How Has Staying Updated on Media Trends Benefitted Your Campaigns?

How Has Staying Updated on Media Trends Benefitted Your Campaigns?

To illuminate the relationship between media trends and successful campaigns, we asked digital marketers and chief editors about their best strategies. From incorporating voice SEO to attracting media coverage for a nonprofit client, here are six ways these experts stay current and how it has benefited their recent campaigns.

• Incorporated Voice SEO
• Enhanced Editorial Strategy
• Understanding How Peers Leverage GenAI
• Built a Stronger Legal Case
• Inserted Client Messaging Into National Conversation
• Attracted National and Local Coverage for Nonprofit

Incorporated Voice SEO

I stay updated on the latest media trends by regularly reading industry publications, attending conferences and webinars, and following thought leaders on social media. Some of my go-to resources include Search Engine Journal, Simplilearn, and the Digital Marketing Institute blog.

One example of how this knowledge benefited a recent campaign was when I incorporated voice SEO into a client's strategy. With 20% of internet searches now voice-based, I optimized their website for conversational phrases people would use with digital assistants like Siri and Alexa. This included tailoring meta-descriptions, FAQ pages, and local listings to match common voice queries. The results were impressive—a 15% increase in organic traffic and a 12% boost in conversions from voice search.

Enhanced Editorial Strategy

As the Chief Editor at Gema Sumatra, staying updated with the latest media trends is crucial for maintaining our publication’s relevance and impact. I regularly utilize Google Trends to monitor emerging topics and gauge public interest. It helps me identify what readers are searching for and tailor our content accordingly. Another method I use is to participate in webinars and follow thought leaders on social media platforms like X and LinkedIn.

Earlier this year, we applied this approach for a campaign during our coverage of Indonesia's 2024 Presidential Election dynamics. Analyzing data from Google Trends, we noticed a significant spike in searches related to environmental issues discussed in the debates. So, we swiftly produced in-depth articles and opinion pieces addressing these concerns, highlighting the candidates' stances on environmental policies. This strategy resulted in a 35% increase in page views for our election coverage and enhanced our engagement on social media platforms. Our timely and relevant content attracted a broader audience and positioned Gema Sumatra as a trusted source for election-related news. This success underscores the importance of leveraging tools like Google Trends to stay ahead of media trends, and it helps me enhance our editorial strategy.

Understanding How Peers Leverage GenAI

As much as I like digital sources, I am still somewhat old-school in preferring attending in-person conferences and events to find out about the latest trends and how I can best apply them. The reason for this is simple—I need to know more than just what the trends are; I need to know how, specifically, others like me are approaching those trends and how companies similar to mine are making them work for them. There is no better way to do this than face-to-face in a conference or workshop environment because you get a lot of in-depth context that you just really can't get in any other way.

The last one I went to was a roundtable of numerous companies that were incorporating GenAI tools and processes into their marketing and communications efforts, which helped me get a sense check on what works now, what will work in a few years, and what is unlikely to work due to the limitations in the industry from a collection of peers that understood the constraints that I must operate under.

Built a Stronger Legal Case

We ensure we stay ahead of media trends to better serve our clients by consistently engaging with various platforms. We check Facebook and YouTube daily and use Google Trends to identify emerging issues. Additionally, we set up Google Alerts for key terms, monitor competitors' social media, and track trending topics on YouTube.

This proactive approach recently shows the importance of environmental contamination cases in LA. We observed a surge in discussions within local Facebook groups and a notable increase in related Google searches, which alerted us to the issue early. In response, we created and shared informative videos about that on our YouTube channel.

These efforts not only helped us build a stronger case but also allowed us to reach a broader audience of affected residents. As a result, we secured class certification, allowing us to represent a larger group and make a more significant impact. Looking forward, we plan to launch an environmental-law podcast to further educate the public, continuing our commitment to staying connected and making a real difference when people need us most.

Inserted Client Messaging Into National Conversation

As a former TV news producer, I start each day by reading top news websites to identify any major national stories. I also like to watch local news and national morning shows like GMA or The Today Show to see what everyone will be talking about for the day. Then I’ll dive into LinkedIn trending stories and newsletters in my inbox and search verticals that are relevant to clients to see if there are any key trends.

It’s important to listen to client priorities in meetings and calls to connect the dots to any potential storylines. Conducting media audits periodically and checking in with reporter friendlies to see what stories they are working on is also vital.

Recently, everyone has been talking about the extreme heat being felt across the country, and I was able to secure earned opportunities for a client discussing how to keep workers safe, helping to insert their messaging into the conversation.

Attracted National and Local Coverage for Nonprofit

I keep up with the latest media trends through social media. Over the years, I’ve curated my social feeds to include journalists, news outlets, and communications professionals that help me see what’s new and now.

Last month, my agency was in the midst of a campaign with a nonprofit client when news broke on social media that President Biden had dropped out of the presidential race. As this story dominated both national and local headlines, we positioned our pitches as good news that brought hope and served the community even in the midst of uncertain times. One of our client’s fundraising events was in Los Angeles, one of the most competitive media markets. We used a celebrity angle to attract national coverage (exclusive) and used local-family stories to attract local coverage. The event was a huge success, and the client was pleased to have this level of visibility for their event.