As more and more newspapers are creating an on-line version of their daily paper to compliment the paper version of their publication and sharing it with Facebook and other on-line social media networks, advertisers are taking a second look at the importance of placing an ad or having their picture in the paper! This past year my own picture at various business networking events has been in The Salem News at least a dozen times and today many of my business friends were featured in the business section of the local paper while attending the North Shore Business Forum! Does this help with sales in a company? It doesn’t hurt!
The key to marketing is to help people remember YOU and to connect what you do with something they need or want! A picture in the business section of the newspaper, a press release or an ad in the paper is just a small part of the strategy that smart business owners employ. It is the additional press that comes from strategically using Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and other sites to bring that one article or photo to the attention of others in a way that shares a story about your business and why doing business with you is special. Never over look the power of having business friends via Facebook or Linkedin who share your message and recommend your work. Just by stating that they are a client is their own endorsement of your brand! And, the newspapers understand this and that is why they have created their own “Fans or Like” pages on Facebook and have set-up on-line articles that can be shared quickly and they encourage their readers to post their own views and comments. On-line banner ads that link directly to a business website and the new commercial video ads are starting to get the attention of the business community and their potential clients. Newspapers, once thought of as a thing of the past, are stepping up by using the internet strategically to get the attention of both the readers and the business community. If you have not been in the paper lately, perhaps it is time to consider submitting a press release with a photo or taking out an ad that will be seen in both their paper version and on-line site.
All my best to your success! ~ Charlene
