Public Relations and

Digital Communication

PR Master Module
The Academic Year of 2023-2024
-Digital public relations or e-PR

-What is digital Public Relation?

-How digital tools and audiences change

public relations
Introduction
Digital public relations or e-PR is the latest
concept in corporate management. It is the
practice of public relations through the new
information communication technologies (ICTs).
Because of the latest advancement in
technologies, public relations can be practiced
through the use of computer, internet, world
wide web, global system for mobile
telecommunications and other info-tech systems.
companies, organizations, multinational
corporations institutions and individuals
utilize digital public relations to enhance their
image and reputation among its publics and
other stakeholders, because It is cheap and
anybody can access
information of any company in the internet
free.
What is digital Public Relation?
Digital public relations or e-PR or rather
dot.com public relations is the latest concept in
corporate reputation management. It is the
practice of public relations through the new
information communication technologies (ICTs).
It is an innovative concept that is computer
mediated. It is public relations practice
in the cyber-space.
The advent of the digital generation has
fundamentally transformed the nature of public
relations. This is the systematic and broad-based
application of ICTs in all aspects of modern
public relations practice that is computer
compliant, computer driven or computer. Digital
public relations is public relations
communication on the cyberspace, the internet
and the world wide web (www). It also includes
the use of the extranet for effective two-way
communications with various publics who have
access to the net.
Many scholars assert that the most effective
public relations is e-public relations or
electronic public relations which take place
mainly on the internet and the world wide web
(www) which is public relations on the net. It
can, for instance quicken and widen the
distribution of press releases and press
invitations. In fact
opportunities offered by digital public relations
are enormous and varied. This is because the
electronic information communication
technology driven or digital meditated
knowledge, activities and strategies have
become very imperative for companies and
organizations in today’s competitive and
globalized socioeconomic development.
How digital tools and audiences change
public relations
Considering that public relations is a
communication discipline, one
would think that the rapid proliferation of digital
tools and rapid communication technologies
would make public relations all that more
powerful and effective . In certain consumer-
related areas this has certainly been the case.
Conventional public relations tools – the press
releases, press conferences, press kits, facility visits,
trade exhibitions – were designed at the turn of the
century for a professional audience of journalists. In
the digital era, much of the public relations
programme will be addressing non-journalists
audience, such as prospects, customers, stakeholders,
human rights organizations, industry analysts,
prospective employees etc. These audiences are not
accustomed to receiving information in the
conventional public relations format and will regard
it as cumbersome and annoying.
Your information has to be structured and
formatted as a quick read if you want to get the
message across-otherwise it gets ignored. A
quick review of what gets posted to most
websites and the wire services (which are now
accessed by internet search engines and desktop
news – retrieval software) will show you that the
conventional press release format is still widely
followed – and the information requirements of
a digital audience are not being met.
With digital public relations programmes, PR
practioners must know who their audiences are and
they can set up channels to reach them, which requires
responsiveness to their information needs in terms of
customization. Rather ironically, writers and editors
often comment that although they are badgered daily
by conventional public relations types, many times
their questions are not answred in a timely manner
when they are working on a deadline and need some
special information or response. In responding to
media or other inquiries, it is important to respond
quickly while there is still fresh “mind share” so that
you maintain interest and a dialogue.
Digital public relations as a strategy for
corporate reputation management requires a
rethinking and restructuring on conventional
public relations techniques, not just a digital
overlay. Public relations practices all over the
world are becoming technologically driven.
Public relations experts are taking advantage of
the internet service providers to the corporate
benefit of their organizations.
Several high-tech companies have attained
industry visibility that is not necessarily justified
by their market position or technical leadership,
but rather by their ability to leverage the
concepts of digital public relations. This has
helped them in image building, image
maintenance and image sustenance in the
globalized world.
In order to achieve these objectives, public
relations practitioners should know how to use
the internet and how to post their organizations
news and features on the websites for the public
to access. Computer literacy, swiftness in
services delivery, high efficiency and
achievement of desired results are the primary
responsibilities of a public relations practitioner.
To practice digital public relations, PR
practitioners must be able to know how to use
computer to store information, retrieve
information and print out document because
digital public relations is computer-mediated.
furthermore, nowadays they have to know how to
use social media networking sites and
applications.
Many multi-national corporations, banks,
companies, parastatals, government agencies,
non-governmental organizations, institutions,
etc. have websites and web-pages in the internet.
They post their profiles and other data
concerning the activities of their organizations in
the website. Private individuals and
organizations also have webpages in the net.
Information concerning the organization are
made available and could be accessed in the
internet by anybody.
Today, organizations and clients are making great
demands on public relations professionals who
help to post or create favourable and positive
information about the organization in the internet.
They are demanding more creativity, more
innovations, more speed, and more efficiency in
service delivery. Besides, the business
environment has become very competitive, such
that any public relations practitioner who cannot
practice digital public relations in this era of
information communication technologies would
be out of job.
Much activity in cyberspace, that is, on-line
packaging services and the internet are still for
mediated interpersonal communication – individuals
interacting one-on-one with other individuals through
print, voice and video. But a large and growing
portion of the on-line world involve commercial
attempts to reach out to various audiences.
Companies, organizations and institutions have
sprang up to create sites on the web or the
commercial on-line networks to determine who is
coming to them, and even to encourage advertising
and public relations on them. The internet world, in
short, has become a new mass medium.
Why should people create sites on the web? There
are many reasons. Some people may simply do it
because they can afford. Others may want to share
hobbies or photos or ideas about the world
with anyone who will be interested.
what about companies?
Companies tend to have four reasons for creating web
sites.
i) Image making
ii) Selling products
iii) Supporting the sale of products, and
iv) Selling advertising for someone else’s products
iv) Selling advertising for someone else’s products
A site can fit some or all these aims. Image making
means creating a site to reflect the personality of
the product or services that is the subject of the
site.
Through the web, corporations, companies,
institutions and individuals can afford to reach an
audience that would be impossible to reach with
another medium. For example, the Ford Motor
Companies web site provides consumers with
information about vehicles it sells, along with
information about Ford dealers around the world.
Thanks for your Attendance

Have a nice weekend