Better the devil you know?

Few can have failed to observe the seismic changes in our industry over the last few years. And, change always seems to go hand in hand with a whole new set of jargon.

With a proliferation of agencies offering ‘Online PR’, ‘Digital PR’, ‘Web Optimised Copywriting’ and ‘Advanced Search’ you could be forgiven for thinking that you need to get a digital agency on board just to translate the lingo!

However, all of these ‘new’ disciplines are significantly more robust when built on solid foundations. Who better therefore to dovetail your Online PR strategy into your marketing strategy than your existing agency?

After all, PR has always been about intelligent writing, good relationships and understanding the media. Strangely, Online PR is about intelligent writing, good relationships and understanding the media. It’s just that the writing needs to not only encompass the needs and desires of the target audience, but must also be optimized so that it is picked up by as many searches as possible.

Good relationships are still key – with a whole new set of online journalists, bloggers and twitterers to get to know. Plus, relationships with prospects and customers are easily managed via online communities. And as for understanding the media, there are a proliferation of online media players to get under the skin of, and any PR man worth his salt will have been on the case for the last five years. And, what’s great about Online PR is its measurability.

So, who better to help to monitor and evolve your PR programme than your old friends – the agency team? So, in my view, it’s simply a case of better the devil you know.

Amanda McDonald