Members of the media visiting the website will have their expectations raised if they see a section headed ‘media centre’ – so if they only find poor quality, out of date or missing information that can actually damage reputation. In the days before the internet it’s like having a brilliant PR officer, but not letting him or her answer the phone!
On the other hand, a well-managed online media centre has enormous potential for building positive relationships with the media.
So the answer is to have an online media centre?
Where media relations is important to an organisation and they have given some thought to this in the website design, there will often be a link on the home page marked ‘press room’, ‘for the media’ or something similar. This is the web equivalent of trying to get the switchboard to route all media calls to the press office. And it only works twice if journalists feel they are getting a good service.
Sometimes there is confusion between ‘latest news’ on the website, which contains items directly targeted at consumers, and the provision of a media-friendly resource area specifically aimed at journalists.
actuality
media.co.uk
There's nothing VIRTUAL about what we offer.
This is the real thing!
Journalists may be viewing the content (at least initially) over the internet - or cyber-space or the world wide web, but they are getting real, not virtual, support.
They can read, download, print, copy and paste. They have direct access to the information they need, whenever they want it.
And the support offered to small, busy or over-stretched media offices is very real indeed.
An online media centre, with content management, can expand the capacity of your PR team and help them build real positive relationships with key media.
We've been there. We know it works!
ã Copyright Actuality Media 2007-2008
