As consumer marketing becomes more mobile and interconnected through the various social media applications, the ongoing challenge is how to effectively balance traditional news distribution to your customers with digital media’s real-time news dissemination and feedback mechanisms. Social media has created a seemingly endless frontier to explore in an agency’s efforts to reach out to residents—and while it is admirable to embrace the digital media opportunities, it is equally important to step back and examine how they can complement your traditional media mix effectively.

Remember—It’s Not Just the Big Feature 

In the course of your regular discussions and meetings with media contacts and advertising vendors, generating new and interesting editorial ideas can strengthen the relationship between your organization and the outlets that cover you. Here are a few principles that can help cultivate goodwill and creative story ideas for your local media outlets:
 
• Assess an outlet’s website content between issues: Do they publish blogs, event spotlights, or other articles that didn’t make in time for the print edition? Here is another great avenue for their writer to showcase one of your events or programs.
• Offer to write a story or guest column, and also consider doing it with a set frequency.
• Invite an editor or reporter for a “ride-a-long;” where they shadow you or another staff member for a particular program or event and look for “behind-the-scenes” insights.
• Consider submitting historical briefs or photos that correspond to a special event or anniversary.
• Take advantage of free online event calendar listings provided by local news outlets and parenting websites. Just remember to plan ahead 3-6 weeks for the best chance to be published in time to help promote your event.
• In addition to standard press releases, send your media contacts a periodic “tip sheet” or monthly summary that includes recent awards, milestones, industry news and conference take-aways.

Enhance Media Relations Outreach 

Build stronger relationships with the editors and advertising managers of your local parenting, entertainment, sports and tourism publications by remembering two important principles: Editors love original content, and they are often short on writers, resources and time.

• Add your editorial and advertising contacts to your customer e-newsletter database if you haven’t already.
• Create a monthly or yearly editorial database that includes event calendar deadlines, things to do in the community, advertising cut-off dates for your local print and online outlets.
• Maintain a department “library” with back issues of family or community lifestyle magazines. They contain invaluable contact information for a variety of interest areas.
• Uncover really local publications, such as coffee house bulletins, homeowners association newsletters, or hotel concierge desk flyers—and get to know the people producing them.
• Connect with the editors of your chamber newsletter and website. Their publications and business relocation packets are reaching executives, entrepreneurs, community leaders.
• Browse grocery stores  and shopping center distribution racks that provide  free lifestyle, parenting and cultural magazines and newspapers.
• Look for digital editions of industry and local publications—and check them regularly, looking for connections between your agency’s news and events and the publication’s area of interest.

Monitor and Maintain Online Press Room Materials  

Make it a priority to update your existing press packets or create new supplemental fact sheets, photo galleries and facility FAQs to equip your online newsroom with the most current information. Having these materials in ready-made folders (as well as in PDF form on your desktop) can help you expedite information requests and incorporating these tools into your website will improve the search results for your online newsroom.

• Ensure your online press kit with photos, history, news releases and management bios is current.
• Build a media coverage archive to showcase positive features, event recaps and editorials.
• Keep your photo gallery and logos up to date for quick media access.

Allocating resources for traditional media outreach remains an important aspect of a successful marketing plan that is supplemented by effective social media management. These relationship-building forums are necessary to supplement online initiatives so as to address the different ways in which residents of all ages gather their news and take action with your organization. Having a balanced two-tiered perspective of digital content creation and direct communications with your stakeholders will bolster your organization’s brand.

And, hopefully, this dual approach will also prevent dreaded responses from surveys and customer service interactions such as: “I didn’t know you offered that program”; or “I never knew about that event. Did you advertise it?”

Liam O’Mahony is an Information Specialist with the City of Chandler (Arizona) Community Services Department. You can follow @ChandlerRec on Twitter and find Chandler Recreation on Facebook and YouTube.