Digital Public Relations (PR) is a powerful strategy which can increase a brand’s online presence and visibility, helping it to reach and engage target audiences which may not be easily accessible offline. Digital PR is very similar to traditional PR as it seeks to gain media coverage and raise brand awareness, however, it can also deliver results such as backlinks to brand websites, increased website traffic / Google search rankings and reach on social media that print PR tactics cannot. In the aesthetics, beauty, and wellness industries, digital PR is a vital part of any successful PR strategy as so many target consumers are online, a lot of the time!
In this article, we define Digital PR, explain its role within a PR strategy and the key digital PR tactics that work well for aesthetics, beauty, and wellness brands.
What is Digital PR?
“Digital PR is a strategy used to increase awareness of a brand using online methods.”
Digital PR has the power to ensure your brand is visible online and presented in the way you want it to be seen. The key online channels used within a digital PR strategy are:
- Social media
- Media and publisher websites i.e. Vogue.com, DailyMail.com etc.
- SEO i.e. building high-value links to your website
- Influencer marketing i.e. brand collaborations
So when your brand,products or services are featured in one of the above channels and it isn’t paid for, that is digital PR! The exception is influencer marketing as these kinds of partnerships are often sponsored or incentivise the influencer in some way – but as the goal of these campaigns are often to build trust, they typically form part of a brand’s overarching PR strategy.
Digital PR is not link building
Digital PR focuses on building a brand’s reputation with its target audience through high-quality, credible features on websites, such as Vogue.com, which are highly relevant to the brand and its customers. Link building is an online marketing tactic purely focused on gaining links to a website from other websites to boost its reputation and SERPs (search engine ranking position) on Google – this activity has nothing to do with PR which seeks to build trust and position a brand.
The benefits of Digital PR
Every brand and business in the aesthetics, beauty, and wellness industry should be serious about getting the attention of digital media editors and journalists and key social media influencers. They have the power to share your brand with their audiences and enhance your brand’s digital presence. The key benefits of digital PR for beauty brands are to:
- Increase brand visibility online amongst target audiences
- Build strong credibility and trust with all stakeholders from suppliers to customers
- Publish interactive and exciting content opportunities to attract and engage new customers
- Grow sales and/or bookings (with a long-term digital PR strategy)
- Establish a clear position versus the competition i.e. standout!
- Nurture a good brand reputation.
- Boost website traffic and increase organic search rankings.
In crowded industries like aesthetics, beauty, and wellness, it’s easy for brands to get lost amongst their competition and fail to stand out, especially online! To get started with your digital PR strategy, consult with an experienced PR agency with proven client case studies that deliver outstanding results for brands like yours.
Digital PR vs Traditional PR
You will notice that the above benefits of Digital PR are very similar to those of traditional PR. To be honest, they share the same overarching goals to increase brand awareness and influence how audiences see a brand and what they say about it. PR is always about reputation!
The key difference is that Digital PR uses digital tools and platforms, for example, a brand collaboration campaign with an influencer on Instagram is a form of Digital PR activity. This means that Digital PR is easy to monitor, for example, savvy brands track website traffics, sales, page views, social media engagement rates, and more for every campaign. With Digital PR you can clearly see how well your activity is performing and continuously tweak it to optimise your results!
An effective PR strategy for aesthetics, beauty, and wellness brands must encompass both traditional and digital PR tactics, and often one PR team will lead and manage this to ensure a cohesive approach. However, within the dedicated PR team whether it is inhouse or at a PR agency there will likely be specialists who focus on traditional media relations, influencer marketing campaigns, digital PR coverage etc.
5 key tactics of Digital PR
Digital PR is focused on building visibility online and with no print deadlines or physical factors to consider there is no time like the present to start thinking of ideas to elevate your strategy! Below are 5 Digital PR tactics widely used and valued in the aesthetics, beauty, and wellness industry:
1 Influencer marketing
Influencers play an integral role within an effective PR strategy but brands must focus on finding the right influencer partners to create exciting collaborations that enhance their overall consumer strategy. Influencer marketing is one the most accessible digital PR tactics and it can deliver great results such as increased brand awareness, media attention, and product sales. To get started, consult with a PR agency who specialise in the beauty industry and have experience of delivering authentic and successful influencer marketing campaigns, like Kendrick PR.
2 Digital first press releases
It’s important to ensure that your press releases include relevant links back to your website and social media channels so that readers can easily navigate to your brand to learn more, and you gain a quality SEO link to boost your overall website traffic.
3 Digital media relations
Just like in traditional PR, strong media relations are essential to the success of every Digital PR campaign or strategy. A lot of time and effort is involved in building media relations with editors, journalists, and influencers and once the right digital media contacts have been identified nurturing a strong relationship should be a top priority. Securing coverage and having these influential people endorse your brand to their audience or following takes time – so be patient! However, for higher impact and quicker results you can consult with a well-respected PR agency who’s team have excellent media relations in the beauty industry.
4 Social media
It’s highly likely that your target customers are active on social media, particularly Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok, so it’s time to get creative and showcase your expertise and brand personality on these platforms too. Social media platforms have huge potential for brands who want to reach and engage existing and new customers! We recommend sharing content that builds trust, educates, and aligns with your brand values. Sales messages are great too but use them sparingly as a key digital PR goal should be to build a good reputation.
5 Content marketing
The more that content from your brand is found and shared online the better – it will help to build and grow your reputation as an authority in your niche. For example, if you write an article for a trade publication or your product is featured then you should repurpose this and share it on your social media channels and website.
When to start Digital PR for your aesthetics, beauty, or wellness brand
The digital world moves at a fast pace so if your brand is not already engaged in some form digital PR activity then it’s time to get started so that you don’t fall further behind your competition. Consult with your PR team or PR agency to discuss how you can elevate the digital aspect of your overall PR strategy. As digital PR is measurable you can easily test ideas and learn what works well and what doesn’t – be creative and ensure that your messaging aligns to your overall brand identity and will nurture a good brand reputation.
We specialise in Digital PR
At Kendrick PR, we thrive on creating winning formulas of strategic and tactical PR support for premium beauty brands, aesthetic clinics, practitioners and entrepreneurs. From influencer marketing to product launch events and, brand strategy to PR consultancy and, everything in between – our comprehensive range of beauty PR services are designed and delivered by our expert team to drive real success.
Founded in 2015 by award-winning communications expert Julia Kendrick, Kendrick PR are an experienced and passionate team who thrive on creating tangible success for every client. Since launch, we have delivered outstanding results for some of the industry’s most innovative brands and exciting entrepreneurs, such as ALLÉL, Debbie Thomas, The Private Clinic, Oxygenetix and Medik8 – and we’d love to support your brand. Please do get in touch to book your complimentary discover call with our expert team.