{"id":574,"date":"2013-10-11T16:04:35","date_gmt":"2013-10-11T23:04:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gordonbenzie.com\/blog\/?p=574"},"modified":"2021-05-30T12:15:28","modified_gmt":"2021-05-30T19:15:28","slug":"are-paper-based-communications-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gordonbenzie.com\/blog\/are-paper-based-communications-dead\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Paper-based Communications Dead?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Paper-based media has long played a prominent role as a way to communicate. Go back in time, however, and it could be classified as a disruptive invention. Stone tablets, monuments, and cave walls used to be the only options for non-verbal communications and had done so for thousands of years. Then the Egyptians created Papyrus, which became the new medium to tell a story. This invention dramatically expanded an author\u2019s sphere of influence.<\/p>\n

Today a similar transformation is underway. The digitization of communications and knowledge is having a similar, dramatic effect on how stories are told. Access and speed to information have been radically changed \u2013 news stories now break in minutes \u2013 which has greatly changed how public relations and media professionals work. Marketers must now decide if it is worthwhile to pursue paper-based news publications. How should you grapple with leveraging online PR while not impacting your existing paper-based communications\u2019 effectiveness?<\/p>\n

In order to address this question, the right \u201ctextbook\u201d answer is to talk with your target audience. What do they currently read? How do they get their news?<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, this can be a difficult question to answer. The reason is that the process<\/i> of how we get our news today has also changed. It is more than simply replacing paper with digital.<\/p>\n

A Historical Perspective on Getting the News<\/h3>\n

Back in the 1970s and 1980s, the way many of us got our news was by listening to Walter Cronkite<\/a>, Peter Jennings<\/a>, and other news anchormen. They created a predictable framework for us to stay current with the news. CNN changed everything by offering news 24\/7.<\/p>\n

Twitter and social media took this change to a whole new level. Now we learn about news \u201cnugget by nugget.\u201d If a breaking story occurs, those of us with smartphones get tweets, texts, or alerts within minutes of the event. Others get news every time they open a web browser or have a spare 10 minutes, or by still reading the paper over breakfast in the morning. As a result, the answer to the question of \u201cWhere do you get your news?\u201d becomes complex \u2013 there is no one answer. It comes from a wide variety of sources, which can change from week to week.<\/p>\n

Where Does Your Audience Get Their News?<\/h3>\n

As a marketer, this diversity of sources means that public relations outreach just got more complicated. The way your audience gets news has become highly fragmented. And, they have less time to allocate to any single activity. As a result, your marketing communications strategy now must span multiple sources \u2013 paper and online \u2013 in an attempt to include each of the publications and venues your audience might come in contact with.<\/p>\n

It should also now be apparent that traditional methods have lost at least some of their effectiveness. That is why all the big newspapers have invested in building their online presence. Those that don\u2019t will simply be left behind.<\/p>\n

New approaches are needed to cut through the clutter to gain the attention of your audience, at which point they can then be in a position to actually hear what you have to say. When viewed in this light, it is no wonder why public relations professionals have embraced social media<\/a> as a way to cut through the noise and get their message to a specific target audience. The type of medium isn\u2019t so much of a problem as getting the attention of your audience.<\/p>\n

Gordon Benzie<\/i><\/strong>\u00a0is a marketing and communications professional with 20+ years of experience working for startups, large enterprises, and private clients. <\/em><\/i>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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