diverse content types, including videos, infographics, and interactive media. |
| Quantifying Success | Results can be more challenging to quantify. | Offers more precise metrics and analytics, allowing for better tracking of campaign performance and ROI. |
While these differences are significant, many successful PR strategies integrate both traditional and digital approaches for a comprehensive communications plan.
Fundamentally, Digital PR offers an opportunity to enhance traditional marketing strategies. Our case studies take into account the increase in brand awareness through social media engagement and online discussions to strengthen our understanding of their impact.
Benefits of Digital PR for Brands
For established brands, Digital PR offers numerous advantages that can significantly enhance marketing efforts:
- Increased online visibility: Digital PR tactics can improve search engine rankings, making brands more discoverable to potential customers.
- Enhanced credibility: Securing coverage on reputable online platforms boosts brand authority and trustworthiness, as well as the authority of your brand’s websites themselves.
- Targeted audience reach: Digital PR allows for precise targeting of specific demographics and niche markets, especially those that may not engage with print media and would be otherwise missed in a traditional campaign.
- Crisis management: The speed and flexibility of Digital PR enable brands to address issues quickly and effectively, minimizing potential damage to reputation.
- Cost-effectiveness: Compared to traditional advertising, Digital PR often offers a higher return on investment.
- Brand storytelling: Digital platforms provide opportunities for brands to share their narratives in engaging and interactive ways.
- Amplified word-of-mouth: Digital PR campaigns have the potential to go viral, exponentially increasing brand exposure.
By leveraging these benefits, brands can create a stronger online presence, foster customer loyalty, and drive business growth.
How Digital PR Affects Marketing Channels
Digital PR’s impact extends across various marketing channels, broadening your brand’s reach with minimal additional effort and cost:
Social Media
Digital PR campaigns often gain traction on social platforms, where content can be shared rapidly among users. This virality potential allows brands to reach vast audiences quickly. For example, a well-crafted campaign can spark conversations, encouraging users to share branded content with their networks.
Content Marketing
Digital PR supports content marketing efforts by generating high-quality backlinks from reputable sources. This not only improves SEO but also drives referral traffic to branded content, increasing its reach and impact.
Influencer Marketing
By collaborating with influencers, Digital PR extends brand reach to engaged, niche audiences. These partnerships can result in authentic endorsements that resonate more strongly than traditional advertising.
One of our successful case studies of working with influencers was the Tofoo #FLEXitarian campaign. As a brand we pride ourselves on working with brands whose products similarly promote the diversity, inclusion and sustainability that is at the heart of our company ethos.
As a tofu brand, Tofoo promotes reducing meat in diets and making more eco-friendly food choices through their product lines. They wanted to reach younger audiences who would be receptive to their company ethics.
Tofoo released an advert in which the star of the video (Solomon Golding, a trained ballet professional) raised his leg over his head, balancing a meal made with Tofoo over their head!
@so1omongolding @tofooco @Toya Delazy #tastykick ♬ original sound – Solomon Golding
Through our campaign, this ‘Flexi’ move was linked to flexitarianism, in which vegetarian products are eaten alongside meat, as an aim to reduce meat consumption in an approachable, accessible way.
By using TikTok influencers who repeated the iconic moves of the advert, we brought Tofoo’s campaign into the digital realm, exposing it to younger audiences and helping their product go viral.
@official_azz @tofooco, @toya_delazy and @so1omongolding #TastyKick #legpose #tofoo #tofu #vegan #fyp #foodietiktok #FLEXitarian#likenothingelse ♬ Teke – Toya Delazy
@starholroyd Dare you to see if you can balance your @The Tofoo Co 🦶🏽🤣#tastyKick #legpose #tofoo #tofu #vegan #fyp #foodietiktok #FLEXitarian #likenothingelse @ToyaDelazy @Solomon Golding ♬ Teke – Toya Delazy
@miahhcarter AD Do you dare to @tofooco and @ToyaDelazy @Solomon Golding #TastyKick #legpose #tofoo #tofu #vegan #fyp #foodietiktok #FLEXitarian #likenothingelse ♬ Teke – Toya Delazy
Reactive PR and Newsjacking
Digital PR enables brands to capitalize on current events and trending topics through reactive PR and newsjacking. By quickly producing relevant content or offering expert commentary, brands can insert themselves into ongoing conversations, gaining visibility and demonstrating thought leadership.
Working with Aunt Bessie’s, we developed the online campaign of a Yorkshire Pudding inspired flat cap. Responding to the increasing interest in this type of hat, we crafted this eccentric campaign in order to increase Aunt Bessie’s brand awareness across social media platforms.
SEO and Online Visibility
Digital PR plays a crucial role in improving a brand’s search engine rankings. By securing high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites, brands can boost their domain authority and improve their visibility in search results.
Elevating Marketing Efforts with Digital PR
At Cirkle, we’re passionate about creating innovative Digital PR campaigns that supercharge our clients’ marketing efforts.
Our team of experts combines creativity with data-driven strategies to deliver impactful results across various industries.
Whether you’re looking to boost brand awareness, manage your online reputation, or drive engagement with your target audience, our Digital PR services can help you achieve your goals. We tailor our approaches to each client’s unique needs, ensuring that your brand’s message cuts through the digital noise and resonates with your audience.
Ready to take your brand’s digital presence to the next level? Give us a call to discuss how our Digital PR strategies can elevate your marketing efforts.