Demolition marketing is moving online.
I have been writing about demolition and construction for almost a quarter of a century now and, during that time, I have seen my fair share of changes, both in the industry that I write about and in the way in which I receive and pass on that information.
When I started out in the world of business to business journalism, it wasn’t unusual to receive hand-written press releases (seriously) accompanied by Polaroid photos of men and machines in action. Things improved with the advent of personal computing although, in truth, I still receive photos that were clearly taken using a mobile phone and which are, therefore, unusable. For my part, I have always been a committed fan of the printed page. To this day, I still proof whatever I write in printed form as I am happier holding a piece of paper than I am reading a screen.
But, as Bob Dylan once said, “the times, they are a’changin”. Today, I rarely receive press releases or photos through the post; everything arrives via email. Furthermore, while I still produce several magazines, a huge amount of my words and photos are now distributed exclusively via the Internet and email.
And so we come to the point of this short article.
When I produce a magazine, it is sent to around 6,000 named individuals who (I sincerely hope) enjoy the articles and appreciate the work that has gone into their production. The trouble is, I have no way of knowing, as very few ever take the trouble to let me know.
But when I produce some content for the web, not only is the potential audience far larger, it is also considerably more vocal.
Take for example the Extreme Cab Test video that was added to the www.demolitionnews.com website back in August. Since that time, it has attracted more than 20,000 viewers and I have received numerous comments via both www.demolitionnews.com and also via YouTube.
And this is not an isolated example. Even relatively low-key video interviews with industry pundits receive hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of views and dozens of comments.
I am certainly NOT suggesting that the day of the printed magazine is over. But be in no doubt – The writing’s on the wall for traditional forms of media, and those that fail to grasp and embrace modern forms of marketing could soon find themselves falling behind their more forward-thinking competitors.
