High Road Communications

One of the things I love most about doing PR in the defence space is the ability to build unique relationships with the media.

Because this industry is still largely driven by print publications, reporters can delve into trends and use more than one source for a story. They also have the time to explore story ideas that fall outside of the editorial calendar. This always makes my day.

But, as Millennials change the training landscape with wider adoption of simulation, video content, and other visual materials, they are changing media as well with a demand for online content.

Recently, I attended a focus group to discuss the direction of defence magazine and its online presence. Two questions quickly became the focus: how to strike a balance between print and online and how to effectively engage marketers.

We all agreed that online issues need to be a conduit to breaking news, procurement updates, and thoughts for the day. But we struggled to identify how to ensure online becomes a viable part of a publication’s business.

Readers get frustrated with landing pages covered in ads and flashing banners. Marketers want to ensure that both editorial and advertising content has legs and can work to increase corporate SEO.

I want to ensure I have the ability to continue exploring long-lead and trend stories.

We need to strike a balance. Print is lasting and still most appropriate for this audience which is often working in the field and not at a computer. But there is a huge opportunity to deliver fresh content through a blog, roundtable discussion, or breaking contract news. For advertisers, ensure that both editorial and advertising content is searchable and archived.

I also recommend encouraging marketers to post content to their own sites and increase the publication’s SEO as well as direct customers to online content. After all, communication is the key to all of this and, as audiences change, so too will information delivery.