Communication is a continuous process which keeps evolving with the emerging technologies. A vital part of communication, Public Relations has also been developed over the time and technological advancements. Humans started communication with postcards, banners, posters, books, newspapers and then came radio and televisions and now reached a digital age. Today digital media has taken over the major part of the modern public relations industry.
Let’s have a deeper look into elements of modern public relations, which we all need to know in 2021.
Targeting
Until about a few years back, PR professionals had very limited information about their target audience’s persona and they used to create and distribute the common messages for everyone.
In the age of digital media, it is possible to track the target audience’s metrics before creating content and it helps us to create customised and targeted campaigns. With this data we could possibly build effective messages which touch emotions of people based on their age, area and interests.
Personalisation
The primary goal of mapping target audiences is to create personalised messages for everyone. Usually, the target audience is large in numbers and they should have different age groups, gender, region, social status etc.
As they share the same interest in your brand with dissimilar demographics, so you need to do segmentation of the audience and produce content according to their demand and understanding.
80% of customers are more likely to purchase a product or service from a brand who provides personalised experiences (source).
A New Approach of Public Relations
As the flow of information has expanded over the time, it has also changed the approach of using PR campaigns for the companies and organisations.
The modern elements of PR comprise; using an online distribution of brand messages, link building with digital media, and using media visibility to prove authenticity of brand in the mainstream media and public.
The new approach focuses on using subtle advertising and marketing messages packed with content having enough news value. Hundreds of new companies are struggling to make a space in the media, but a very few of them could grab the headlines.
Say What They Need to Hear
‘Agenda Setting Theory’ by Max McCombs and Donald Shaw describes the ability of the news media to influence the people on the topics of the public agenda. Similarly, a well planned PR campaign can build a positive image of a brand in the public’s eyes. All we need to disseminate a meaningful, powerful and relevant message to a targeted audience.
Using multimedia can boost up the possibilities of virality of the message and it will definitely increase the rate of engagement. Communication is a long-term process and a powerful public relations campaign nurtures with time and level of messages. Our focus is to inform, aware and educate them, and then convert our message into a brand agenda using the appropriate mediums.
Measurement/ Tracking
While putting your hands to the plow, be fully aware about the technical terms which are important to measure success. These metrics will reflect the success of your every digital campaign-
Reach- Total number of people who have seen your message through any platform
Engagement- Number of people who have interacted with your message in terms of reactions, likes, shares or comments on it
CPC- Cost per click, the amount you are spending for getting a click
CTR- Click through rate, the percentage of people who click on link after seeing it
ROAs- Total return on your advertising budget spend.
When you work with any digital marketing partner for running PR or marketing campaigns, look for these metrics for sure while getting the analytical reports.
Social Media Optimisation
Social media is not just a social connectivity platform, but it works as a booster for PR and content marketing professionals. Many successful startups have already proved that we can achieve a lot from the right use of social media.
Best part of social media is that it gives us the possibility to get instant feedback and reactions to our efforts. Every social media platform works on an algorithm, and we need to understand it. Testing and analysing every type of content, scheduling, targeting and interacting regularly with the audience are some ways to understand the working of a platform.
How to begin your public relations journey?
Modern public relations is the mixture of effective usage of content, technology and branding. For a start-up or an emerging business, one needs to set up a presence in online media as soon as possible. Online news distribution platforms like NewsVoir are emerging as the new medium of corporate communication and instant media visibility.
The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.
Be the first to comment on "Six elements of modern Public Relations you need to know in 2021"