There’s no question that the world of online marketing and public relations (OMPR) has changed. Thanks to the convening power of the web, anyone can easily create and publish content that reaches huge audiences. And since businesses can operate globally, organizations can have a presence in multiple locations with a limited in-house team.
As a business owner, marketer, or public relations professional, how does all this influence your everyday job?
Let’s dive into the current state of the industry and explore how technology has forever altered the way we work, play, and interact. Then, we’ll break down the essential roles that you must play to successfully launch and grow your company.
What Is OMPR?
To put it simply, organizational marketing and public relations is the process of marketing and PR for an organization rather than a product. Within this field, you’ll learn to identify business objectives, formulate marketing and PR strategies, and evaluate the results of your efforts.
This is a broad concept that encompasses a wide range of practice areas, including marketing analytics, digital marketing, PR, social media, content strategy, and more. The only requirement is that you must have a genuine desire to learn. You don’t have to have prior experience in all of these areas, but it’s helpful if you do.
The Evolution Of Online Marketing & PR
If you’re just joining the workforce, it’s probably safe to say that you’ve never worked in a traditional marketing or PR role. Luckily for you, the world of online marketing and public relations is always evolving. Today, we’ll discuss how different platforms and tools have evolved to make our jobs easier and more effective.
Content Marketing
Back in 1995, when the world of digital marketing and content marketing was just getting started, SEO (search engine optimization) and PPC (pay-per-click) were the big players and all clients were focused on driving traffic to their website. Today, that is certainly still a common practice, but the way we acquire and engage customers has changed.
Thanks to the rise of content marketing. This form of marketing combines marketing and content, using various platforms to create and publish engaging material that builds trust and authority. This content is designed to attract, engage, and convert customers into advocates, advocates, and above all, buyers.
As content marketing becomes more and more popular, so does the demand for professionals who can create and distribute relevant, high-quality content.
Social Media Marketing
Although the world of digital marketing and public relations has expanded, the importance of social media as a marketing tool hasn’t diminished. In fact, the opposite is true. With the world shifting to a digital sphere, the number of people using social media to share information and connect with others rises every year.
This trend makes social media a natural fit for marketing and public relations professionals. In the past, we would have had to rely on traditional marketing methods to reach people. Today, with everyone and their mother-in-law (or son-in-law) using social media, it’s easier than ever to engage with consumers.
If you’re looking for a career in marketing or public relations, consider pursuing a course or certification in social media marketing. With over 300 million active users on social media platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook, you’ll be able to find a job in the field, no matter what location you choose.
Video Marketing
If you’ve been in the field for a while, you may have noticed that video marketing is on the rise. Thanks to platforms like YouTube and Vimeo, producing and distributing video content is easier than ever.
As a marketer or public relations professional, you’ll have the opportunity to learn and prepare for the future of marketing and PR. With the video world expanding, businesses and brands will find it more difficult to reach customers and prospects using only text and images.
Content will still be key, but video will also play a huge role in shaping and capturing the attention of consumers.
Why Should You Pursue Additional Training?
As we’ve established, the world of digital marketing and public relations is always evolving, and with each new advancement, comes a new set of challenges. If you want to keep your job, you’ll need to be better than ever before. Here are some of the top reasons why pursuing additional training in digital marketing and public relations is a good idea.
New Technologies
As we’ve established, the world of digital marketing and public relations is always evolving, and with each new advancement, comes a new set of challenges. One of the biggest changes is the advent of artificial intelligence and machine learning that allows computers to predict user behavior and make automated decisions. This of course doesn’t mean that human interaction and feedback disappear, it just means that machines are doing the heavy lifting as far as marketing and public relations strategy is concerned.
For example, AI-powered marketing and PR platforms like Marketo and HubSpot allow marketers and public relations professionals to form automated workflows and set content schedules based on individual user behavior, time of day, and other variables.
Additional Practice Areas
One of the major shifts that we’re seeing in the industry is the ability to practice in multiple areas. Thanks to the expanded use of social media and content marketing, businesses and brands are able to reach consumers in a variety of ways. This means that marketing and public relations professionals will often have to flex their muscles and learn new tactics and strategies to keep up with the times.
For example, if you’re an SEO specialist who has mastered the use of keywords and adapted your strategy to take advantage of the shift to a PPC world, you’ll be able to immediately apply your knowledge to content marketing, and vice versa.
Continuing Education
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re already thinking about how much you enjoy learning. Why not continue your education and take a few classes or courses to further your career? Not only will this allow you to stay ahead of the curve, but it also gives you the opportunity to specialize in areas that interest you.
Some of the best options for further technical training in digital marketing and PR include:
Website Analytics
Even if you’ve built a top-notch website, you’ll still need to learn how to properly analyze its performance, identify problems, and fix them. More and more websites are moving toward a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) architecture, which greatly simplifies the task of analyzing performance, discovering problems, and fixing them. This kind of service provides you with all the tools you need to properly analyze the effectiveness of your website.
User Experience (UX) Design
Whether you’re a marketer, designer, or a developer, you’ll need to know how to create a user-friendly experience for your website or app. The design of your site influences how users interact with it, so it’s essential that every aspect of the user’s experience is taken into consideration. This includes everything from the colors to the layout and functionality of the site.
Some of the best UX design courses and certifications available include:
User Interface (UI) Design
Although you don’t need to specialize in UX design to do your job as a digital marketer or PR professional, you will certainly need to know how to create a user-friendly experience for your audience.
For example, if you’re designing a dating website, you’ll need to take UX design into consideration, as well as the look and feel of your profile and the way that your potential date will experience your match.
Digital Marketing Fundamentals
If you’ve always considered yourself to be a creative person who enjoys doing what they love, consider pursuing a course in digital marketing fundamentals. You’ll learn about the basics of digital marketing and how to form a sound strategic plan that effectively uses digital to grow and engage your audience.
This course, if you pass it, will qualify you to take the DPA accredited Digital Marketing Associate (DMA) exam, which will further establish your expertise. Completing this certification demonstrates that you have the theoretical and practical knowledge to effectively execute a digital marketing plan. More and more companies are realizing the value of a DMA, as 72% of the jobs available are either marketing or advertising related. If you’re looking for a career in digital marketing, keep your eyes open for employment opportunities in this growing field.