Top 5 Reasons Using A Newspaper Company For Digital Marketing Is Dumb

Several members of our team bring experience from prominent newspaper and radio companies. So what we write here can be backed up with real-life experience.  While their employees are generally amicable, the organizations themselves grapple with significant financial challenges and dubious practices.

Here are five compelling reasons to steer clear of newspaper or radio media companies:

1. Lack of Digital Expertise

Newspaper companies often lack the specialized expertise and knowledge essential for thriving digital marketing campaigns. Their limited understanding of the latest trends, algorithms, and strategies crucial for online success can result in ineffective marketing endeavors. 

Save yourself thousands by bypassing the middlemen and directly accessing the services utilized for your campaigns. Why waste your budget on inexperienced sales representatives stumbling through your monthly reports when you can cut costs and streamline your digital marketing efforts?

2. NO TRANSPARENCY OR OWNERSHIP

Newspaper companies often withhold access to the ad platforms where they place your ads, leaving you in the dark about where your budget is being spent. This lack of transparency goes against the policies of major advertising platforms, making it difficult for you to track and take ownership of your campaigns. When you part ways with the company, you won't be able to transfer your ad account to a new vendor or bring it in-house. It's essential to advocate for your right to own your data or partner with a transparent agency like Two Trees PPC.

3. Unforeseen expenses and exorbitant profit margins

Inquire about the portion of your advertising budget allocated to securing the expected ad placements. It's common practice for these companies to skim off a substantial 30% (or even more) to offset their struggling media divisions. Unfortunately, this lack of transparency means you won't have visibility into your ad platforms to monitor the expenditure.

4. Ineffective Targeting

Traditional media companies often prioritize outdated data segmentation techniques, including costly proprietary life stage cycles that offer little value in the real world. Unfortunately, these methods cannot be effectively utilized on modern digital platforms, hindering the ability to target audiences accurately.

5. Slow Response and Adaptability

In the fast-paced world of digital marketing, speed and adaptability are crucial for success. Newspaper companies can't keep up with the rapidly changing landscape, causing delays in campaign execution and hindering your ability to capitalize on timely trends. Local teams are comprised solely of salespeople, who farm out the work to agencies like us, or sometimes even off-shore to digital sweatshops in the developing world. With time differences and communication hurdles, these widespread remote teams can't function as effectively as our team working together in our midtown Sacramento office.

By considering all these factors, it becomes evident that entrusting your digital marketing efforts to a newspaper company may not yield the desired results in today's dynamic online environment. It's essential to work with specialized digital marketing agencies that can provide the expertise, innovation, and agility needed to thrive in the digital space.

In conclusion, it's essential to be mindful of where your marketing budget is going. Many so-called "local" media outlets are actually owned by large corporations or foreign investors, not the community you aim to support. Avoid falling for misleading tactics from sales professionals and instead consider partnering with a local marketing agency. By investing in local talent, you not only support families and organizations in your area but also have the peace of mind of knowing your data is handled locally and can easily communicate with the team handling your campaigns.