The Internet has provided brands with the opportunity to engage with their customers and the public through a variety of different channels. Brands are now held accountable to their customers, and as a result are forced to be more transparent in their communication with them. This is a challenge for PR specialists as it is vital to create content online that is engaging and compelling and that takes consumer feedback into account. I have compiled some basic WebPR tips that I hope you will find interesting.

Engaging in conversation with your customers is an important step in building lasting relationships. Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

1.    Build your voice and find your customers

It’s safe to say that most brands have some Web presence, even if it is just a website, but real Web presence is so much more than that. It can include all the other online touch points that stakeholders have access to, be it what they are saying about your brand or what you are communicating to them.

It’s a good idea to find out where content about your brand is being produced or shared and who the influencers are. Influencers help spread brand awareness, so it’s important to maintain good relationships with them. Start by finding mentions of your brand online – which you can do by Googling your brand or its related keywords.  You can also monitor what is being said about your brand and where these mentions are coming from through Online Reputation Management tools, such as BrandsEye.

The voice of your brand is just as important as what stakeholders are saying. Leading conversation through honest and transparent communication will increase the credibility of your brand, develop long-term customer relationships, drive traffic to your website and offer SEO benefits through link-building. When writing online content, you need to ensure that you know your audience as this will allow you to create the type of content your audience will want to read and engage with. Personas can be created based on the profile of your readers. Their needs and desires should be considered and copy optimised to cater for several personas. Remember when writing online, your audience is not a vaguely defined crowd, but many niche audiences who are used to being addressed as individuals.

2.    Define a strategy that goes with your brand identity and communicate this consistently and effectively

Fundamentally, WebPR is about creating engaging content. There are various guidelines available to WebPR specialists. As much as PR is a science, it is also an art – the creative element of knowing what to say and how to say it. This involves creating a storyline and brand personality, which people want to engage with on a human level.

There are other communication channels available online, such as Social Media, which offers content that can sometimes be at the expense of great story telling. PR is as much about talent – communication and storytelling skills – as it is about technical knowledge. When you combine these two, the essence of your brand can be communicated consistently and effectively.

3.    Listen to your customers and respond

PR involves managing the flow of communication between a brand and its stakeholders. The most important part of this communication is listening to what customers are saying. This will provide you with information on what customers want and how your messages are being received, as well as draw attention to issues that need to be addressed. It’s important to regularly monitor channels that stakeholders are using to talk about the company or contact you through.

Responding to comments by engaging with consumers is also important. Thus, companies must be aware that all mentions form part of the public perception of the brand. These comments may require a response, which offers an opportunity to develop a voice through engagement.

4.    Where to distribute your message

There may be a significant amount of conversation about your brand from consumers, but you also have to ensure that you are communicating company information to stakeholders and this information is easily accessible to them..There are so many online channels available to communicate your message. The most effective strategy is to use a collaboration of a few of channels - no channel should be used in isolation.

Online content distribution can be divided into two sections, namely branded channels and community owned channels. Branded channels include online press rooms, which are typically used by journalists, investors and bloggers. This channel provides important information on key people and products, as well as company news. A Social Media press release is designed to communicate facts more clearly and concisely, using the tools available through Social Media. There are templates that exist, developed by PR firms, and they are usually used in conjunction with the standard press release. Online article syndication involves publishing articles on directories to be republished on other sites. It is a channel to communicate new, fresh content and has a valuable effect on SEO backlinks. Press release syndication offers an alternative source of information for journalists.  Examples of directories include: PRWeb, PRLeap, i-Newswire  and WebWire. Email newsletters and a corporate blog are also effective ways to communicate with various stakeholders.

Community-owned channels offer platforms to connect and share content. These include social networks which are based on communities who share similar interests and activities and are used to connect and build relationships with others. The most popular social networks include Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn. The mircoblogging platform, Twitter, is rapidly gaining popularity and is used to post updates of up to 140 characters in length. Posts can be updated using tools via the Web, your mobile phone and Facebook. These can include images, audio and video. Forums allow users to make comments, share ideas and discuss certain topics and engage with other users on the forum. The growth of YouTube demonstrates the increasing influence of video. Viewers can also comment below the video, providing a platform to engage and create conversation. A wiki is also a community-owned channel and is simply a website that allows users to collaborate to create and edit content.

5.    Going forward

The number of tactics available for WebPR specialists has increased dramatically over the last few years. However, this does not detract from the fact that content is still king. This content may come in different forms and from different platforms.

The fundamental strategy is still writing a compelling message, but it is important to use these new channels that the Internet has created. The message should be consistent across all of your channels and the channels should reinforce each other. For example, sending a press release to the media can be followed up with posting the same information on Twitter or Facebook, as Social Media is a great tool that can be used to support PR. This will create more than one touch point thereby helping to create top of mind awareness for the brand and provide a highway to link to the main content. Fundamentals to PR still exist – the Internet has just enhanced brand communication channels.

For more on WebPR, sign up for Quirk’s distance-learning WebPR course, commencing 4 October. The course will equip PR professionals with the tools technologies, and methods for Online Reputation Management and amplifying PR messages online, as well as PR for SEO purposes and copywriting for the Web. You can register for the course online.

Also check out:

• Tips for Adding Value to Your Online Content
• WebPR for Professionals