By: DIBE Team – Fortune PR
Life is becoming more and more digital. Much of what we do at work and at home has gone online. PR pros now must master the multi-disciplinary skills to survive in the game, and one of the skills is digital PR.
A lot of things have shifted in the PR fields. Now there are two forms of public relations, conventional and digital PR. The two are differentiated by tactics, including the ways to build relationships and the channels in which they reached their audience. Digital PR gives brands expanded reach and distribution while letting them know exactly what information their audience is responding to. Moreover, today’s digital culture of sharing makes your message resonate further and last longer than any other time in history.
In the field of digital PR, shifts happened from regular press releases distribution to press release with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) friendly, and from engaging journalists to engaging bloggers and influencers. In the field of conventional PR, mass media outlet such as printed press, radio, and television were the main channels used. Now, digital PR use blogs, social media, and websites as the main sources to distribute information to connected audiences.
Although the shift has happened, both conventional and digital PR is still being used today. In some cases, they even support each other. Below are how PR pros utilized digital technology for conventional PR programs today:
- Live stream media visit
By using this digital PR tool, your public can watch a live stream video on the company’s website anytime, anywhere. The online live stream that covers the media visit serves as a complementary strategy to inform a wider scope of audience about the company’s facilities.
- Digital CSR
A lot of companies and brands used digital CSR in the form of campaign to create a movement, raised awareness, and inspired people to act. Coca Cola Indonesia for example, created a digital CSR called “PerpuSeru”, a movement to renovate school libraries across rural areas in Indonesia and provide them with IT and mentorship[1]. This digital CSR campaign utilized websites, social media channels, campaign videos, and celebrity influencers to gain public awareness and engagement.
- ‘Clicktivism’ as digital movement
Utilizing platform like change.org provides big opportunity for online activism or clicktivism, since people can now support a cause with just one click away. Recently, an on online petition urged the Indonesian government to cancel remissions for corruption convicts[2]. The successful petition gained 11.220 supporters and managed to pressure the government to change their mind about the case, as President Joko Widodo finally stated that he rejects the notion.
- Digital donation
PR pros now can utilize online fundraising platform such as kitabisa.com, to raise awareness and gain engagement towards an issue, and in the end gain funding from the public. A recent digital fundraising success was #Birthday4Love, a fundraising organized by SOS Children’s Villages Indonesia to hold a one-day birthday celebration for orphanage children[3]. The fundraising successfully gained more than IDR 12 million from the public.
The shifts mentioned above derived from the evolution of the dynamic technology industry, where information is on-demand and available 24/7 to anyone, anywhere, and at any time. News spreads faster, further and more directly to your first and secondary audiences where they can also share them too. So as a PR pro, you can use and blend both the conventional and digital PR because if you’re not there to take part of the shift you’ll certainly fall behind.
[1] http://perpuseru.org/tentang-perpuseru/
[2] https://www.change.org/p/presiden-jokowi-jangan-obral-remisi-untuk-koruptor
[3] https://blog.kitabisa.com/2017/02/7-campaign-di-kitabisa-com-yang-bisa-membuat-orang-tersenyum/
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