I still read a lot of print media publications.
When I can get a copy of the Wall Street Journal I always read it over breakfast, however I far prefer the Financial Times. (But the international version doesn't seem to be the same as the UK version) I was also a fanatical reader of Business 2.0 until its recent demise - and I also sometimes read Fast Company and a couple of trade publications in areas that I consult in.
So for me, the media business is still partly about paper, ink and holding it in your hands.
But I have just sat down with my latest edition of The Economist, and on one of the early pages ("The world this week" section) is the news that Obama has extended his lead over Clinton with wins in Virginia and Washington....... how annoying!
That was at least four days ago if not more! The whole issue now seems dated for me, but I only just bought it.
Right now we are talking about possible plagiarism in speeches, Clinton's slipping grasp on the Democratic nominations and we are preparing for Hawaii and other primaries.
Aside from the different preferences of younger age demographics, this is one of the more serious issues that print media publications face. news is instant, opinions are instant, and I can stay abreast of issues, reviews, trends and waves of opinion regardless of whether I am in the USA, Saudi Arabia, India or outback Australia. So why do I need their print journals?
More to the point. If you are a professional services company, and you need to put together a marketing plan to tackle a competitive market, would you advertise on an outdated and dying area of the media?
There is no doubt that the web has dented the viability of print media. Murdoch's recent machinations with MySpace and the talk surrounding Yahoo are testament to this fact. But, just with radio, the print media industry will not just rollover and die.
It can continue to thrive, but not as we know it.
Good Marketing Opportunities
The first option is the high circulation daily or weekly newspapers. Pick your audience, and target your ads appropriately. If you want to reach business readers then a high level of buyer reads the WSJ or the New York Times. If you are in the UK and need a wider market for your services then The Sun still seems to dominate much of the popular dailies for certain demographics.
Magazines also offer a very good opportunity. I regularly advertise in trade journals but again I pick carefully.
Trade journals I am after need to have high (for the area) circulation, and need to have a focus on hard to get content. Stuff that cannot be copied, plagiarized or covered by others. Utility Week in the UK is a good example of this, as is Australia's Mining Monthly for the markets I generally go after.
So, some good opportunities to get the message out and continue to build your brand still exist. In some cases I would suggest they are even better for getting to hard to reach demographics than the Internet is.
For example, repeat visitors to certain websites don't click on banner ads. Period.
They are used to them being there and often they do not even see them. But repeat readers of the Times still browse over the different looking ads on different pages.
Heck, I still listen to the radio too...
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