According to Ronn Torossian of 5WPR, the internet has dramatically changed the world of communication. It provides opportunities and challenges for PR. Anybody can share their opinion about anything in a matter of seconds. The internet is definitely a powerful tool for communication but it has also opened up challenges for PR professionals. Given below are certain tools available on the internet that can be used for PR.
Website
An organization that does not have a website is not treated seriously by anyone. A website offers numerous websites to companies and it is essential for a company to have a website to maintain its online presence. It helps a company to build credibility and functions as a place to sell products and services. A company should have a good domain name and also one which is easy to remember. This increases the visibility of a company. The website should also be easy to navigate and visually compelling. The essential components of a company website are effective calls to action, mobile responsiveness, good design, audio and video clips. The website should also not take too long to load. For instance, Sophie Ratner , a jeweler who creates unique pendants, has an online store which is very easy to navigate.
Online bulletin boards
As Ronn Torossian who founded 5WPR notes, an online bulletin board or a message board lets users sign in to read posts, answer questions, and share comments. Digital bulletin boards help to effectively communicate emergency messages, announcements, and give vital information to employees within a workplace. A bulletin board also helps to establish an organization as a source and hub of information.
Virtual press rooms
A virtual press room is a showcase of a company’s news and press releases. It also serves as a kiosk for reliable information that a media person may need if they are featuring a company in an article. Every component that makes up a traditional press kit can be downloaded from a virtual press room. There should be recent news releases, fact sheets, media contacts pages, high-quality images of people and projects, logos, speeches by leaders, name and contact information of designated company representatives. Streaming audio and video should also be featured.
Webinars
Webinars generate leads and can be used as effective PR tools. The pandemic has made webinars extremely popular. As webinars allow presenters to share documents of all kinds, such as videos, voice notes, and others, they can successfully engage an audience. To use a webinar as a successful PR tool, a company can partner with a media outlet that resonates with the target audience . This will help to increase promotional opportunities. There should be some primary messages communicated during a webinar. They should not be too many in number as the audience can lose interest. Introducing interactive videos in webinars also helps to engage attendees. A webinar should also provide useful information in a way that makes people want more. A successful webinar is seamless and visually pleasing. A webinar can also be used to show how a product can solve a problem the attendees might be facing.
Online newsletters
Online newsletters help to keep customers and stakeholders informed about the progress, performance, and products of a company. A printed newsletter does not possess the instant feedback capability that an online newsletter has because it includes an ‘Contact Us’ button. The interactivity of online newsletters makes it a wonderful tool for maintaining communication with customers and stakeholders. The website of the company should also have a page where the visitors can view the latest newsletter and sign up to get a copy of it. Once people have subscribed to a newsletter they tend to stay subscribed. The contact information on the newsletter should also be prominent , so that it is easy for the visitors to the website to communicate with the organization. It is easy to keep an online newsletter timely. This helps an organization to quickly inform its customers about new developments in a specific area of interest. This also helps an organization to position itself as a primary expert in its field. For instance, Bon Appetit is a food and cooking magazine. Its newsletter is visually appealing with superior images and very limited text. This makes it very easy for the readers to scroll. The text is limited, which leaves the readers hungry to learn more.
Connecting with influencers
A PR professional as Torossian notes has to understand who can be an ideal influencer for an organization. They should also be careful while selecting influencers for brands as there are plenty of fake influencers. To speed up the process of contacting influencers, Buzzsumo can be used. The algorithm of Buzzsumo helps to look for certain influencers who have a certain search term in their Twitter bio. There are other tools available which help to find influencers online. For instance, Klear is a tool which is a database of influencers. Traackr is yet another marketing platform which helps to look for influencers that fit a brand best.
Deep diving into customers’ minds
A PR professional can also use the internet to deep dive into the mind of customers to find out what they are thinking of. A company has to communicate the values and benefits of its offerings to its current and potential customers. For that it has to craft a consistent message. A consistent message helps to establish a brand in the minds of its consumers. Consumers today collect a lot of product information on their own. PR professionals must help to build a consistent brand image and develop customer relationships while also helping customers to satisfy their needs. To deep dive into customers’ minds there are also various online tools available. For instance, AnswerThePublic is an extremely helpful tool. By entering a topic, a user will be given hundreds of topics and content ideas that can be used to connect with the audience. These ideas can be helpful in creating PR campaigns. This Customer Analytics tool also helps PR professionals to build stronger relationships with the target audience.
Ronn Torossians tips for drafting the perfect pitch
A PR pitch includes an attempt to get a media person interested in a particular piece of news so that they decide to write an article on it. A PR pitch or a media pitch can be done by social media platforms or via email. For this, building relationships with journalists is important. Journalists, reporters, and editors can now be found on Twitter and LinkedIn. Their email addresses are often found on their Twitter bios and messages can also be sent to them on LinkedIn. Before reaching out to reporters, it is important to do research on their work. Reading their articles and seeing which stories have received views or shares will prove to be helpful. While pitching a story to a journalist, the pitch should seem relevant to them in the context of the stories they normally cover. Following journalists online can also lead to opportunities. One should not limit oneself to journalists while pitching stories. There are plenty of online communities that are on the lookout for interesting pitches. A unique pitch helps to promote a brand and get its name out. PR tools like HARO and PitchRate are also available where one can reply to enquiries from journalists. For instance, reporters and bloggers submit queries on HARO and HARO sends them out thrice a day. A PR professional can reply to leads or give responses that follow the requirements of the queries submitted.
Emails can also be utilized as PR tools. Email is a vital part of PR. An email can be about anything, an announcement of an upcoming event, articles, a survey asking for feedback on issues of concern to the organization. Emails can be sent on a regular or an occasional basis. It should include standard contact information. They can have any piece of content that is interesting for subscribers and can be entertaining for them. The open rates of emails have also increased over the years. In times of crisis, emails can help to communicate empathy. Since emails often share personalized content, they help to connect with customers on a personal level. They can also be used to launch products. For nonprofits, emails work exceptionally well as PR tools. Emails from nonprofits can also include videos about how their projects have impacted people’s lives. This will not only help to promote their cause but also help in achieving donations. PR professionals who represent travel companies use email to promote exotic destinations. They share photos and include user-generated content. This helps to build visibility of a business. It should always be remembered that human beings can connect with stories instantly. Emails should also share emotional stories. The emotional story can be aligned with the story of the brand. For instance, Fetching Fields is a company that sells socially responsible products for pups. Their emails feature stories of pups and their owners with accompanying photographs. The stories are warm and can make an instant emotional connection with the reader.
