Most marketers find themselves paying close attention to the television ads that air during their nightly time in front of the TV. Advertising is a fascinating study in social strategy and messaging, and marketers tend to be observant of the initiatives other brands are taking to reach consumers. With this awareness, it’s likely that most marketing professionals have noticed a marked increase in the number of ads appearing from prominent technology brands such as Amazon, Facebook, and Google.

It may seem random, but it isn’t. Several key factors likely played into this strategy to push out mainstream advertising in order to update a brand’s reputation or make a push for consumer involvement. Let’s take Facebook’s recent advertising campaign around Facebook Groups as an example.

Public relations is often known as an industry that monitors and manages brand reputation and steps in whenever there is a misstep. Unfortunately, making a PR mistake is fairly commonplace, and other brands can often learn from the mistakes that others make. Adjusting a public relations strategy according to what others have done is one way to help prevent problems in the future.

Handling a mistake can make or break the success of a brand, especially if that mistake is one that many consumers are aware of. For this reason, managing the spread of information is one of the biggest challenges that public relations professionals face. Particularly in today’s age of rapidly spreading information — correct or not — this can be quite a task for even the most seasoned professional.

In the world of public relations, digital PR refers to the online marketing strategy utilized by businesses to increase their online presence and boost their brand. Digital PR carries any similarities to traditional PR, but in reality represents an opportunity to reach a broader audience- global, in fact- in a way that offline techniques are unable to achieve. Instead, in order to make the most impact, digital PR uses online strategies such as search engine optimization,  influencer outreach, content marketing, and social media.

Digital PR is a powerful tool capable of boosting a brand’s online presence and visibility. Information is constructed into conversations, and companies are able to speak directly to their target audience 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Better yet, by connecting directly with their target audience, brands can use digital PR to clarify their focus and spread news faster than they have ever done before.

Paid advertising can be a tricky business, but with careful strategizing and tracking on the go, it can surely be a reliable source of leads and sales. When done wrong, however, it can be an expensive lesson.

The more you know about your audience, the better your ads will perform. Perhaps this is why many firms prefer to advertise on Facebook: the platform offers a host of options for audience targeting.

Public Relations in the Digital Age is an ever-shifting amalgam of tried and true communications practices and new and different methods through which you may connect with your target audience.

To maintain success, you must expand your understanding of current tools and applications, as well as which platforms and influencers are drawing your audience. And a cursory understanding of these factors is not enough. To truly make the most of your PR opportunities in the Digital Age, you need to understand both the value and the purpose of several evolving realities.

These days, it seems like social media is standing in as an assignment editor for many different media outlets. Tune in to just about any cable show and, sooner than later, you will hear or see Twitter or Facebook or Instagram mentioned. But, does that mean the rules for contacting media sources on social media have shifted? Have we entered an era in which connecting with a journalist on social media is acceptable as a best practice?

The answer to that question is “yes and no.” While, yes, it can be acceptable to communicate with a journalist on social media, there are a few guidelines that you may want to consider if you want to be more effective in your efforts.

Good events don’t just happen. They require intensive planning and a successful public relations promotion to get the word out, create interest, and compel action. PR will help increase the awareness of the event and, when properly targeted, will get that message to the people best positioned to help you generate the buzz you need to fill the venue.

One of the best ways to build buzz for an upcoming event, is to create and nurture an online community. This community could be connected by interest in you, your brand, or a common activity related to your brand.

Direct to customer marketing and PR has become increasingly popular in recent years. Today, merchants selling everything from mattresses to pet foods have seen that it’s more effective to speak to their customers directly, than to attempt to sell through major retailers in the modern age. According to a recent study by IAB, named the rise of the brand economy in the 21st century, the future of retail will be painted by direct to consumer relationships. The biggest problem is that many companies don’t know how to get started with direct to consumer PR.

The first step in taking advantage of the direct to consumer model is understanding what it is that makes this sales model so effective. It’s safe to say that eCommerce has changed dramatically in recent years, and it’s continuing to change more as we move forward in 2019. Now, the multi-channel retailer is no longer as popular as they once were, and instead, customers are looking for brands that they can build a genuine connection with.