How Web PR works?
The most important component to successful PR is to listen to your customers. Not only are they telling you what they want, you will also be able to tell how well your messages are being received. In the chapter on online reputation management (ORM), the tools used to listen online were discussed.
If PR is about connecting with your customers, it should also be about responding to them by engaging with them in conversation, in the channels where that conversation is taking place.
Thirdly, WebPR allows you to build your own voice. Though you cannot control the message, you should lead the conversation through transparent communications.
Listen to your customers
ORM will enable a company to listen to what is being said about them online. Particularly important is to regularly monitor all channels that a customer might use to contact or talk about a company. This includes forums and consumer action web sites, as well as keeping track of mentions on personal blogs.
Not only does this allow a trend to emerge of general sentiment related to the company, but it will also highlight issues that need attention.
Respond to others
ORM described the tools that can be used to find out what is being said about a company online. A key function of WebPR is to respond to those conversations with a consistent voice. Consumer generated media can and must be responded to. Being publicly available, and publicly searchable, means that consumer generated media forms part of the public perception of a company. As discussed in the chapter on ORM, search results often show consumer generated media – messages that a company cannot control.
Blogs and forums are key starting points for responding. Responding in these mediums ensures that company’s response may be viewed along with the original message.
What to consider
Transparency and honesty is vital. Any semblance of “PR speak” or “spin” could see this worthy outreach backfiring. An authentic voice works best, as does a thick skin. Respond to the good and the bad – it shows that the company is listening to all conversations.
Build your own voice
Whether or not a company has a web site, it most likely has a web presence. Not only are businesses listed in online directories, but are also mentioned in consumer generated media. However, companies need to pay attention to the voice that is presented by their online presence, and use the tools of the Internet to enhance that voice.
Establishing long-term, trusting consumer relationships through online article syndications, press releases and blogs aids a company to craft online credibility, placing it in a better position to respond to future criticism. These tools also help build links to a company’s web site. And, of course, links increase traffic and have search engine optimisation (SEO) benefits.
While it used to be that messages were dispersed to journalists who would then broadcast them to a reading public, today that practice does not always exist to disseminate the information being transmitted. This provides tremendous opportunity for companies to be fully involved in engaging with their customers.
WebPR is not about throwing out the PR rulebook. It’s about using the Internet to fully realise its communication potential.
