Even though we live in a digital world, traditional media is still an important weapon in your marketing arsenal. This includes newspapers, magazines, network/cable TV, billboards and radio.
In recent years, we’ve seen the rise of companies and organizations publishing their own content, but that’s only half the battle. The content must have an audience to be effective, and that’s where traditional news outlets come into play. They already have readers, viewers and listeners.
Local publications, such as the one you are reading, are the only place to get important news about schools, local government, local sports and entertainment. They strive to bring accurate, timely reporting you won’t find anywhere else.
While the media landscape continues to change, traditional media and local journalism still matter very much, even in today’s fast evolving mobile, digital and virtual world. Tens of millions of Americans still consume news that is originally reported and produced by traditional media.
A recent study shows 65 percent of Americans put their trust in traditional media as a reliable news source. Most get their news through smartphones and desktop/laptop computers. This is being driven by how Millennials and Gen Z consume news, with mobile being the medium of choice.
In the United States, many different access routes to news content are essential to consumers, demonstrating the complexity of news distribution. It is interesting that many leading traditional newspapers, such as The New York Times, now have higher digital readerships compared to hard-copy editions.
Social media attempts to strike a balance between privacy and sharing content, as well as whose responsibility it is to identify potential misinformation and altered images. Another study shows more than half of those who get their news via social media have shared news they later found out was made up.
As marketers, we must be aware of the changing media landscape. While we’re continually evolving our tactics, we must acknowledge that traditional media plays an important role, especially among older generations. In fact, the influence of institutional news outlets appears to be increasing; the Washington Post, Wall Street journal and New York times are gaining renewed stature by breaking major news online, while social media continued to play catch up and follow their lead.
Today’s marketers much be mindful of the interaction of old and new media. An effective communications strategy should strive to strike a balance between new and old media outlets to attain the greatest reach.