Watch the replay below
The impact of digital PR is something that’s often spoken about but, in my opinion, rarely defined. Or, at least, not defined as well as it could be.
After all, how many of you invest in digital PR for the sole purpose of ‘gaining links’ or even ‘gaining coverage’? The reality is that for most business owners, marketing managers, SEO directors and the like, the end goal isn’t just the links, it’s actually a much deeper business goal – like traffic, sales and, essentially, money into the business.
The challenge with digital PR – and with any top of funnel marketing channel – is that articulating the bottom line value requires clear attribution which, especially in these days of declining cookie lifespans, can be really tough.
With that said, there’s been a trend in the digital PR industry as I’ve seen it to celebrate what I’d call the outputs rather than the outcomes; far too often, we see Twitter posts, conference talks, blog posts and general chat about how many links were achieved or which publications we’ve landed features in.
What we should be focused on instead is the outcomes – meaning the things we were trying to affect with our links on a business level. That might mean reporting more on things like SEO visibility metrics, maybe on engagement metrics, certainly on revenue impact and, more broadly, on the influence of digital PR on other channels such as paid social and remarketing. It will likely mean that you’re better able to visualise the value of links to the extent that you’re able to recognise, very rightly, that actually quantity is very rarely the driver of success – quality is key, as the old adage goes, so let’s talk about outcomes more and, in that way, better understand the true value of our PR campaigns.
OK, that’s the written blurb done… check out the link to watch my recent webinar on this topic, exploring how you can drive more measurable value from your digital PR campaigns (you’ll also get to see my lovely cat Meeker, who I hope will not tarnish my professional persona too much and might even become a global superstar after this…):
If you’re inspired by this webinar and want to learn more, check out our PR blogs or find out how we approach digital PR at Impression.
