Universal Information Services

Any PR professional can tell you social media is becoming increasingly important in evaluating an organization’s public perception. New York, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, and all points in between have seen this trend. For years we’ve been watching this trend here at Universal Information Services and have the social media and web monitoring measures to prove it. But does this mean measurement of traditional media should be tossed to the side in favor of online media? Absolutely not.

Although web and social media monitoring has become a critical part of any organization’s PR measurement, traditional mediums still account for more impressions per story. It’s evident traditional media isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Think about how you go about your own day. You might watch the local TV news while eating breakfast in the morning, rely on your favorite radio station to get you through your daily commute and cap your evening with the 10 p.m. TV newscast while folding laundry. You may also trust and depend on a particular cable news station to keep you up on your national news outside of traditional news hours. Even as a member of a marketer’s youngest demographic, I personally use this method of information-gathering and I think it’s safe to say I’m not the only one. Look at this from your target audience’s perspective; is your organization’s broadcast message finding its way into their daily routine?

While we’re drawing from life experiences, I constantly find myself amazed by the news tidbits my local radio DJs discuss each day. Perhaps it’s because I work in the news monitoring industry, but I can’t help but notice how valuable these mentions could be to a company’s public perception. Radio has an interesting influence on its audience; a listener’s loyalty to a favorite radio program is powerful. Radio DJs become a crucial part of someone’s day and the opinions they interject into their programs can become just as influential if they were to come from trusted friends. The impact this can have on a PR department’s efforts is outstanding.

Interestingly, all traditional media outlets now integrate or influence online or social media outlets. Rather than an us vs. them relationship, a symbiotic dance happens every second of every day. The social media amplifies the message of traditional media, and more recently the opposite message direction has occurred. So the lines get blurred.

It’s often emphasized in today’s communications industry to “stay in the know” by moving forward. While this isn’t completely false, we know staying in the know with the entire communications spectrum is far more important. Don’t let traditional media be your missing piece. Think of your PR efforts in terms of “media”, not segments of the media.