Digital PR sets the groundwork to brand building

The advent of the internet leading to the ubiquitous use of smartphones and laptops has changed information consumption. In this digital age, gone are the days where awareness of a brand can simply rely on traditional media, even if it was in the most circulated newspaper or magazine in the city. It is undeniable that more people are looking to digital platforms instead for information. Now is the time when a solid online presence is an important groundwork for brands to lay to generate awareness.

First, Be Discoverable

Before we can even talk about building awareness through publicity, a brand has to be discoverable first. By discoverable, we mean having an online presence or at the very least a website. All publicity will come to a nought if no one knows where or how to approach a brand.

Consider this: If there is an interview with a spokesperson, and there is no mention of any brand or company or any channel to find out more information, chances of a sales conversion from publicity is extremely low.

We are living in a digital age. With the ease and accessibility of information, the first easy step to take is allowing discoverability online. It can be a website or even a social media page. The trick is to know which platforms to target and what works best for your brand in terms of resource management.

Second, Gather Reviews and Confidence

While an online platform allows for discoverability, awareness can only be optimised through communications. As PM Lee Hsien Loong once commented in his interview with Channel News Asia (CNA), ““Nowadays you cannot force people to watch you. I mean, if you’re boring they will just surf, they close, click, gone!” He told CNA, “You can put anything you like on your website. Unless you can make people interested in it, they won’t read your website, they don’t have to read your website.””.

Indeed, with an overload of information online, and the homogeneity of products and services available, the best product or service still requires publicity strategies to stand out. Consider the following when executing publicity campaigns:

• What are the ways to interest the bloggers?
• What kind of experience am I creating for my brand?
• What is considered an arresting story to the media?
• How to capitalise on the influencers’ audience?

 

It is useful to not only have a brand’s content on its own website but everywhere else relevant too. Encourage reviews from media and bloggers, or endorsements from influencers. Quality content and affirmative reviews establish credibility. It builds confidence to trust and follow the brand. Such positive awareness generated can then ultimately lead to a greater conversion of sales too. Of course, do check on the share the

Third, Embrace Change

There have been many changes since the dawn of the Internet. From Netscape to Google; and Friendster to Facebook, publicists and marketers continue to look into ways to serve and measure brand information.

The wave of change has never stopped and will never stop. To ensure communication and brand longevity, it is imperative to constantly discover and uncover new communication methodologies and techniques. That is the most fun and challenging bit about public relations, particularly digital PR.