It’s Time to Rethink Your Digital PR Strategy

“Public relations” as a concept has been around since humans formed societies. How someone was perceived by the group/the collective/the society, and the effect that had on the opportunities available to them, is ingrained in our DNA. 

Take a walk down PR history’s memory lane and evidence of people either advancing or being held back by the perception of others is everywhere. Kings and queens have been dethroned (or worse) because of perception. Companies have crumbled. Careers have tanked. And protecting public image when everyone is sharing everything online has become a booming industry that itself, admittedly, can get a bad rep.  

As technology continues to shape the way organizations communicate and engage with their audiences, creating a digital PR strategy that supports and amplifies its message of corporate social responsibility, sustainability, and diversity and inclusion is more critical than ever. 

When done well, traditional PR will:  

• Pump up your credibility. It goes without saying that when you can point to credible publications that have featured you, your clout goes up. People trust those publications, so they extend that trust to you, giving you the space to share your ideas and opening doors to work with you directly.
• Increase your bottom line. More opportunity means more exposure which means you’ll attract more of everything: profits, sales, top talent, prospects, speaking engagements, accolades…
• Enhance the way that people think of you. Increased trust, and increased exposure, can be leveraged to maximize how you’re talked about by third parties, in turn increasing that validation and credibility. Perception is everything in business.
• Expand your online presence. Third party features, endorsements, mentions, collaborations all help expand your reach 360 degrees. Not only are they elevating your credibility and perception, but they’re giving you access to their audiences, expanding your reach to new people within your target audiences.

PR is powerful. It can be life changing. But PR is only as good as the platform you create to support it. 

Widen your perspective of digital PR strategy.

At SimplyBe., we’re opening the aperture to take a wider, more holistic look at PR and what it can do for you. 

Traditional PR, and the things it can do for you, isn’t going anywhere. But it should only be one part of your digital PR strategy. Without a consistent and compelling place to direct and nurture folks, your PR won’t create much return. (Which, doesn’t that kind of defeat its purpose?)

You can’t just focus on pitching and placements. You have to have an integrated message that spans all channels.

With the help of new and accessible tech, people and tech can create a multitude of low-cost mediums to expand their reach. It’s not just TV, radio, magazine, and print ads anymore. It’s the digital world, digital events, podcasts, virtual events and speaking engagements, panels, IG lives, digital publications, and oh so much more.

Anything and everything can be used as a conduit to your target audience—before PR even gets involved. We call this unique approach and perspective on PR “external outreach.”

With an external outreach approach to your digital PR strategy you can…

• Become your own media channel. In fact, you already are—through your social channels and any other platforms you already own. In these spaces, you get to tell your own authentic story directly to your audiences. It’s easier than ever to record a podcast, write articles for large magazines, or start your own video series. These low-barrier mediums are key to creating a digital PR strategy with a wide net.
• Target your most potent and engaged niche audiences. Reaching ten extremely qualified, extremely leaned-in people will drive more revenue, more quickly, than a thousand semi-engaged people. Traditional PR is a numbers game. With modern, digital PR, the riches are in the niches. Instead of going after every press opportunity there is, go after the opportunities tailored to your target audience—partner with established experts in your space, pitch an article to a trade magazine, or speak at an up and coming conference in your industry.
• Make a far greater impact than traditional media and PR alone. Launching a PR strategy with an established, strong, authentic brand will result in a multiplier effect. Being quoted in a renowned publication gives people a glimpse into your message—but creating a robust, consistent brand ecosystem for people to engage with will not only bring them in, but it’ll get them to stick around. 

External outreach is non-negotiable when it comes to growing your brand and growing your business’s exposure. This approach to PR allows you to open new doors, build relationships and expand your network. It gives you the ability to create a funnel source for your business, grow your impact, and ultimately grow your revenue. 

External outreach compounds your digital PR strategy over time, where traditional PR alone can fall flat. 

Everything is content. Everything is an opportunity.

Every interaction is an opportunity to tell your story and to maximize your reach. And when your brand is integrated across the board, it’s a symbiotic relationship—macro content, like a speaking engagement, leads to a micro moment, like building a relationship with an attendee, which leads to another macro opportunity, like becoming a guest on that person’s podcast, which leads to tapping into new audiences, which leads to filling your pipeline with targeted prospects… 

An ecosystem of opportunity starts to form. And if you have clarity in your brand, show that you know what you’re talking about, and you’re clear and consistent about the value you bring, your brand will grow exponentially.