Old PR Dogs Need to Learn Online Skills

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By: Doug Bedell

Teaching old dogs new tricks is a tired metaphor. But it does alert people, older ones at least, that there are new things they ought to know. For PR people, that definitely includes relating online, which brings us to techniques for search engine optimization (SEO) and other forms of Web discovery. We follow up on yesterday's post by Lee Oden on social media and search with one from aimClear in Minnesota, the first in a series on "PR and Online Marketing."

Ordinarily, we don't like to mention PR in the same breath with marketing. But to be discovered and followed online involves search engine savvy, and that's a skill PR people need as much as marketers. (Anyhow, bringing the two crafts closer together might result in marketing becoming more relational, something to be desired.)

On the Web, PR involves people learning about what you, or your clients, are trying to do and say. Want to improve, for instance, the competitiveness of an aging downtown. First, put strategies and people in place to begin the change. Next, go online to help people discover what you're doing and get excited about it. That's PR's new online aspect. Maybe a blog, maybe a website, maybe both — but pay heed to getting whatever you're doing online discovered.

The new aimClear series looks as though it will be contributing to the online savvy of PR pros. Check it out.

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About the Author

Doug Bedell has a background in journalism and PR and is the owner of Resource Relations LLC in Central PA, focusing on organizational and crisis communication. He’s the community manager of SimplyFair.net, a social network on fairness. On the Web, Doug’s at www.ResourceRelations.com. On Twitter, he’s @DougBeetle.

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