Ways to Integrate Inbound Marketing into Your PR Strategy

So, you have finally decided to go digital as regards to your business. Designing a website might be the first step but you need to have a proper plan as well. Nowadays, businesses either operate semi- or completely online, and there is no such thing as an offline business anymore. However, with technology evolving every year, it is difficult to monitor both your business and your website at the same time. Furthermore, with the adoption of digitization, you also need to be ready to switch to the more modern type of marketing; digital marketing.

Difference between Traditional Marketing and Digital Marketing

In traditional marketing, the agencies focus on delivering content via conventional channels such as TV, radio, newspaper, etc. The advantages of these are that you gain slots in mediums which people occasionally but surely watch. Imagine the ad of your business running during a break of a popular TV show, there is bound to be viewership of your promotion. However, the greatest drawback is that the return on investment might be low as there will be other ads running and you also have paid a hefty sum to garner that space.

In contrast, digital ad agencies focus on the more technological framework of marketing. Forget the conventional meaning of content which denoted only text. In internet language, content refers to a variety of terms such as text, audio, imagery, and last but not the least, video. There is only one medium which digital agencies use to promote your brand, the internet. However, there are many types of content through which your company shall be advertised. The biggest advantage of digital marketing is, of course, cost-effectiveness. And also repetition. Your newspaper ad might appear for only one day whereas an internet ad is ever-evolving, and hence, increases the likelihood of it being seen by potential customers.

Public Relations (PR)

Public relations is described as the field which acts as the intermediary between business and consumer. In technological terms, it still serves that core function, but in a much broader and more modern sense. In traditional advertising, you would utilize mediums such as press conferences to enhance public relations. However, in digital marketing, your primary outlets are your website and social media.

Inbound Marketing

This is a form of marketing where you publish content which attracts customers to your business. Similar to public relations, leadership is an important aspect of inbound digital marketing.

The Difference Between Public Relations and Inbound Marketing

In PR, content can be written by a hired third party whereas you are the contributor in inbound marketing. Therefore, when you utilize inbound marketing, your viewers know that it is you who is providing the content.

3 Ways to Integrate Inbound Marketing into Your PR Strategy

• Content is key: SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization which is a strategy which influences the online presence of your website or webpage. SEO is now one of the most important fields relating to digital marketing. Content is key in SEO, inbound marketing and PR. However, you might be wondering why you’re writing SEO-friendly content separately for both inbound marketing and public relations when oftentimes you can combine both topics. This saves you time and also allows you to mix both strategies into one, improving your customer-base in the long run.
• Don’t forget to use your social media channels: As mentioned earlier in this article, website design and social media go hand in hand in you becoming a success story online. Therefore, in regards to both inbound marketing and PR, you should not omit social media from your digital marketing plan. Social media is not only about making a Facebook page or a Twitter profile. It’s about utilizing these channels to their fullest. Firstly, identify which are the most popular social media sites. Facebook is of course number one in this regard, but in terms of pictorial content, Instagram is also becoming increasingly popular. Both of these sites also have separate sections for videos. Why is this important? Because video is the most popular type of content in 2019. Thus, you benefit from creating interactive content on Facebook Video and Instagram Stories which complements your overall PR strategy, and it also gives you more humanlike interaction with followers. And more followers lead to more customers in the long term. Another tactic to optimize social media is to hire a social media manager. This is a professional whose main job is to act as the voice of social media for the firm. They devise a social media plan and also constantly monitor your brand’s social media profiles. They identify which campaigns are working and which are not. The greatest benefit of social media to businesses is quick response times to feedback. Thus, the social media manager acts as an admin and also hires other administrators to quickly respond to inquiries on your business’s social media pages.
• Press release: In traditional marketing, a press release is a statement on a newspaper promoting information about a certain topic. In digital marketing, the press release still exists but the medium has evolved. However, you should not simply make a press release and then hope for the best results. By contributing time and effort to your press release, you will be sure to get a good return on investment for your hard work. Firstly, identify which content type your press release will cater to. It comes as no surprise that YouTube constantly ranks in Alexa 500’s Top 5 Sites worldwide as the video is one of the most popular content categories in the 2010s. Secondly, you’ll need to choose a social media channel to issue your video press release. And with the ever-rising popularity of Facebook Video and Instagram Stories, you won’t have to go through a difficult decision-making process. An increasing number of inbound clicks due to enhanced visibility from your video press release will ultimately result in more visitors converting into customers.