Back in the early 1990s, my Uncle Joe was telling me to abandon print publishing in favor of digital publishing. With that kind of backdrop, business owners let me ask: Are you prepared for the future of marketing? The AFP recently reported: “The troubled picture for US newspapers became even grimmer in 2017 with declines in revenue and both print and digital readership, a new research report showed ….”
I cut my teeth in print journalism. I worked 30 years in the field, starting at The News-Journal back in Daytona Beach, Fla., in 1988. I ended my professional journalism career in January 2018 at The Daily Record in Wooster, Ohio, where my Wooster Media Group company is based. I loved print. There was nothing better than holding a newspaper or magazine I designed in my hands. I enjoyed all aspects of journalism, from the writing, to the editing, to layout and design, to photography, to creating graphics and composite illustrations.
But, the world of print journalism is changing. It might not be as dire as the AFP reported, but print newspapers are not trending in the right direction. My former colleague, Christine L. Pratt, left print journalism, too, for a new career. She tells people, “The industry is changing, and I got out at a good time.”
Why does this matter when it comes to your business? Quite frankly, as newspapers attract fewer eyeballs, how are you going to reach your customers? How will they know about your products? your services? your deals? Are you prepared for the future of marketing with a diminished print role? My former news editor, Jeanine Kendle, has said there will always be a need for the reporting newspapers provide. But, what form will that take?
Here are some ways your business or organization can prepare for the future of marketing today:
Make your website the hub of information about your company
Where do you want people going to get information about your company? Get customers, or potential customers, used to coming to the same place for up-to-date news about what you are offering and how your company or organization can benefit them. While this place on your website is a blog, the label most companies use in the menu is “News.” Use this space on the Internet to serve your customers and clients by providing them useful and relevant information.
It should go without saying, but I will say it and not leave it to chance: Make sure you have an optimized website that is search-friendly.
Regularly offer your website visitors fresh content
When you walk into your local grocery store, what would you do if you saw the “fresh” produce was old? How would you react if you picked up a gallon of milk and noticed the “sell by” date was a month ago? Or, you grab a bottle of salad dressing, only to discover the “best if used by” date was a year ago? You’d walk out of the grocery store, tell everyone how bad it is, and you would never return.
Don’t let your website turn into that kind of store. The reality is if someone ventures onto your website and sees the “Latest News” is from 17 months ago, then they will not have a great impression about the quality of work you do.
Having regularly produced content on your site also helps it to appear higher in search engine results pages. You really want your business or organization to appear on the first page to attract more customers. And, this isn’t the future of marketing, this is now.
Take a proactive approach to your (digital) marketing
This goes along with the previous point: Take measures to craft your own stories on your website to promote your company, its history, its dedicated and professional workers, its mission, its products, its services, and its involvement in the community.
Let’s be realistic: How often will a newspaper be able to write about your company? Once every six months or year? Advertising is helpful and serves a purpose, but it is momentary. By building your website, you are building a foundation that will last over the years. During my nearly 15 years at a local newspaper, we went through about five website redesigns, and each time it became more difficult to find older stories. Sometimes, links pointing to the old stories were broken because of a new page-naming architecture.
By being proactive and taking control over your digital marketing, and this includes writing stories for your blog and creating captivating videos, you are creating a repository of information about how you can help your customers, clients, businesses, and organizations.
How will you adjust to the new marketing landscape?
So, print journalism is changing. Newspapers are looking to shift more advertising onto their websites. Some are shooting for about 60 percent digital ads compared to 40 percent for print editions. Why are they moving in this direction? Printing a daily newspaper is a costly proposition. The cost of printing presses are in the millions of dollars. The cost of newsprint, the paper upon which newspapers are printed, only goes in one direction: Up. And, the recent tariffs imposed by President Donald J. Trump has only raised the price.
If newspapers are focusing more on reaching people via the Internet, then it stands to reason you should, too. Newspapers are not dead, but they are changing. Ownership is being consolidated more and more. In Northeast Ohio, GateHouse Media has purchased many newspapers that were once competitors in the Akron, Canton, and Wooster areas. Less competition means one company is in control of advertising prices.
By being proactive with your marketing, then you get a better chance to control what you spend to reach your customers and generate new leads.
If you don’t have someone on your staff who can produce quality blog and video content for your website, Wooster Media Group can assist you. If your business can use more traffic to its website, more leads and prospects, and more sales, then reach out to us.
If you would like training for your staff so they can handle your marketing campaigns, we can connect you with one of our trusted partners. If your website needs to be redesigned or overhauled to be in compliance with Google’s new standards, then contact me. We can schedule a meeting to go over your web development and content needs. You need to be prepared for the future of marketing, because it is knocking on your door.