The internet is bound to take over the PR business in the future. The marketing world was already gradually leaning towards the digital world, before the pandemic hit and fastened that process a tad bit. And now, ever since last year, many reports have proven that there has been a rapid growth in the digital marketing world. And this was something that was inevitable, given the rise in the time spent by an individual on the internet. A report by eMarketer last year stated that adults in India were spending 1 hour 39 minutes on digital media, which accounted for 30.5% of their total media consumption per day, and 69.5% on traditional media. And according to Datareportal, between 2020 and January 2021, the number of internet users in India has increased by 47 million! These numbers are enough for every brand to want to invest in the digital world. In fact at this point, it is more of a necessity than a choice.
And just like all the other functions of marketing, PR too has been altered by the digital landscape, which has grown more and more over the years. If we look at the world around us today, we live in a marketplace that offers so many products within the same category, that product differentiation is harder to achieve. Customers are bombarded with ads and hence, PR often becomes the savior. Combine that with the diverse options that the digital world offers, and the brand can really reap its benefits. Digital PR is cost-effective, more interactive, increases the brand presence and awareness, and provides a wide array of outlets to do so. A customer is more likely to remember your brand if it has engaged with it, on both traditional and digital forms of media. Add storytelling and creativity to the mix and you might just master the perfect PR cocktail.
Digital PR undoubtedly, has an edge over traditional PR. Consumers tend to interact with the brand subconsciously, and without even realizing become aware about its presence. Think about this, how often one clicks on a poll a brand posted on their social media handle, or how more likely one is to listen to an influencer talk about his favorite products, and how often you are likely to go with the first few searches when you Google something. Even if we think about some of our last purchases, there is a good chance that digital PR was the influence behind one of them. Internet is becoming more and more of a necessity in our lives, and it is high time PR professionals start embracing it in such a way. When it comes to traditional PR, the relevance is quite known. But one might argue that a newspaper is only relevant up until the clock hits 12 am, and then it is old news. But with the internet, the article will be available to read on the platform, for a very long time. It is much easier to share with others, to revisit, and to interact with. Infact, one can even track the coverage of the article, and get a better insight about the impression of the article, which is another advantage that the digital PR world offers and the traditional one does not.
After spending almost over a year behind the internet ever since the pandemic hit, attending pitch meetings, interacting with clients, and holding focus groups, brands were anyhow bound to realize the power of the internet and its relevance. And to think about how much the internet has changed, even within the quarantine period! A lot. The cyberspace is a diverse world with so many opportunities arising every day, to keep the audience engaged. It has given us so many tools to experiment with, along with so many opportunities for creating content. Many reports claim that the future might hold an increased usage of the internet, even after the pandemic subsides. The increase in investment by brands, in the digital world is another indicator that digital PR could be more common than traditional PR in the future. There was also a rise in influencer marketing, with some big brands also trying their hands at it last year. Hence, digital PR is not just here to stay, but also is likely to be the future of the PR business and the marketing world. The tools digital PR offers are increasing by the day. In fact not just that, the diverse world, the amount of available endless possibilities, the many pros over the very few cons, the cost effectiveness factor, and the ever growing world of the digital space is bound to change the world in the future, and the PR business will be just an element that gets altered in this change. Undoubtedly, digital PR seems to be a leading element, if not the king, when it comes to the future of marketing.
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She resides in Noida and loves travelling, reading, baking, listening to podcasts, among other things.
Very well said apoorva keep posting such types of content..and all the very best for upcoming time..keep doing the good work
Its really impressive and informative article. Looking forward for more such views.
Great going apoorva❤