How Brands Can Better Leverage Virtual Press Conferences

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⇥ QUICK READ

• The basics of a digital press conference
• The advantages of digital press relations
• Tip for enhanced digital PR

During the pandemic, premium brands such as Apple turned to virtual events to launch and promote major new products. And this meant that traditional in-person press conferences went virtual too.

This important shift aligns press relations within the overall online brand strategy.

Accelerated during the pandemic, digital press conferences continue to provide brands with a cost-effective way to reach journalists, editors, and influencers beyond a physical location.

In a new world accustomed to hybrid and virtual trade shows, digital press conferences will likely gain popularity and play an increasing role in the digital PR strategy.

The basics of a digital press conference

Similar to a traditional press conference, a digital press meeting also requires finding the right balance of engagement, interactivity, and content to maintain the audience’s attention.

Whereas there is no perfect substitute for an in-person press conference, as the popularity of virtual press conferences grows, so are the internet tools offered to ease organization while providing a positive attendee experience. Plus, many virtual conference platforms now provide recording options so that those who cannot attend the 'live' event can watch later.

When planning a digital press conference, it is important to consider the following:

• Platform: As more brands move to online events, so is the growth of platforms available to select from. You'll want to find the right one that provides ease of use for your audiences and the basic functionality you'll need, such as screen and file sharing and recording.
• Engagement: You’ll also want to consider how the platform will enhance engagement and interactivity through functionalities such as chat and polling, among others.
• Preparation: Just like a traditional in-person press meeting, it's also important to ensure the content, materials, and presenters are exciting and bring to life the new product. This can mean using a skilled facilitator versed in managing online events and moderating questions-and-answers.
  

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The advantages of digital press relations

The trend toward digital press relations provides many advantages to large and small brands in all sectors. As journalists and influencers become more acquainted with digital media platforms, the opportunities to reach these audiences globally is a significant advantage for brands. In addition, a digital press conference has no borders, so your audience can grow as your brand grows.

Digital press events help your brand gain visibility and traction with targeted audiences, but a well-thought-out digital PR strategy can also help secure coveted backlinks, drive traffic, and enhance search engine optimization (SEO) of your website.

Also, with audiences able to 'like' and 'share' media content, your brand's ability to grow its audience is exponentially greater. By reaching new audiences, you can widen your reach with new prospects that weren't targeted initially. Encouraging engagement, if done properly, can also help your brand gain credibility and trust.

A major advantage of digital PR is the ability to track and measure event and campaign performance. Metrics such as click-through rates, website visits, social shares, and sales provide measurable ways to determine the return on investment (ROI), post-event engagement and learnings for future campaigns.

Virtual press conferences provide a perfect opportunity for brands to grow their reach, increase brand awareness and engagement, and integrate media relations within their digital PR strategy.

With the popularity of virtual events, it’s important to understand where your digital assets are at risk of misuse when preparing for a new product announcement. Read our recent article How to Keep Virtual Events Leak-Proof to learn more.

Tip for enhanced digital PR

Unfortunately, even the most thought out digital press conference can result in disappointing coverage. Gaining highly prized media coverage can often mean providing the right digital content tailored to the target audience.

As audience preference for high-quality images and videos increases, brands must ensure they meet their expectations and likings.

This is why progressive brands leverage invisible watermarking solutions such as IMATAG Monitor to understand how and where digital assets (videos and images) appear online.

Fully automated, IMATAG Monitor clients receive notifications when digital content is detected on websites and social media channels.

By knowing where digital assets appear, media relations professionals can easily verify coverage, ensure backlinks are included in articles, and, if not, send an email to editors to see if they are open to having a link to their website. This can mean more coveted backlinks, better SEO, and increased site traffic.

While also providing brands valuable insights on digital asset preferences and usage patterns.

Ready to see how IMATAG solutions can work for your brand?

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