The lessons journalists can teach marketers

In the rush to embrace the internet, businesses should not forget that mainstream media has worked so well for marketers because their advertising piggybacks off good quality, credible content.

Managing Director of New Zealand’s fastest growing locally owned online business directory www.gopher.co.nz, John Campbell, says people advertising on the internet can learn from journalists.

“There’s a myth that media – magazines, newspapers, TV and radio – are losing relevance. That’s not true, because the quality of their content is trustworthy and professional. They are believed, so they will always be important.

“Marketers can take the lessons that journalists teach us, and use them to add better value to our customers by delivering good quality information in our advertising, instead of just ‘sales hype’.”

Mr Campbell says even when it comes to pure advertisements, the businesses that provide useful information to readers are more persuasive.

He said that the company had noted greater response to Gopher listings that delivered good information.

His observation appears to be underpinned by a recent study that found content linked advertisements led to higher consumer purchase plans.

A study of more than 3,000 online advertisements by Professor Avi Goldfarb (Rotman School of Management) and Catherine Tucker (MIT’s Sloan School of Business) was published in an issue of Marketing Science recently.

The study said the findings may explain the success of Google AdSense, which uses unobtrusive text-based ads that are tied to a webpage’s content.

“We advise our customers to tie their advertisements in with good quality content on their website. Just because it’s the internet doesn’t mean readers are going to forgive rubbish writing or willingly endure long-winded sales pitches,” Mr Campbell said.

He offered three tips for businesses that want to be more credible in their advertising:

1. Name a common problem experienced by the target market;

2. Tell them why they have this problem and why it persists;

3. Tell them about the many solutions, and then tell them why your solution is best