One of the things you will have to come to terms with, as a business owner, is that you will have to deal with PR. Whether you like it or not, having PR tactics in place for your company is a necessity, just like dealing with marketing or organizing your finances.
So, how are you supposed to go about it? Does ‘dealing with PR’ simply mean responding to online reviews and answering your emails? Of course not. Using the right PR tactics requires time and thought, which is why you have to integrate it into your website from the time you start it up.
PR Tactics and Online Marketing
The reason why there are many different PR tactics is that PR is closely related to online marketing. After all, online marketing in the 21st century is in large part you addressing people via social media. Therefore, it makes sense that the lines between PR and online marketing tend to get blurry. So, while building up your website and your online presence, keep in mind that your PR tactics and your online marketing need to go hand in hand.
Setting up your website
As
we mentioned before, in order to properly tackle the PR tactics, you need to
keep them in mind while you build up your website. Your website is, after all,
the online representation of your company. So it makes sense that your PR will
be dependent on how well it runs and how organized and welcoming it is.
Keywords
While keywords are immensely important for SEO optimization and marketing, they are also quite integral for PR. Namely, you need to figure out what your desired terms are before you set up your website. That way you can use your keywords while responding to your customers.
Remember that every statement you make online, be it a comment or a post, is an opportunity to promote your company. And the only way to do so properly online is with the use of the right words. If it happens that you cannot use your keywords in a response, don’t force it. But as a general rule of thumb, you want to use terms related to your company, offerings and/or website whenever possible.
Pages
If your website is the online representation of your company, then your pages would be your business cards. When building up your website you need to keep in mind how important pages are. They need to be easy to read and straight to the point, in order to motivate customers to hire your company. Why is this important for PR? Well, most of your online responses will be to people asking about how you are able to help them. And, from the PR standpoint, the best way to respond is to link them a page to your website. That way you will naturally increase your online traffic and draw people into your company. However, your pages need to be top-notch from the start, if you want this to happen.
Accessibility
Another thing you should take care of is to make your website as accessible as possible. In order for a website to be useful and interactive, people need to have an easy time accessing it. While it is pretty self-evident, a lot of companies fail to make their websites accessible. Remember, your customer needs to be able to find the necessary product/service with two clicks, maximum. Anything above that significantly lowers their motivation to work with you.
Also, you want to avoid having intrusive, unwanted notifications on your website. Even if you are simply offering help, trust us, it is not wanted. All it does is irritate customers, which deters them from exploring your website. And, from a PR standpoint, you want to motivate people as much as possible to spend time on your website. So, do what you can to make your website a joy to visit and navigate.
Dealing with social media
Since social media is a large part of online marketing, it stands to reasons that it will also be a part of your PR. So, how does social media play into PR management? Well, most of your online interaction will be via social media. The biggest online reach you can get as a company is with sites like Facebook and Twitter. So, while designing your website, you need to keep it social media friendly and integrate it successfully in your announcements.
Responding to customers
When it comes to responding to customers, one of the best PR tactics is to have a friendly tone. Keep in mind that every response you give is public, whether you want it to be or not. Every customer can PrintScreen a private message and post it online for the world to see. So, in order to appeal to your customers make sure to have a friendly, yet professional tone.
You don’t want to sound like a faceless corporation, as this usually deters people from working with you. But, you also don’t want to be too personal as you can build up a bad reputation. Keep your answers short, informative and pleasant. And try to build up your website so that it has the same tone as you do when interacting with your customers.
Posts and announcements
Most of your online posts should have a link attached to your website. This not only increases your online traffic, but it also presents you as a well-organized company. And it gives you the opportunity to further promote your brand and use the desired keywords. This is why it is necessary to have a running blog. The various articles will give you the opportunity to discuss company-related topics online, which is always great for both PR and marketing.
About the Author
Ben Ladd is a professional content writer and social media manager for wpfullcare.com. Years of experience have given him the necessary knowledge to help people develop their online marketing and deal with issues that may make it difficult. When he’s not working, he enjoys playing sports such as basketball and soccer.