Digital Media and the Branding of Downtowns: Strategies for New Business Development Using Paid, Owned and Earned Media November, 2013 | Page 9
INCORPORATING DIGITAL MEDIA INTO THE MEDIA MIX
Now that you know your brand, it’s time to decide how to convey it in digital as well as traditional
channels. Americans continue to flock toward the online world. According to several studies conducted
by Pew Research in 2012 and 2013:
Half of all Americans access some news coverage from the Internet.
70% of adults have a broadband connection for their home computer and/or tablet.
One in five cell phone owners accesses the Internet primarily through their phone.
Thirty-five percent of Americans age 16 and older own a tablet computer.
Only 15% of adults are completely disconnected from the Internet.
Because people search for information and interact with one another online, organizations involved in
the marketing of downtown districts need to consider how best to use digital media, including websites,
blogs, online video, social media platforms, paid search ads and image ads on third-party websites.
As a result, chambers of commerce, downtown developers, city managers and others involved in
economic development need to ask some important strategic questions: What do they hope to gain
from adding digital media to their marketing mix? Who are they trying to reach? How will they measure
success? With answers to these questions in hand, they can begin to craft actionable digital media
strategies and tactics.
It’s never too late to begin; digital media platforms are changing constantly. The social networking sites
that are popular today will change tomorrow; they’ll either adapt and mature or succumb to a neverending advance of newer specialized sites.
The Hub and Spoke Marketing Model
Successful marketers often use a “hub and spoke” model that uses a website as a central content hub;
the site essentially acts as a portal to and from other media platforms (please see graphic on next page).
Nearly every piece of communication that leaves an organization links back to the website.
The hub and spoke marketing model is based on a model the aviation industry uses to move planes full
of people or freight from place to place. Instead of direct routes tha t connect every airport, the airlines
have designated some larger airports as hubs. A traveler from Charlotte has a good chance of flying into
Atlanta in route to Phoenix, for example. The creation of hubs with spokes to other destinations makes
the network more efficient. This model is a great example of the synergy created by the paid, owned
and earned model. Remember the days of pitching your best story to the local paper and hoping for a
mention? In the digital world, you own the website. You listen to your customer’s needs and put
together a design filled with rich content that helps to fill his or her needs. Your website is an “alwayson” storefront that informs and educates anyone, anywhere, 24 hours a day.
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