The internet and related technologies continue to transform the PR industry. In 2025, 33% of consumers found new brands and products via search engines, while 30% did so through social media ads, with the value of digital marketing projected to reach $1.3 trillion by 2023.
Today, exposing your brand to new audiences is more accessible than ever, but that’s not to say that PR in the digital age is an easy game. The more freedom brands are given to reach new eyes, the more competitive markets become, making it vital to use resources efficiently.
No matter the size of your brand, success in modern digital marketing relies on leveraging smart practices and making informed moves. To aid PR specialists in the pursuit of success, this article explores strategies for maximizing brand coverage and analysis in the digital age.
Understanding the current landscape of digital marketing
As mentioned above, digital marketing is a primary driving force of growth for many modern brands. Whether you’re trying to maximize the reach of a small, niche business, or position a larger brand as authoritative in a competitive industry, amplifying coverage can be impactful.
For PR professionals, digital opportunities afford an almost failsafe way to build awareness and trust via 3rd-party credibility, helping to shape public opinion using smart online content.
In terms of the popularity and possible benefits of digital marketing, the data speaks for itself:
- Over 90% of local businesses use social media as part of their marketing strategy.
- Of the 5.44 billion people active on social media sites, 90% follow at least one brand.
- Google Ads have been shown to contribute to an 80% increase in brand awareness.
- Content marketing campaigns generate an average annual revenue of $984,000.
- Strong social media engagement can help to boost customer spending by 35-40%.
When harnessed intentionally and intelligently, digital platforms can help to turn almost any brand into a source of trust and authority. However, with so many brands striving to achieve the same goal, impactful, lasting success requires a little innovation and proactive thinking.
How to amplify brand coverage and analysis in the digital age
In the digital age, brands of all sizes have access to a wide range of tools and platforms that can be leveraged to amplify coverage among targeted, niche audiences. By understanding which strategies speak to which types of consumers in positive, engaging ways, PR leaders can maximize coverage, boost analysis and build lasting credibility amongst receptive users.
Harness the power of AI search and GEO
While traditional search engines like Google remain the most popular tools for finding online information, AI search is quickly gaining prominence. Popular tools like ChatGPT have seen their search traffic rise by as much as 950% in recent years, with recent reports suggesting that as many as 50% of modern consumers use AI-powered search in some capacity today.
Maximizing coverage across AI search engines necessitates a slightly different approach to traditional SEO. While both involve the smart use of keywords and the prioritization of useful, engaging content, success in AI search relies heavily on strategic mentions of brands online.
Source: seene.online
To harness the power of Generative Engine Optimization alongside traditional SEO, brands must secure mentions of their business by name across high-traffic, powerful websites. By positioning your brand at the top of best of lists and as the answer to industry-specific FAQs, you communicate to AI tools that your brand is the obvious answer to users’ search queries.
Leverage livestream selling affiliate programs
Alongside the rise of AI search, another major driving force behind online exposure in the digital age is influencer marketing. Research suggests that almost 70% of consumers trust influencers to recommend high-quality products; this form of online marketing is particularly effective among Gen Z-ers, with 45% more likely to buy items they’ve seen influencers use.
Influencer marketing itself has evolved with the introduction of modern social media apps like TikTok. At least 10% of Gen Z-ers use TikTok as their main search engine, with in-app tools like TikTok Shop providing an engaging way to showcase items and make sales in real-time.
Source: newsroom.tiktok.com
By leveraging a service like Cruva, for example, PR teams can maximize coverage amongst influencers to benefit from the growing popularity of livestream selling. In 2024, Tik Tok Shop alone influenced almost 40% of U.S. users aged 60 or under to spend an average of $700, with research suggesting the conversion rate for livestream selling could be as high as 30%.
Implement intelligent social listening strategies
Efforts to amplify brand coverage and exposure online can only be truly effective if business owners have reliable ways to measure their impacts over time. Success in the competitive landscape of the digital age relies on making efficient use of available resources, meaning brands must be prepared to adjust practices in real-time to maximize reach and conversions.
Almost 70% of modern marketers consider social listening tools to be a crucial component of their marketing strategies. By using an intelligent service like Agility PR Solutions to track engagement, impression counts and performance trends online, brands can zero in on impactful practices.
Source: agilitypr.com
Social listening goes hand-in-hand with GEO and livestream selling, enabling brand owners to accurately measure the success of their efforts and make impactful, agile adjustments. By identifying real conversations that mention your brand by name, you can determine both how effective your efforts are and which platforms offer the most value to your and your audience.
Conclusion
As the internet and related technologies become increasingly advanced, the way consumers and brands choose to communicate is constantly evolving. In just the last couple of years, services like AI search engines and live selling platforms have revolutionized PR and digital marketing, building on traditional SEO to add increasing value to authority-building practices.
Zeroing in on impactful, reliable ways to maximize brand coverage and analysis has perhaps never been more important, with data suggesting almost 80% of people now purchase items based on brand name alone. By optimizing content for AI search, leveraging agile livestream selling tools and engaging in active social listening, brands can build sales-driving credibility.
