Does your business have a process for training its team members to be media savvy?
Media training was once reserved for corporate executives that had to skillfully handle mass media interviews, especially television.
These days just about anyone can find themselves in front of a video camera, and what is said or not could prove to be a business game changer.
The Media Saturated Business Environment
During the first decade of my career I worked for a global corporation. Only a handful of us received media training because it was rare that we would need to use those skills.
However, times have changed. Nowadays media is central to the success of every business, and that means we all have to adapt if we expect to prosper in this media saturated business environment.
Following my time in the corporate world, the success of my landscape business was in no small part due to my earlier media training. I understood how to get the local and regional media (newspapers and magazines) to write stories about our company, and was fortunate to work in a major market with many opportunities for doing so.
Obviously, thanks to social and other forms of accessible media, today your small business is a media company.
Therefore, instead of posting a handful of social media rules, smart businesses are taking the steps to ensure all of their team members are media savvy in the traditional sense.
Matching the Message with The Medium
To use any of your media well, you simply need to match your message with the appropriate medium, while also adjusting the timing for optimum delivery or reach.
For example, if you are seeking to attract an enthusiastic crowd to engage with your message, consider using big channels like Facebook during peak times, which are evenings and weekends.
The larger channels like Facebook and Twitter are often high energy, and can therefore be noisy. So, if intimacy is more important, a newsletter such as our Web Marketing News may be a preferred medium, especially if you are planning to monetize that message.
Media savvy involves knowing when to go for reach, when to zoom in on your most loyal fans or customers, and even when to be quiet and just listen to your community.
Above all, seek to achieve balance with your media. Tweet this
Get Formal Media Training
We’ve reached a point where knowing a few social media tricks is simply not enough, not nearly enough when one considers both the opportunities and the potential risks.
Regardless of the discipline, the business that follows a structured process will more likely achieve its desired objectives. If you are interested in learning such a process with your online marketing, look for the launch of our membership site for both intensive and ongoing media and marketing training.
If all goes as planned, our soft launch will be in August, with special discounts available for those wanting early access. It will include tutorials, templates, checklists, discussion forums, expert interviews, webinars, and more – on all aspects of online marketing.
We’re very excited about this new venture, and would love to hear from you regarding your current challenges and opportunities. Leave a comment below, send me a Tweet at @jeffkorhan, or use the Contact Form to privately connect.
About the Author: Jeff Korhan, MBA, is the author of Built-In Social: Essential Social Marketing Practices for Every Small Business – (Wiley)
He helps mainstream businesses adapt their traditional growth practices to a digital world. Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.
