Do you have a strategy for today's diversity of media?

When there was just print media there were a few ways to go, but  online media is bringing a diversity of communication opportunities that calls for a review of marketing strategy.

In our recent series of blogs discussing budgets we noted how traditional display advertising was still a big ticket item, if not the biggest, for many b-2-b marketing budgets. Similarly exhibitions continue as a major call on budget and resources, although there is a noticeable trend away from printed brochures, preferring short runs, digital print or simply offering PDFs for download. Typically everything to do with online media is lumped together with the web site budget. But this budget line is actually concealing a rapidly expanding sector and new ways to reach your target audience.

The traditional approach to b-2-b advertising is to identify the leading journals for the sector that reach the target audience most effectively and book display ads. A lot of people still do. But there are now  several different ways to go. Banner advertising is probably the nearest to display advertising and apart from providing visibility on relevant sites additionally offers a link to click through to the advertiser's web site or landing page. However it is argued that click through rates have fallen and are now 0.2% to 0.3% and banners are ignored anyway. But then again are readers responding to display ads as much as they did in trade journals?  Adwords work in a different way and are displayed when chosen keywords are triggered by a search and require time, effort and expertise to run a successful campaign. Social media sites display advertising relevant to user profiles and location. So three different approaches to paid for online advertising to consider - display banners placed on sites prospects visit such as industry portals, Adwords displayed in response to keyword search terms and advertisements displayed to social media users who match the target audience profile. In reviewing media plans it makes sense to bring the online media into the advertising planning and budget rather than tucked away as a web site expense.

Similarly PR has changed as discussed in a recent blog. With traditional print the editor chose whether or not to use your press release, although in many trade magazines you can pay to get it printed by buying the editorial space. Now however you can be the publisher. An online news office allows you to publish all your company's formal announcements without editorial rejection. Social media offers the opportunity for informal communications, the chance to engage in conversations with customers and prospects. Blogs are good for a more personal style of communications and offer the opportunity for readers to comment on your blog and provide feedback. Twitter lends itself to headline communications and short links to a blog or other content. YouTube is great for actually showing product, but the real dilemma for b-2-b is the much discussed Facebook. More traditional clients shudder at the idea of associating their brand with Facebook while others enthuse - does the 'status' of an engineering company really interest users?

There are other examples such as traditional print mail shots v html email, eNews v printed newsletters - it all adds up to a game changer. Whether we are witnessing a gradual transition from print to online, or a  greater diversity of advertising, publishing and communication opportunities it makes sense to consider the communications techniques as a whole and decide what mix and balance there should be between print and online.

How are press releases evolving?

The traditional press release has moved on as news publication platforms proliferate.

The traditional press release, usually accompanied by a 5" x 7" glossy print and mailed to the editorial desk is presumably no more. Maybe some traditional agencies continue to issue double spaced stories typed on client headed press release paper and avoiding paper clips that might scratch the glossy photo in transit and render it unsuitable to scan. The double spacing was to give space for the editor to scribble notes and changes on material selected for publication. There has been a gradual move away from postal delivery to e-mail often now to a news desk address rather than the editor. It was once quite a big deal developing a press release, researching the story which may have involved an onsite interview at a location where the client had installed product, all accompanied by a professional photographer - it all added up to a substantial fee and took some time before the client signed off on a final copy and the release was ready to go.

Today it is rare to visit a location for a story, interviews are more typically by email or telephone and everyone has a digital camera or phone to take some pictures and e-mail them across - mainly because clients don't want to pay much for it. But with the immediacy of the Internet and new publishing opportunities the demand for content is growing. Not from the printed trade press where editorial pages are shrinking and publication intervals extending due to the relatively high costs of putting together, printing and mailing a magazine, but from blogs, Twitter, Facebook and online news sites. When the trade journals were the only show in town getting stories published was vital, but now print media is just one route to reach customers and prospects. Indeed for many trade journals one that can be bought just the same as space for display and classified advertising.

Savvy companies are investing marketing pounds in not just news creation, but in publication and with that building readership and a following amongst their target audiences. But the news piece itself no longer needs to fit the old formula of say 150 to 200 words. It can be a headline piece published on Twitter which typically will include a short link to a more expansive story that might be on a blog. Or go to more detail on the company web site, or a White Paper that sets the whole scene. All this information provides valuable research material for prospective buyers who are now far better informed when they are ready to buy than ever before. It is not just text, but good use of photographs and videos are becoming more and more important influencers in that decision making process that leads to making a purchase.

The ability to editorially control the publishing platform allows the tone of voice to be more conversational and less formal than before and give a personality to brands previously mainly communicated by logos and icons.