Media Partnering: the "New" Media Relations

     Media Relations is dead.

     In the good ol' days (about 15 years ago), broadcast facilities, newspaper and book publishers, and billboard advertisers were the media through which messages were distributed to the general public.  Today, the Internet and eMarketing has changed all that.  If you're reading this, you'll realize it's true.  The only way for me to get this information out to others a decade and a half ago was to buy advertising time on the radio, write a book and then promote it, or post a billboard with a phone number for more information - and like anyone is going to write down a telephone number from a billboard when they whiz past it on the highway at 70 miles per hour.

     But those media are still important in todays information landscape.  Rather than telling you all about a product or service in a :30 radio ad or full page newspaper insert, these are the "hook" mechanisms that direct interested individuals to the company Web site to learn more about the product or service, and even order or sign up right there.  Instant gratification.

     So how does all this relate to schools today?  More and more, I hear them saying that they can't get their public service announcement aired on a radio station, or the local newspaper doesn't want to send a reporter to promote their event.  Well - of course not.  These media services are in the business of generating profits.  The way they do that is by disseminating information.  And with government deregulation of the broadcast industry today, as well as technology's advancements, in the words of Garth Brooks, "The competition's gettin' younger."  A newspaper might not have enough reporters to write a short "blurb" to gather enough facts to promote your event.  So you write your own press release, hoping that that'll save them some time...along with hundreds of other non-profits in your area.  Wading through hundreds of requests on paper is certainly less time consuming than spending time on phone calls from hundreds of organizations, but there's also a greater chance of your press release becoming part of a circular file for a myriad of reasons (incorrect writing style, misspellings, missing information, etc.)

     Remember Stephen Covey's 1st habit of highly effective people - "Be Proactive" (TM).  If you have come to the decision that a newspaper is the best way to promote your event, BUY AN AD.  If you have decided that radio is the way to go, BUY AIR TIME.  Not only are you promoting your event, but you are investing in the media outlet.  You are now a CUSTOMER rather than just another entity that wants something for free.  You are now PARTNERING with your media contact, and developing a relationship with the organization.  After buying that newspaper ad, now you can request coverage of your event, which could generate a news story and possibly even a photograph!  That will CERTAINLY create more "buzz" about your event, and more awareness for your school.  Sure, the media company will ask you for more business, but you'll probably have another event that requires promoting.

     I can hear it now - "But we don't have any money to spend like this."  This is where you find a donor or foundation to fund your marketing budget - just be sure that everything that's spent from that budget goes to meaningful marketing expenditures.  Don't use it as a "catch all" fund for emergency expenses. More about this in a couple of weeks.

© Michael V. Ziemski, SchoolAdvancement, 2007

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