digital pr brand

Without consistent engagement, no brand will realize the potential of their social media digital PR efforts. That consistency is vital to a brand’s success on social media, and it’s not enough to just consistently post content. It’s not enough to be “clever” or “original” or “helpful.” People need to actually respond – to react, comment and share – or the campaign misfires in some way.

The best way to create that consistent engagement is to give the people in the target market someone not just something to engage with. Simply put: brands need an identity online. They need personality and approachability in order to form the human connections that lead to consistent engagement.

Think about it, no one, really, is waking up in the morning wondering what’s for sale online. They want to know what happened, who did it, and how it will affect, influence, or entertain them. They want a “story,” and that’s marketing shorthand for someone doing something worth knowing about.

Humanizing a brand means creating connection points using digital PR messages. This could be about aspects of the brand that will resonate with readers, or it could just be allowing brand representatives and influencers to be “real” with people while interacting with the brand. Sometimes, often in fact, digital PR on social media is about establishing and nurturing relationships rather than offering products and services.

When brands find a way to authentically engage with consumers online – whether it be through influencers or directly through their brand’s social media accounts – that draws people in and creates reactions. Think about Wendy’s corporate Twitter account, for example. Most people have no idea who is behind it, but they show up for the humor and the interaction. There’s a team of people creating content that often has less to do with what Wendy’s is selling and more to do with making their audience react.

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That commitment to humor humanizes the brand in a way that people can relate to. But that’s just one way to do it. Gratitude, heart, vision, enthusiasm, frustration… all of these emotions, when expressed authentically through digital PR on social media, can build that human connection and help brands develop stronger bonds with their customers.

Over time, brands that practice this approach consistently, create an identity – a personality and a “face” – for that brand in the minds of their customers. Instead of being a business or an anonymous corporation, they become a fun friend. Someone who brings joy… someone to trust.

But it should all be about personality. Brands should offer good content too. Advice, knowledge or insight, preferably presented in a form that makes it easy for the audience to understand and remember. Video, stories, memes should be simple, connective, and real. That’s the kind of digital PR that puts a name with a brand on social media.

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Ronn Torossian is the founder and CEO of 5W Public Relations, one of the largest independently-owned PR firms in the United States. With over 20 years of experience crafting and executing powerful narratives, Torossian is one of America's most prolific and well-respected Public Relations professionals. Since founding 5WPR in 2003, he has led the company's growth, overseeing more than 175 professionals in the company's headquarters in midtown Manhattan. With clients spanning corporate, technology, consumer and crisis, in addition to digital marketing and public affairs capabilities, 5WPR is regularly recognized as an industry leader and has been named "PR Agency of the Year" by the American Business Awards on multiple occasions. Throughout his career, Torossian has worked with some of the world's most visible companies, brands and organizations. His strategic, resourceful approach has been recognized with numerous awards including being named the Stevie American Business Awards 2020 Entrepreneur of the Year, the American Business Awards PR Executive of the Year, twice over, an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year semi-finalist, Metropolitan Magazine's Most Influential New Yorker, and a 2020 Top Crisis Communications Professional by Business Insider. Torossian is known as one of the country's foremost experts on crisis communications, and is called on to counsel blue chip companies, top business executives and entrepreneurs both in the United States and worldwide. Torossian has lectured on crisis PR at Harvard Business School, appears regularly on CNN & CNBC, was named to PR Week's "40 under Forty" list, is a contributing columnist for Forbes and the New York Observer, and his book, "For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results With Game-Changing Public Relations" is an industry best-seller. A NYC native, Torossian lives in Manhattan with his children. He is a member of Young Presidents Organization (YPO), and active in numerous charities.