Small Business Center

PR Has Changed & What that Means for You Online

August 11th, 2009 by Janet Thaeler

PR has changed in many ways. First, what was once a handful of journalists is now many – which means it’s harder to form relationships with them. So finding the right person and getting a story published about you just got harder.

Why? Their jobs (like yours) are more complex. They once wrote articles that got published. Now their job includes new territory—online. They are expected to write blog posts, maybe audio recording or video to go with their stories. They, like you, measure success by metrics like traffic to their web site.

Another way PR has changed is that your audience is splintered and increasingly it is online. To take full advantage of this you need to find and pay attention to the right audiences. Because once you get your message to the right audience, your conversion increases dramatically.

Also, what was once pretty predictable is no longer predictable or controllable. You may not even want to be online but that won’t stop people from spreading information about your brand. You can either ignore it or find ways to participate.

What started as more of a one-way conversation with a few people, has evolved into a collaborative communication with many people in many places. It’s a new neighborhood online and many are new to this community. Like any community is has its own culture and before you jump in you’ve got to get to know the locals.

It’s not enough to have a web site. Search engine optimization, press releases that are distributed and promoted online, blogs and social networks are all part of online marketing. PR is part of online marketing. 

What that means to you, is you have to be more savvy. Or your PR firm has to be more savvy. You may work more closely with your online marketing firm. The lines between journalists, bloggers and online marketers and PR are blurring.

 

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