Online Advertising Vs Print Advertising

In the past, PR and advertising agents will tell you that they have had clients who have referred to revenue generated from advertising in popular print publications as "home runs", but in recent years, that has not been the case, seeing as the entire world is fast becoming a digital enclosure all on its own.

While print media still remains crucial to maximize reach, there is no denying that it is fast becoming eclipsed by its digital counterpart and it's not hard to see why. In 2012 alone, over 15 of the most popular print publications ceased printing operations in favor of online content, with many others towing this line in the years that followed.

Various research bodies have conducted studies that have revealed that more than half of the world now receive news and information primarily from digital sources, and the number of people relying solely on social media has doubled in the last two to three years. Recently, a traditionally online platform - Pulse.ng - overtook a traditionally print publication - the Vanguard - on the Alexa rankings. To this end, there are some factors that can be said to be responsible for this:

Earned media births owned media - As the fields of public relations, social media, and marketing become more integrated, the types of media we work with and obtain are working together more than ever. A piece of earned media, like a product feature on an online site, can now be used to help shape and create owned media, such as client blogs, Tweets, and Facebook posts. High-quality and timely earned media that is paired with the delivery of well-crafted owned media can elevate brand awareness to the next level and ensure that the media coverage you secured has a higher value to the client.

Tracking power - With the advent of Google Analytics, tracking the results of an integrated social media and PR campaign has become easier. While Google Analytics can help show the potential impact of a print hit by looking at direct traffic to your website, online coverage can be broken down further by checking out your referring sites. Here, you can see which PR hits drove the most people to your client’s website, how long they were there, what pages they looked at, and more. With this kind of information, organizations can get precise information on what is and isn't working for their media outreach.

It's all about the numbers - A large majority of online outlets have higher circulations then traditional print publications. In fact, many magazines and newspapers are outdone by their own online counterparts; for example, the Sunday print edition of the New York Times has a circulation of a little over two million, while the online-only version has over 15 million unique visitors per month (numbers pulled via Cision).

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Content lives on - While that mention of an organisation in yesterday’s newspaper is probably now in the bin, a mention in a media site continues to live on well past the date it was posted. The article featuring that organisation will be archived on the site, forever searchable to those who might have read or heard about it elsewhere. Websites also usually share links to their posts via their social media channels (and they usually include social sharing buttons with the article), ensuring the organisations coverage reaches a broader audience and can be shared and disseminated often and widely.

SEO-centric - Print articles will more than likely mention a company’s website, but this requires readers to go to a computer and physically type in a link to access product or brand information. Online media takes out that middle man, placing hyperlinks directly to a company's home page, product page, or blog right in the body of the article. With the simple click of a button, readers can be exposed to the latest news and offerings by your clients. In addition to this easy exposure, every one of these links leading back to the company website is great for SEO, and as more original articles with links to the website appear on popular, well-respected websites, SEO value will only increase.

Asset integration - Articles in a print publication are limited in the type of assets they can incorporate. For example, print media can only include a photo (and the inclusion of a photo is usually dependent on space) and occasionally QR codes, aside from text. With online features, companies have ability to share other assets they have created, such as slideshows and videos, making their client and their product or service that much more attractive to potential consumers.

Constancy of content - Unlike magazines that tend to be released monthly and newspapers that come out daily or weekly, online outlets are constantly looking to generate and update content. This need for continuous content creation allows PR and advertising pros to not only approach online sites and editors with varied, strategic angles, but also gives a platform to immediately make outreach for clients when there is breaking news.

As media continues to change and transform, companies and organizations need to understand how the marketing space works and adjust their goals and targets accordingly.