Nowadays, every business and organisation has a website. They’re pretty reasonable to run cost-wise, you can adapt them to fit your purpose and you can include an e-commerce section to sell goods online, but so often they are overlooked and undervalued by those in the public relations industry. In this post, we look at how PR professionals can utilise the power of the website to increase brand awareness, promote trust and relatability with customers, and as a go-to resource for journalists and media personnel.
Keywords and SEO
SEO gets bandied around in offices and everyone assumes that if you work in PR, you should know all about search engine optimisation. The thing is, it’s quite tricky and complex, which is why there are dedicated executives and officers that focus solely on this. The good thing is, you don’t need to be a keyword and SEO specialist to know how to utilise this on your website to optimise your public relations strategy.
Visibility is so important to your business, or your clients, and by failing to properly research what keywords are important to you, you could be losing out on potential footfall to your competitors. There are lots of resources available if you aren’t sure where to start, but SEO is a definite must if you want your website to stand out from the crowd.
Content
The content that you put on your website needs to match the content in your public relations strategy. If you have a particular campaign that you are working on, the key messages need to be reflected across all platforms for it to really resonate, both with employees, customers, and potential customers.
As a PR professional, writing is the name of your game, so don’t underestimate the power of words on your website. Use captivating and engaging styles to draw people in, strong calls to action, and really think about the tone of voice that you use. Your website is the first port of call for many, including potential journalists that want to write about, and, as they say, you never get a second chance to leave a good first impression.
Pleasing your Audiences
Knowing your audience is so important in the world of PR and communications; it dictates the language you use, tone of voice, the photographs you take; along with the products you sell. Not knowing what kind of audience you’re writing for can certainly create pitfalls and hinder your PR journey into creating and crafting a website that is all-singing and all-dancing. Knowing your target demographics is key to tapping into your resources and researching exactly who you are saying what to.
If you’re selling a product to 18 – 24 year olds, you won’t write in a language that’s stiff and stuffy, equally you won’t use language or slang used by teenagers to talk to an older generation. Knowing your audience is so important when writing and creating content for your website.
The Art of Storytelling
Is not as easy as you think. It’s easy to hook people in with a promotion or money off voucher, but what happens when you’re selling or promoting a service that isn’t as transparent as money for goods transaction? This is where your stories come in. Using real case studies from people that use your services or organisation is key to getting that emotional hook.
Most readers want to know “what’s in it for me?”, and having a real story, from a real person that can categorically sing your praises front and centre on your website, you’re saying you’re proud to work for this company, thereby establishing trust and a relationship with your customers, and any future potential customers. If you’re unsure where to start with the art of storytelling, there are some great resources available online.
Even though a website may seem like the most basic of things for an organisation or for your client to have, there are so many ways that you can use this incredibly simple technology to your PR advantage.
