As a tech PR, if you don’t know about Technorati, TechCrunch, Digg and del.icio.us – chances are you are not informed enough to craft comprehensive client strategies.

PRs today deal with a new landscape of influencers beyond our traditional tech journalists and analysts.

With such a large percentage of business and consumer IT buying decisions starting on the Web, online represents a powerful medium that can be leveraged in many ways.

Search Engines have radically altered the PR landscape.  We have some clients in the B2B space generating as much as 80 per cent of their sales funnel through organic search-initiated enquiries.

Integrating PR tactics with Search Engine Optimisation is arguably the most powerful example of where a more cohesive “new media/old media” strategy yields powerful results.

For example, for one client, by posting a traditional news release on an industry portal (originated in the US), we generate back links to our client’s Australian web site.  The portal article is in turn captured by Google and distributed worldwide via a Google News Alert - all within a few hours.  We achieve global distribution of an Australian organisations content within hours - whilst also boosting traffic and thier websites Google PageRank.

Campaigns that integrate traditional PR and online more closely can also help harness public interest in important issue. The Web and online communities can generate ongoing debate, rather than letting the issue die in the next news cycle.

For example, we had one client that wanted to announce a new strategy for tackling a major industry issue.  We hosted a media conference in Parliament House and developed a Web site specifically for this initiative that went live the day of the conference.  Everything from devising a brand for the initiative, to building the site and populating it with content was done within seven days.

The Canberra media conference generated national TV, radio and print coverage that in turn drove traffic to the web site and sparked debate on a number of influential portals.

The other area where we see really powerful results from integrating PR with online, is in the area of electronic mail or e-zines. For example, for one client, we write email communications that are directly related to the feedback we get from the sales team, the Web and click through rates on previous newsletters.

This gives us insight into the business issues that are of most interest to this company’s customers and prospects.  In turn, we can use this intelligence to craft more meaningful email communications, but also to shape media relations campaigns.

For example, when we work with this company’s CEO on a thought leadership platform that will form the basis of his media interviews moving forward, we can bring to that strategy what we already know are the issues that interest their customers and prospects.

This in turn means we are giving our journalists more newsworthy, intelligent insights and predictions.

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The other day I sat in an “all agency” briefing alongside my client’s ad agency, media buyer and brand consultants. 

When it came to handling the web redesign, I asked, “are we the only agency that wants to be involved in the new site?”   Unsurprisingly, the response was a unanimous “no”. 

How does a client decide which of their “trusted advisors” will do the best job on their web site content?

And how do you define roles, when the web site is just one part of an increasingly complex online marketing mix?

All bias aside, when it comes to web content, if your PR agency is any good,  they will typically generate a better result, faster - with a few notable exceptions. Why?  Because they should already know your business inside out and be exceptional writers for every medium. 

When I say “content”, I mean everything from involvement in the information architecture and defining key messages, to the writing (eg product/service information, page copy, blogs, case study video scripting etc).

Don’t get me wrong, I know there is a lot more to site development than the content - design, analytics, usability, technical integration, to name just a few.

And then there is the marketing of that site, ranging from organic search and pay-per-click to traffic generation and ongoing optimisation.

I am not saying that content should be created in isolation from other web suppliers. What I am saying is that specialist writing is often overlooked or undervalued.  And if you get it wrong, it significantly hampers the effectiveness of your site.

Users want to get the information they need fast.  It needs to be brief, punchy, easy to scan etc.

Moreover, the relationship between powerful writing and organic search is often overlooked. 

Specialist search optimisation consultants often work independently of content development experts like PR agencies, resulting in missed opportunities.

A team approach is much more beneficial. Without one, I have found we often get pulled in to “fix” copy that has been written by another Web or marketing supplier.  And the client ends up paying twice.

And it’s not the other supplier’s fault. 

How is another agency’s copy writer going to get up to speed quickly on the client’s business issues, key messages and myriads of company/product information, for what, in some instances, may be a one-off brief? Not surprisingly, as the people who craft communications for multiple audiences using different mediums on behalf of clients every day - good PR agencies have a head start in getting it right.

What’s more, PR agencies are often an interface between their clients and their customers. We interview our client’s customers for case studies, write them up for multiple mediums, work with them as they are interviewed by journalists and so on.

This gives a level of insight into the client’s business and what resonates with customers, most suppliers seldom gain.

The notable exceptions to using PRs for web copy largely relate to the nature of the client/agency working relationship.

If the agency doesn’t have that deep understanding, and doesn’t understand the nuances of writing for online, then by all means, look elsewhere.

Otherwise get a better bang for your buck and save time - involve your PR agency in the Web brief. 

If nothing else, they can educate the other suppliers on the competitive landscape, your communication strategy, and what your customers want.

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Whether it is a blog, a podcast, a Wiki, a social media release or any other number of interactive tools, they are just that – tools.
Don’t get me wrong, unless you have been asleep under a rock, there is a radical shift in who or what influences target audiences and how they gather their content.   

And if a PR practitioner doesn’t invest time to learn, and even more importantly participate, in this new landscape, then chances are they will be left behind. 

But what I would argue is that most trained PR consultants have the strategic framework to incorporate new media, social media, and other media, into a cohesive program that achieves results. 

Why?  From day one of their university degree, PRs are trained to: 

• research the environment (all of it) in which a client operates
• understand/define the business/marketing/communication objectives
• determine the target audience and the best medium to reach them (old or “new”)
• devise and document key messages - many of which may be complex
• adapt these messages to multiple audiences and mediums (a social media release, a call to action for an email direct mail, a blog)
• test, implement, measure and modify communications to ensure they achieve objectives

What’s more, PRs should have the tactical skills and the understanding of a clients business to deliver it fast. 

So whether is new media, social media, old media or the next media that isn’t invented yet, I regard it as just another channel.   

A tool effective PRs have to be good at leveraging to achieve clients’ communication objectives.

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