The New York Times CEO Mark Thompson made a shocking announcement this past February: In the face of economic adversity, the print edition of The New York Times, one of the nation’s most widely circulated newspapers, may cease to be.
This, as you could imagine, generated quite a sensation. But to be fair, the future of ALL print media looks pretty bleak.
In 2015, overall newsroom staff dropped 10.4 percent. What’s worse, total print newspaper circulation fell 7 percent. But the final nail in the coffin are the statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor that show more than half of newspaper jobs have been eliminated over the past 15 years.
All across the country, traditional forms of media are being eclipsed by social media and the Internet of Things. In fact, 2017 was reported as the first year in which the majority of American adults got their news from social media.
As more and more news has shifted online, the priority of story topics has changed. In other words, your voice might be drowned out among coverage of the latest celebrity Twitter rant.
PR-ognosis?
You’re probably thinking, “Ok, but how does this affect my business? I’m not a newspaper.” Well, that shiny new press release you just sent out might not be getting you as much exposure as you’d like.
As more alternatives to traditional news crop up, tactics like press releases and press conferences aren’t reaching the same audiences. And simply casting a wide net by using these methods ALONE is no longer as effective as it was a decade ago.
Now hold on before you cry, “Blashphemer!” These PR techniques are still very useful and worthwhile. Let us be very clear: The impact of PR in traditional media is still a valuable part of any PR strategy. But when combined with OTHER forms of marketing and outreach, they might find that sweet spot, helping to balance client retention and consumer conversion successful businesses strive for.
Now’s a good time to review your current PR strategy for ways it can be optimized for the era of Twitter news feeds and Snapchat stories
The More You Know
As the old adage goes: Knowledge is power. And nothing can make a sales pitch more powerful than knowing your potential clients.
Fortunately for you, a host of website analytics tools and services are available to tell you everything you want to know about your target market. (Yay technology!)
Good old-fashioned market research is also a potent way to learn the needs and desires of the clients you already have.
Using these techniques to establish a pool of consumer data is a must if you want your PR to make a splash in today’s market.
Stay on Target!
Got a good chunk of consumer data to pull from? Good! Start tailoring your message to your target market.
In the world of social media, the best PR messages are designed to be impactful rather than broad. This means using all those insights to connect with consumers whom will be the most receptive to you.
Do this, and the PR work you put out will be a consumer magnet and produce greater returns in the long run.
Going PRo
In a previous post, we discussed the best ways your business should use social media. And in a world in which almost two-thirds (yes, you read that right) of American adults get their information from social media, if you’re not posting, you’re not visible!
But it’s when you combine social media outreach with targeted PR that the real magic happens.
Social media can be used to reach anyone, anywhere, at any time. A scary thought, we know! But this means you can draw unprecedented amounts of attention to your PR campaigns, keep your customers engaged, and receive real-time feedback.
This cannot be overstated enough! Providing opportunities for your consumers to interact with your brand in a meaningful way is THE best thing you can do to generate interest. At its core, PR is all about the relationships you build with people, and social media gives you a chance to do this in ways previously thought impossible.
If you’re a business looking to self-promote, there’s no better time to be alive!
But self-promotion only works if you commit to coordinating your social media strategy with your PR.
Using appropriate social media influencers, highlighting ongoing campaigns and gathering and using consumer feedback are all great ways to use social media to augment PR. And the best part is YOU have complete control over the messages being sent!
This might seem like a daunting task, but we’re here to help!
Stealth is proud to offer a variety of social media and PR services that combine the best of both worlds to amp up your exposure and ensure your voice is always heard – even when the news media is more focused on the latest Kanye West feud.
Want to learn more? Drop us a line today, and stay tuned for more great advice from Stealth next time we go Off the Radar.
