Today’s media outlet options are constantly changing, and as a business owner, you may often find yourself wondering what venues and platforms are best. Perhaps you have been told that everything is going social, or maybe you have held true to traditional media. Regardless of your approach, it’s likely you are feeling a bit overwhelmed and have questioned what way is best – old school or new school?
Although the new forms – social media, blogs, videos, paid media –may seem to be overtaking things, the power of a traditional media placement is still there. Traditional media relations, also called earned media, includes placements made by a PR firm in television, newspaper, radio, and magazines. Many traditional media placements help with organic SEO and give credibility to your business. Printed media is still going strong and can provide some great physical promotional material for your business to utilize. Luckily, there are companies out there, like Printivity, who are able to print high quality bound books, magazines, catalogs, postcards and more.
A study by Oglivy Public Relations found that while social has become popular, traditional methods are still influential. Here are a few of the other results of this survey:
• 44% of respondents believe that today’s public relations campaigns require traditional, social and paid media.
• Almost half of respondents (47%) view earned media as most influential for driving purchasing decisions and business outcomes.
• Traditional media [newspapers/wires/magazines] are the most trusted source of news, followed by influencer-driven news. Company-driven news ranked as the least influential across the board.
• A survey by InkHouse and GMI last year found that television was the preferred and most trusted news source among 73% of Americans. In fact, social media ranked as the fifth most preferred news sources, after TV, online news, print news, and radio, in the survey of 1,000 adults titled, Watch It, Read It or Tweet It: How Americans View and Share News.
So, what’s better for media placement? These stats would imply that traditional is superior, but social media also plays a major role. If an article appears in print, for instance, businesses need to use their social media channels to share it. And it’s a good idea to experiment with paid media. Facebook ad campaigns are becoming increasingly popular with business to reach a specific targeted audience, as is LinkedIn.
It all comes down to how much time and money you wish to invest. But, for many it has become a balance of both. When you learn how to get the most from printed media, media broadcasting and social media you will find yourself becoming an industry-recognized name. If you need help determining how to mix the traditional with the modern, contact Alpine Communications. We understand how to leverage all the forms of media to bring you the success you seek. Connect with us today.