A fundamental shift has occurred in the way we use, consume and share media. So much so that a colleague of mine, Ross Dawson, has actually created the Newspaper Extinction Timeline which chronicles the date for the death of newspapers in each country around the world.
It stands to reason that businesses – and the marketing and PR professionals that support them – need to change the way they engage with media, their customers and stakeholders.
The Need for a Search and Social Media Optimised Media Release
The media section – that is, press releases and company news – of so many websites are exceedingly poor. News releases are simply listed in reverse chronological order, and ASX announcements are listed in PDF form in the same way – illegible to Google and add no search value.
No PR professional would dream of sending out a press release without date of release, additional contact information, press optimised photos and company background available. Yet when it comes to the digital landscape this is often done poorly.
The reason is twofold – lack of understanding of how to create a release that is optimised for the web, and no easy process for doing so.
A Change in Mindset
PR used to be very much about controlling the message and then broadcasting it. Now PR must also be about encouraging transparent participation in networks and communities to spark conversations – measured in terms of engagement.
For more on the changing landscape of PR in an online world please see my Slideshare presentation on PR 2.0.
How to Fix It
The solution lies in the tools we use, and must be incorporated within a business website and becomes the media honeypot for press and social media. Clients should provide free access for their PR advisors to use and add content, hence increasing the value for all parties concerned.
It is one of the many factors we consider when advising our clients. If you would like to improving your marketing impact, contact us.
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