Definition of Digital PR on Media Buffet

A few weeks ago, Media Buffet PR CEO Bima Marzuki was fuming after reading completely inaccurate definitions of digital PR popping up in Google search results. That’s what inspired us to set the record straight on the definition of digital PR for you—right now.

Digital PR is a series of brand-building strategies employed by professionals that combine digital marketing techniques with traditional public relations. This strategy was initially used primarily by marketers. 

PR itself actually holds a strategic position within a company. Although its role is often downplayed—reduced to merely issuing press releases or serving as a liaison between the brand and journalists or the general public—the reality is that during a crisis, every PR decision can mean the difference between a company’s survival and its downfall.

As digital technology becomes increasingly integrated into society, PR is required to adapt and realign its role to become more strategic within the company. Therefore, another definition of digital PR is a strategy to ensure the brand remains at the forefront and well-known in this all-digital era.

Read also: The History of Digital PR: When Public Relations Went Digital!

The Correlation Between Digital Public Relations and Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Just like digital marketing, digital PR must have its own strategy based on the needs and goals of each brand or business. This strategy combines a number of techniques, such as distributing content through stories or data, to deliver results that support the overall brand awareness strategy.

Both digital marketing and digital PR maximize the role of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in the process of formulating their strategies. While in digital marketing, SEO is primarily used to generate leads that ultimately lead to conversions, in digital PR, the role of SEO is to understand audience behavior.

It’s important to remember that a digital PR strategy is audience-centric. This means that the tactics or strategies implemented must truly align with what the target audience wants. 

So it’s not just about posting on social media platforms like Instagram or Facebook, or sending press releases via email. Beyond that, digital PR must be able to build emotional connections and foster a bond between the brand and its audience. And the way to do this is by understanding audience behavior. 

Another common misconception is viewing digital PR as merely the process of building backlinks. John Mueller, from Google, emphasizes that these are distinct concepts and should not be conflated. According to him, digital PR is often more important than simply executing technical SEO and building backlinks.

Read also: Digital Reputation in the World of Digital Public Relations

Digital PR Practices in Media Buffet

Digital PR is the process of optimizing SEO to enhance a brand’s Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-A-T) for its audience. Therefore, even if backlink building is necessary, the links must be high-quality and come from authoritative sources.

How does Media Buffet help clients build brand awareness through digital PR? We first implemented a digital PR strategy in 2019, at a time when few PR practitioners in Indonesia were exploring this approach. Admittedly, we had to go through a trial-and-error process in the beginning.

One example of Media Buffet’s success in building brand awareness through digital PR is with one of our clients, IdScore, a private company that provides credit score checking services.

This company came to us at a stage where it was just beginning to build its B2C brand awareness while educating the public on the importance of credit scores.

After a four-month campaign, several articles on the IdScore website finally appeared on the first page of Google search results for strategic keywords: credit score, credit scoring, credit score in Indonesia, and 5C analysis. 

Not only that, but searches for those keywords also increased dramatically. Traffic to the IdScore website also surged dramatically, rising from just around 6,000 visitors per month to 17,000 per month.

This means that IdScore’s goal of educating the public about the importance of checking credit scores was a success.

Hopefully, this article will further broaden your perspective on the definition of digital PR.