Online public relations


History 
Online Public Relations (E-PR, Digital PR) refers to the use of the internet to communicate with both potential and current customers in the public realm. It functions as the web relationship influence among the cyber citizens and it aims to make desirable comments about an organization, its products and services, news viewed by its target audiences and lessen its undesirable comments to a large degree. Online public relations shows differences from traditional public relations. One of these is associated with its platforms. Compared with traditional public relations channels (such as TV, radio and printed press), the network systems used for online public relations vary from search to social platforms. In the era of digital marketing, the major online public relations tools for the public relations professionals and marketers such as content marketing, search engine optimization are the results of mixture of digital technologies and public relations. Those approaches have become the mainstream digital marketing machines and learning to take advantage of these marketing tools is an essential part of modern public relations strategies.

Online Public Relations is very similar to traditional Public Relations in the sense that it’s about influencing the public instead than buying placement for brand content. The influence could result in a story in a magazine, newspaper review on google, yelp or blog. It could additionally result in other online pick-up, which include by way of social media influences.

The Goal of Online Public Relations 
The goal is to have a lasting high quality impact on the external image of a company or brand. In addition, some partial goals are defined by:

 Acquisition and retention of new customers
 Communication of information
 Increase of attention
 Creating a high cost-benefit ratio
 Improving (online-) reputation
 Measuring and controlling success
 Achieving a high degree of actuality

Social media & Digital PR today 

Public relations both traditional and digital, have always based itself on relationships. In the same way, social media is all about connecting people or connecting companies with its costumers and target demographics. When social media and public relations are merged, it’s easy to start interactions on two-way conversations with your target market, what was a struggle back in the days for the PR department. At the same time, is a very valuable source for feedback and a way of recognizing what’s most important to your audience. On the other hand, through the years, measuring effectiveness of messages or campaigns has been really hard. Nonetheless, now a days with social media, it's easy to see metrics, analyze data, highlight engagements and from there make decisions based on the impacts being made. Finally is a great alliance for brand awareness, the perfect platforms to speak. Tell your message, show the company culture, and sell  your vision. It is quite a game changer these days, a costumer will fold towards a company where they can search for reviews, company values and so on, over a product where no information is to be found online.

Differences between online and traditional public relations 

 The organizations can communicate with its audiences directly through a variety of online platforms instead of depending on the media channels only
 Audiences exposed to the information are linked to the network and then the flow of information is multi-directional among people
 Multiple sources of information provided can be accessible to audiences
 Audiences are entitled to the right to review, comment and assess 
Online PR targets social media, web searches, blogs, and websites in addition to targeting traditional media outlets

Differences between Views of Traditional Public Relations vs. Public Relations used as a Marketing Function

Views of the Traditional Public Relations Department 

 It is a Department which acts as a link between an organization and outside parties (customers). Its work is to determine an evaluate the public approach
 Suggest management to construct guidelines and procedures relating to public interests
 It is a separate Department whose job is to sincerely execute communication program with outside parties and business partners

Views on Public Relation as more of Marketing Function 

 Public Relations is an integral part of marketing communication mix, where the company promotes its brand and builds relationships with outside parties through its specialized functions, such as seminars and press conferences.
 Public Relations Department reports to the Marketing Department, whose act is to create a larger picture which focuses on the ultimate goal of in organization, which is strong branding and long term relations with its customers.

Tactics
* Buzz marketing.

Buzz marketing means marketers first identify the Alpha consumer in terms of a new idea and technologies and then promote specifically made messages such as a funny video or email with the help of the network of those Alpha consumers. One of the typical examples was that Paper Magazine issued a nearly naked image of Kim Kardashian on their cover, then viewers who saw the photo responded immediately and made it spread quickly. As the whole version had come out, nearly one percent of the entire web activities in the US got involved.

* Manage negative comments on third-party websites

There are relevant worries about some counter-arguments about brands reputation. Marketers are responsible for coping with unfavorable mentions quickly through online reputation management such as Google Alerts to influence people' attitudes toward those negative comments.

* Display information online

The internet platforms provide organizations a variety of channels to issue timely news and information. The forms of information can vary from search to social to brand management platforms such as email alerts or news stories. These contents provided by organizations allow media channels to find news sources easily, which can increase the exposure of organizations and then improve public relations.

* link building.

Link building is used to achieve and create hyperlinks to other third-party website or related site to help netizens to navigate between websites. Building high-quality links can have an effect on search result ranking. Then finding partners websites to link and then increasing more traffic is involved in the daily work of online public relations professionals.

See also
 public relation
 marketing communication
 digital media
 affiliate marketing

References
10. How PR and Social Media Work Together. (2020). Retrieved 13 April 2020

Public relations
Digital marketing