The once-bold lines between the well-established PR and advertising worlds are becoming grayer and grayer. With digital now sandwiched in the middle, we have a full-blown convergence on our hands. It has certainly been in the works for awhile, but the belt-tightening recession and sudden surge in demand for digital have fast-tracked its evolution.
The secret is implementing smart, effective tactics that often blur the lines and borrow from the best of all three disciplines. Among the most effective tactics are the ones that we call “brand storytelling”—that is, blending the branding value of advertising, the credibility of public relations and the measurability and ROI of online tactics.
Creating a fusion of the best of several marketing disciplines only serves to strengthen a campaign’s deliverables. And their marketing campaigns are more measurable—and more successful—because of it.
To that end, here are three ways PR and communications professionals can lead, learn from and bank on this current convergence trend:
REMEMBER THAT CONTENT IS KING
Consumers are bombarded with marketing messages from more sources and places than ever before. Ultimately, though, people are still searching for information—and well-written, meaningful content prevails.
A recent study conducted by ARAnet and Opinion Research Corp. confirmed what PR/communications executives have known for years: Consumers are far more likely to take action when reading online articles that include brand information (51%), as compared to search engine advertising (39%) or banner advertising (25%).
This leaves the door wide open for PR and communications professionals to do what they do best: Tell their company’s or their client’s story, whether it’s through writing, video, audio, online or some combination of all of the above.
STAKE A CLAIM IN DIGITAL—NOW
If you haven’t already made the leap, now is the time to dive more deeply into the red-hot world of digital communications. Online platforms put the consumer in control, naturally lending itself to the reputation-building and management expertise of PR professionals.
Public relations is already leading the way, and there’s considerable opportunity for more growth. In fact, the 2009 Digital Readiness Report (released by iPressroom, Trend Stream, Korn/Ferry International and the Public Relations Society of America) shows public relations leads digital communications at 51% of organizations, while marketing leads 40.5% of the time.
Many of the most effective online tactics are perfect opportunities for a PR professional to put his or her storytelling expertise to work. Online articles, Web copy, blog posts, social networking, advertorials and even Twitter posts, despite—and, in most cases, precisely because of—their 140-character limit, can benefit from a PR practitioner at the helm.
MEASURE LIKE A DIGITAL PRO
PR professionals can learn a lot from how their contemporaries in other marketing disciplines are addressing measurement. And, with clients and organizations taking a renewed interest in research and measurement, this is a big area of opportunity and growth for public relations, beyond traditional and old-fashioned methods such as counting circulation.
Today’s integrated digital tactics are far more measurable, allowing you to track response down to the tiniest nugget of information. The data can be used to make decisions about next steps and help to continue and even increase funding toward the most effective tactics.
I’ve long believed that there’s a direct correlation between the velocity of change and opportunity. We can all agree we’re living in a time of unprecedented change—and therefore opportunity. In the final analysis, opportunity is going to be seized by PR professionals that can prove how they’re moving the needle with quantifiable results—regardless of the specific discipline. PRN
[Editor’s Note: For an alternative view on social media’s role in furthering the PR/communications profession, see “Taking a Skeptical Approach to Social Media” on page 8.]
CONTACT:
This article was written by Scott Severson, president of ARAnet, Inc. He can be reached at [email protected].