New Media vs. Traditional Media: who's winning?

With all the buzz about "new media," some businesses are wondering if they need to pull their newspaper and radio ads in favor of a blog and Internet banner ads. After all, newspaper ad revenues have dropped so much that the large publishers are laying off staff by the hundreds. Before you make any changes in your marketing budget, learn about new media and understand how it works. What you'll find is that new media--e-newsletters, blogs, social networks like LinkedIn and Facebook, online newsrooms, etc., can expand your reach to a whole new audience, and at the same time can give your exisiting clients new ways to hear about you and buy from you. On top of that, most forms of Internet marketing have such a small cost that virtually any business can incorporate them.

Here's an example of the successful use of new media: A large resort rentals client needed to fill vacation homes during a "down" market. An e-blast was sent to people who had previously rented and others who had signed up on their Web site. Within 24 hours of its distribution the eblast brought 600 unique visitors to the Web site resulting in 25 new bookings. That's the power of new media.

New media used in conjunction with traditional media can have amazing results. Just watch television commercials and you'll see that most large retailers use their ads to drive traffic to their Web sites. Bottom line, definitely get into new media NOW. But don't discontinue your use of traditional media. Use them together to produce tangible results.