Introduction
Most people have heard the terms digital marketing and digital PR, but they often need clarification on the roles each plays. Although Public Relations and Digital Marketing are integrated processes, one must never forget that the two are different. While they share some similarities, some fundamental differences set digital marketing and PR apart. In this article, you'll learn about the differences between digital PR and digital marketing. Hence, let's get started!
What is digital marketing?
Digital marketing can be defined as the act of promoting services and products with the help of digital channels such as email, social media, SEO, and mobile apps. In other words, any form of marketing that entails using electronic devices can be regarded as digital marketing.
Consider the points given below to understand the importance of Digital Marketing.
- Better Reach
Browsing the internet for various products/services is the new normal. Since most of your prospective customers are online, your business needs to have a strong online presence. Using digital marketing strategies will help you to reach out globally to your potential customers.
- Brand Awareness
Digital marketing enables you to create brand awareness and promote your brand's Unique Selling Point(USP). When your brand is visible on search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing and various social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Quora, the entire world will know about your brand.
- Increase in ROI
Your business will generate unexpectedly high returns if your digital marketing campaigns are in the right direction.
- Compete with larger corporations
Digital marketing strategies such as SEO and Pay Per Click advertising allow you to compete with more giant corporations such as Amazon and Walmart.
- Track your campaigns and optimize them
The importance of digital marketing lies in the fact that you can easily monitor your marketing campaigns. Monitoring your campaigns lets you quickly identify loopholes and fix them instantly for better results.
What is Public Relations
Public relations is considered one of the oldest techniques of strategic communication that companies use to promote and protect their products/services, policies, and brand image in the public eye. This communication process helps to build a mutually beneficial relationship between organizations and their public. The PR personnel tries to advance their agenda by creating narratives.
To understand the importance of Public Relations, consider these points mentioned below:
- Increases Awareness
Digital PR helps spread brand awareness by making the masses understand brand values and product specifications.
- Develops Loyalty
Intense PR practices promote a sense of loyalty among the customers. Customers tend to buy from the same company repeatedly.
- Builds brand image and reputation
PR practices give the company a chance to develop and improve its brand image and reputation among the public.
- Builds credibility and trust
Repetitive brand promotion tends to build credibility and trust among the public.
- Promotes goodwill
The PR practices pave the way for creating goodwill for the company in the long run.
Key Differences between Digital PR and Digital Marketing
The end objectives of both Digital PR and Digital Marketing are somewhat similar, such as engaging with relevant audiences, building brand awareness, and demonstrating leadership and expertise. However, there is a difference in how these objectives are achieved.
- Channels
The critical difference between Digital PR and Digital Marketing lies in the channels each of them use to achieve their set objectives. Digital marketing, as the name suggests, is solely confined to the digital sphere and does not use traditional marketing channels. Digital marketing channels exclusively include social media, content marketing, paid social, web, SEO, and creative development.
Due to technological evolutions, PR strategies evolved manifold. But, even today, PR strategies include a fusion of traditional and digital channels. Hence, modern PR channels have various social media outlets, along with print publications and online media platforms such as review sites, e-magazines, online news wires, and blog sites.
- Success Measuring Metrics
Digital PR is more concerned with generating brand awareness and hence, less ROI-driven. On the other hand, digital marketing usually focuses on identifying the target audience and converting them into buyers. Thus digital marketing strategies are more number-oriented and ROI-driven.
The most commonly used metric is UMV (Unique Monthly Visitors) to measure the success of PR strategies such as online publications. It lets you know how many people have visited your PR placements. Another way to measure your PR strategies' effectiveness is by using platforms such as Google Analytics. Google Analytics will help you to look at behavioral metrics, referral traffic, and any conversions or placements made from particular placements. Brand impact, the share of voice(SOV), and media coverage are commonly known metrics used in PR marketing.
You can measure the success of your digital marketing strategies with the help of any of the most commonly used metrics, including the ones mentioned below:
- Cost Per Click(CPC)
- Cost Per Lead(CPL)
- ROI and keyword rankings growth
- Social media metrics
- Content marketing
- Email marketing metrics
- Sales and revenue metrics
- Website metrics
- Purpose
Digital marketing's sole purpose is to cover advertising, direct marketing, and promotional campaigns. Each of these processes is directly connected to sales and revenue generation. The ultimate aim of all these processes is to reach out to the maximum number of potential and current customers and turn them into buyers. Digital marketing engages existing and prospective customers by leveraging channels like email, social media, and search engines.
Public relations, on the other hand, is concerned with educating the investors, partners, and the masses about the products/services of a business and thereby trying to mold their perspectives. It is solely concerned with building a positive brand image and reputation, creating awareness among the masses, building trust and credibility among the public, and promoting the company's goodwill.
- Target Audience
Digital PR and Digital Marketing have different groups of target audiences. A marketer primarily focuses on a target group of prospective customers, someone who has the buying power. A marketer must anticipate who will most likely become interested in his products/services. It is vital to meet the company's economic goals.
On the other hand, PR marketing focuses on a broader audience comprising customers, influencers, the media, and other potential stakeholders. PR marketing does not limit its target audience to only prospective buyers, as PR marketing is solely concerned with developing and maintaining a positive brand image and promoting brand awareness.
- Time Frame
In the case of digital marketing, the focus is usually on the "here and now." Digital marketing strategies are used to quickly improve your company's performance and attain financial goals quickly. Thus, digital marketing goals are considered short-term goals, and marketers focus on short-term benefits rather than the bigger picture.
On the other hand, digital PR strategies can be regarded as a long-term investment. Although it yields little results, PR marketing strategies prove to be beneficial in the long run.
Conclusion
Although digital marketing and digital PR are intimately linked to each other, they differ in their objectives, strategies, and outcomes. However, both digital marketing and digital PR are vital to the success of a business and have an excellent outreach capacity that can't be easily overlooked. If rightly combined, these two marketing elements can do wonders. If you're a Pune based business organization, you can hire Excellent Publicity as your Advertising Agency in Pune to get professional assistance.