The fact that “Digital PR” is its own entity now definitely says something about how the internet has changed advertising. But what does it mean exactly? Is it completely different than traditional PR?

The answer is, kind of.

Yeah, I know that some of you thought you were getting into your own self-made new and exciting line of work. Sorry to burst your bubble. Digital PR is still the same ol’ relaying a message to people in hopes of exposure; its just through a different medium. What medium you ask? Well duh, the internet. However, there are many different nodes of communicative areas to consider, think search, banners, email, etc. just as traditional focus is on anything from live events, print publishing and traditional media (TV, Radio, Outdoor, etc), Digital PR is set into place to reach people. The difference is doing it solely through use of the internet.

So what’s Social Media got to do with anything? Well, if anyone were to ask me, I’d tell them that Digital PR relies on Social Media. Social Media is the human connection. We know that people exist and linger in online communities like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Social Media works great for PR because we are able to get in on conversations and build relationships with people directly. The unlimited possibilities of making connections through social networking is so much easier and on a much larger scale than being somewhere in person. Ah, yet another convenience of the internet.

So why is everyone all hyped on this?

#1: Social Media gives us closer contact with our audience and because we are a part of the community, it is easier to convey messaging and respond to issues.

#2: Things can change fast in Social Media. User backlash can accumulate quick and in a bunch of different areas. Things go viral in minutes and spread like the plague. In addition to being communicated in a way the community ‘gets’, responses have to be fast and don’t have time to sit through multiple rounds of approval.

#3: Digital PR people have to be highly trusted by hiring companies while simultaneously gaining credibility with the online communities because of the fact online messaging is required to happen a lot more frequently (in order to be effective).

So as I hope I’ve concluded, Social Media is a big part (if not the absolute core) of Digital PR. When dealing with the public in any situation, it’s always important to understand what you are getting into. Social media is no exception. Just because you’re great at speaking at conferences and schmoozing at parties doesn’t mean you’ll be great at interjecting in a D&D discussion thread.