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Most companies are aware of the importance of PR in maintaining good relations with their publics. Advances in technology and the emergence of the Internet have changed the way we all do business, and in particular, PR practices have had to adapt to these changes. An effective PR strategy needs to influence the media, communities and audiences that exist on the Internet using online channels.
A key aspect of successful PR thus now lies in providing a professional and responsive online media centre or online press office. A good online media centre extends the capabilities of a traditional press office into the World Wide Web. Journalists, publishers and other stakeholders all use online media centres as a source of information when researching a story. PR practitioners use online media centres as a way of communicating with journalists.
Follow our hints below to create a well structured and efficient online media centre:
CONTENT
Old or irrelevant information reflects badly on your company. Content needs to be up-to-date and of interest to the person writing a story about your company. Here's some ideas:
1. Facts and Figures - Include some basic facts and corporate figures to provide a background on your company. You could also include your company's mission statement, financial facts, links to other relevant websites, customer demographics and a calendar of future events.
2. News Releases - Journalists should be able to access all relevant press releases.
3. Images - It is important to have a facility for downloading company images. These images should be of a high resolution and preferably in JPEG form, as they require less download time.
4. Video/Audio - Sound or video broadcasts enhance the online experience and are another way of putting your message across. Try to make sure these files are accessible in different formats.
5. Downloadable documents - Information packs are a handy way for journalists to get the information they need in one package.
CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT
It is important that you are able to maintain and update your online media centre easily. A well-designed online press office should have a content management system that allows you to update and expand it with minimal web programming skills.
GETTING IN TOUCH
You should always provide a direct telephone number and where possible a contact name so that any press enquiries can be dealt with efficiently.
FREE ACCESS FOR ALL
It's better to avoid asking journalists to register in order to access your information - journalists hate doing this and are likely to go elsewhere for the information! If it is really vital that journalists register to your website, make sure the registration process is quick and pain-free!
AN INTEGRATED OPTION
The easiest way to create an online media centre is to have a link from the home page of your company website. That way, journalists will be able to quickly find what they're looking for and it shouldn't require an overhaul of your existing website. Try to keep the colours and fonts of the online media centre in line with the rest of the website.
OTHER TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES
RSS FEEDS: RSS feeds let you know when websites have added new stories acting like an alert service, something favoured by journalists.
PODCASTING: This is a method of publishing files to the Internet.
These files are normally in audio format.
BLOGS: Web logs or 'Blogs' as they are popularly known provide commentary or news on a particular subject. New entries can be added easily by blog authors, and are often viewed as a type of online diary. Indeed, journalists often use blogs to research news and peoples' opinions.
TOOLKIT: A toolkit should include little helpers such as Bookmark, Print, and email.
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