An introduction to online PR and blogging

People’s perception of online PR takes many forms, so firstly I thought I would offer up my perspective of what this entails. To me, online PR is the practice of building relationships with digital media owners, in order to leverage promotional benefit for your brand or product. The best way to do this is to create ideas and campaigns, which are sympathetic to the wants and needs of the digital media owner and their audience.

This means that coverage is gained through an editorially led route as opposed to a straight paid-for media route, which arguably has a greater impact on the reader, as it encourages conversation and a deeper engagement with the brand than a superficial piece.

Who are digital media owners?

Traditionally digital media owners were the “portals” owned by major ISPs and search engines such as Yahoo!, and print publications that had a strong online presence, from The Guardian to NME, that are now as successful if not more prevalent online than they are in print.

The success of these sites saw a new wave of online-only publications spring up, sites such as Slate or Pitchfork have been built specifically on web audiences and have little or no offline presence. Often these brands will have a smaller readership but what they do offer is an opportunity to reach a targeted and dedicated audience.

However in today’s world, the landscape of the digital media owner has
changed dramatically, with the real sea change being the ability to ‘self
publish’.

The advent of free publishing tools, faster and wider provision of broadband and cheaper high-quality cameras and videocameras have led to the dawn of web 2.0, which has meant that anybody now can publish their own content and media online.

Blogs, forums, wikis, social networking sites (to name just a few) have created a new breed of publisher, one with no start up cost, no commercial imperative, and most importantly no editorial guidelines.

A person with a point of view can now reach a vast audience. All they need to do to grow their readership is to be committed and passionate about a subject and if people like what they say their audience will blossom.

What’s more the opinion of these self publishers is often taken as a more trusted source of information than traditional forms of media, certainly when it comes to product reviews.

This has led those ‘traditional’ online media providers to change and adapt. Mainstream sites are adding social features such as commenting, UGC uploading and content sharing. This is the first step in the web becoming a truly conversational ecosystem. All of this means brands now have a myriad of promotional opportunities online. There is a community for just about every topic imaginable, but playing in this new environment means adapting your techniques as the old rules no longer apply.

Conversation is king

The rise in social media has led to change in the way we see communication with consumers. The previous ‘broadcast’ model was a monologue where messages were crafted but now people are actively participating and responding to what they watch and read.

This means the best campaigns are crafted to create dialogue with consumers.

Campaigns should contain components which generate discussion in blogs and forums, content which is easily shared through social bookmarking and embeddable in other media.

The end result should be a much wider exposure to the initial outreach. What’s more, it doesn’t have to be a one hit wonder, as consumers respond the brand can join in the debate, respond and react. By participating and engaging in your audiences’ activities you have a real opportunity to connect with your consumer and make more meaningful relationships with them.

Different rules or techniques

This is all very well, but brands may be worried that if they engage in social media they are somehow losing control.

There is good and bad news here.

If you type your brand’s name into Google, you will see an alternative homepage, created by other people who are already talking about you so the control that you desire has already been conceded for the most part.

Brands that recognise this and seek to become active members of these communities, enhancing and enriching said community can help to shape the thoughts and opinions of key influencers which, in turn, benefits them.

It can be tempting in this environment to take the easy route, of just using
blogs and wikis to promote your product or brand without disclosure, using the comments or UGC saying “xxx is great!” After all, what’s the worst that can happen?

The answer is simple. If you lie, you will get caught out; authenticity and trust are key factors in the social media environment – and brands that have tried pulling the wool over consumers’ eyes have been named and shamed with relish by bloggers and since 2008, not only do you lose brand value and trust by doing so, but it is now against the law, so the risk has a legal dimension.

The alternative, while it looks and sounds harder, is the one that reaps rewards in the long run. Be authentic. Don’t shy away from criticism, and engage with your detractors as well as your enthusers. The brands of the future will be the brands that converse, and just like a face-to-face conversation, nobody likes being lied to.

Summary

This doesn’t mean that suddenly marketing has changed forever and everything that once was is no longer in effect, in fact far from it. What it means is that online we have new opportunities. We can mix up the approach and have seen that brands that engage communities in a meaningful way are reaping the benefits.

Steve Rubel SVP with Edelman Digital created some thoughts around this
which sums things up perfectly so, with kind permission, here it is:

1. Controlled Communication:) One-way tactics such as TV advertising,
online advertising and media relations that are great for branding and
visibility, but are seldom collaborative. What’s old still works.

2. Open Communication:) Online initiatives, such as viral videos, that are
designed to generate discussion, but not necessarily produce a shared outcome. Most corporate blogs are often up in this quadrant. The more collaborative blogs move “right”.

3. Controlled Collaboration:) Programs that facilitate participation but
are more controlled, for example numerous efforts to solicit consumer generated ads.

4. Open Collaboration:) Win-win initiatives that open a dialogue towards
reaching a broader goal.

Social media in action

The Carphone Warehouse – X Factor Challenge (CHI & Partners)

The X Factor Challenge lets viewers sing and draw themselves for a chance to appear on TV during the show’s ad breaks. Having the web experience at its centre, the campaign uses TV, mobile and social media to engage the user in different levels. From simply watching and judging someone’s performance to creating their own, sharing it via their mobile and, ultimately, starring on TV.

On the site, users can get the lyrics for eight classic singalong tracks and then choose to record their performance via a freephone number on their mobile or their computer’s microphone, also creating an animated character. They can then send performances to friends as an email, upload it as a personalised message to Facebook and even send it on, for free to their mobile as a video ringtone.

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