Are you one of those folks  who doesn’t think online PR and online media is as valuable as traditional media – ie. daily newspapers, radios and TV?

I can see where you’re coming from. There’s a long held belief that daily newspapers and consumer magazines are THE place to be featured. And to an extent they are.

Last month a client had a double-page spread in The Sun and it drove massive traffic to their website, earlier this month another was featured in the Sunday Times – and the phones rang off the hook for them.

That’s the real, tangible effect of successful media relations. It’s what people understand to be a ‘good result’ BUT are we overlooking something here?

After the double page in The Sun, yes there was a spike of traffic to the website which subsided over the following seven days, same with the Sunday Times piece – a rush of interest and then a gentle decay and return to pretty much where we were before.

It’s an old saying, but it’s still (almost) true – today’s news is tomorrow’s chip paper (google it youngsters).

So what about online PR? Forget any nonsense you may have heard about creating keyword stuffed press releases or jumping on the social media bandwagon. See our guide on how to use social media without ever tweeting here

When I take on a client I always like to install Google Analytics into their website. Combined with Google Webmaster Tools, not only does it give us great insight into what search terms people are finding your site through and allow us to see traffic spikes following a successful media campaign – but it shows us which other sites are sending people your way.

These referrals never cease to amaze me as to the value of online PR.

Last month alone, one client  Ecos Organic Paints, received almost 60 visits from this

Nothing unusual about that you might think, until you look at the date it was published and see that it went live in February 2009.

That’s four years ago. And it is still sending traffic – good interested traffic with a bounce rate of just over 10%.

Unlike traditional PR, online PR – or lets be correct – online media relations – doesn’t end up in the bin or recycled. It can stick around for a very long time. It can help your SEO, it can shorten the consumer journey by allowing them to click straight through rather than relying on them searching for you after reading an article. It can do so many things.

Obviously one needs to carefully audit the online spaces you’re planning to populate. But done well, online PR – though it may lack the initial hit you get with daily national coverage – can provide more targeted traffic sent direct to your site for a much longer time.

Five Ways Online PR Beats Traditional Media:

1. Stays live, searchable and discoverable long after daily papers, supplements and magazines have been forgotten.

2. Helps your SEO by providing relevant high quality backlinks to your site and products, helping you climb higher up the google rankings.

3. Shortens the consumer journey from article to purchase.

4. Is easily shared – push it out through your social media and blog.

5. It also allows others to easily share your news through their networks.