B2B Digital PR and Digital Marketing are a match made in heaven. Said no-one ever!
But that’s a real shame, because when used together, they can help boost your business’ online presence, brand awareness, boost web performance, create traceable leads, attract potential new customers - and more.
Isn’t that what every B2B Marketer dreams of?
But before we get into the details, it’s important to have context and distinguish the difference between Digital PR and Marketing.
Communicating via your marketing channels, such as the website, blog or social media channels, means you can say and promote whatever you like.
But like being at a party with someone who only talks about themselves, the downside is that many people either won’t listen or won’t believe what you’re saying.
B2B Digital PR, on the other hand, is the opposite of this - third-party endorsement by renowned journalists and media publications which have the power to increase a company’s profile and influence an audience’s decision-making.
Unlike in marketing, PR rarely has a direct impact on sales. Or, if it does, it has been extremely hard to prove the link.
Read how to impress your boss with data-driven Digital PR measurement
B2B Digital PR is more to do with indirectly promoting products and/or services online through press releases, thought leadership articles, interviews, research and more.
The primary aim isn’t to promote sales messages or drive revenue, but to improve the perception of the business, the business leaders and (in our case) the technology in the eye of the public.
Digital Marketing and Digital PR strategies do have one key similarity - both are trying to reach a target audience who may be interested in buying what you’re selling.
For Digital PR, the question isn’t “How many pieces of coverage are you looking to secure?” - it’s “Who are you looking to target?”. Quantity doesn’t matter any more, it’s quality messages placed in quality outlets that make a difference now.
And, just like that, we arrive right back at proving return on investment.
B2B Digital PR has learned a lot from Digital Marketing, and is now in a solid place to provide measurable outcomes that are proven to have a positive impact on marketing, sales and business performance.
Both tactics can involve backlinking strategies, which are a powerful technique to improve the performance of company websites. Measured over time through Domain Authority and page rankings, it’s possible to attribute this success to a digital PR programme.
Going one step further, it’s also possible to see exactly who and what kind of people are coming to your website based on the Digital PR campaign.
Google Analytics can tell you who’s clicked through to your website, what they clicked on, and if that visitor becomes a contact. You can connect the dots to understand whether that contact arrived on your website from an article placed in the media.
Even when no backlink is provided, it’s possible to link a sharp increase in web traffic with an increase in PR activity, such as a product launch or event.
But remember, all of this is hypothetical without first achieving the main aim - online press coverage.
Success depends heavily on the ability to build and nurture meaningful relationships with the media. Target your approach in both your Digital PR and Digital Marketing efforts to dominate online.
Learn how to measure your B2B Digital PR programme with our definitive guide.