Clutter-Busting – Making Your Messages Matter

So how do you make your message the one that cuts through the clutter?

There’s little doubt this mass media montage has contributed to the shrinking effect of traditional media. Research shows that in the last 10 years, 78% of newsrooms have cut print space for journalism, and 83% percent have cut back on journalists. Even TV has been affected – a recent survey showed the narrowing gap between news sources, with 43% of Americans getting their news from digital sources, and 50% relying on TV (down from 57% a year before).

 

Another great statement on the increasing presence of digital: Newspaper posts on social media increased by 6% in just three years. Traditional media, too, recognize the importance of integrating tactics.

Lest we think youth is driving these trends, the drop in television news reliance appears in both 50 to 64 year olds and 30 to 49 year olds.

As this gap narrows and media channels proliferate, integration becomes more complicated than ever before. Ninety-three percent of adults get their news online, but that could be from legacy print outlets or new digital-only producers. As of 2017, 61% of those digital-native outlets had a companion app too, and 75% produce podcasts. All use Facebook and Twitter, and most leverage YouTube and Instagram as well.

So what does it all mean? And how do you know where to put your message?

• To start, think in terms of helping customers understand rather than simply executing push strategies. This drives so much of what we do in communication today, with developing new and unique content and curating engagement rather than simply pushing information toward potential customers.
• Then, begin with the simplest of goals: Identifying target audience, setting objectives and determining time and budget allocations.
• Once you have that, you can look at how particular media can be integrated. For example, social media works great for an immediate connection and is a great way to tell the audience what you can do for them. It’s good for targeting specific segments and creating interactions and engagement. Think of e-news in contrast, as a rifle – directly reaching your carefully curated and built customer list. These are your most motivated customers or prospects. Consider websites as the cornerstone – drive traffic to it as your main message and core communications tool.
• From there, you can spin off other content creations such as blogs, podcasts and other content marketing efforts that position you as an expert, establishing credibility, building relationships and enhancing your brand.

Traditional media still plays a role but you need to challenge yourself to make sure you can measure its effectiveness. It all depends on how complex the purchase decision is. Craft your media and messaging strategy around brand belief you are trying to build and the reaction you are trying to create.