Journalists see digital popularity as the prime measure of success

July 4, 2013 - PRLog -- The majority of financial journalists now believe that that the number of page views an article receives is the best way of measuring its success, jumping from 42% in 2012 to 62% this year, according to new research revealed in Broadgate Mainland’s 2013 Digital Trends Survey.

Only 28% of respondents felt seeing it in print was an accolade of success compared to 35% last year. Seeing the article being shared online was seen as important to 47% of journalists.

The Broadgate Mainland survey, conducted in May and June this year, researched the current social media landscape in the UK’s financial services sector from the point of view of both journalists and in-house communications officers.

Please see below a summary of the most notable and topical findings of the survey:
•Twice as many journalists now use digital means such as Twitter or LinkedIn to source stories compared with 2012.
•Three quarters of financial services journalists increasingly rely on press releases and PR generated commentary to be first with the news in the increasingly competitive digital era.
•Over a quarter of financial services media are increasingly using the same media pundits for their articles and 29% feel they have limited opportunities to check the factual content of their stories.
•Eighty seven per cent of journalists prefer to be pitched to by email, making it 10 times more popular than the telephone (8%)
•Nearly half (45%) of journalists said Twitter is their favourite social media outlet for sourcing news, however this is down from 57% last year, suggesting an element of Twitter fatigue.
•Double the amount (22%) of PRs said they hand over the responsibility of monitoring social media to an agency.

There were some notable differences in approach to social media observed between journalists and PRs. For example, journalists have found it less of a challenge to incorporate social media into their roles than in-house PRs. Two fifths (41%) of the journalists indicated that they need to remain active on social media at all times, whereas lunchtime and evening are the most popular times for PRs.

The lack of focus on social media is likely to be partly due to the fact that 38% of senior corporate decision makers in the financial services sector don’t value social media as a communications tool, according to their PR advisers. This alongside restrictions imposed by compliance (40%) and not being allowed to access social media at work (22%) limits many financial companies’ use of social media.

Mark Knight, Director at Broadgate Mainland, said: “The printed media now seems to be firmly in decline for both publishers wishing to reduce costs and journalists wishing to see their articles reach a wider audience.

“The increased use of social media by journalists researching stories adds significant power to citizen journalists. The speed with which stories can now spread from a tweet to international news means that issues and crisis management has become a 24/7 activity and a major share of the PR workload.

“Social media can be an effective PR tool but it requires skill and sensitivity to be used effectively to boost corporate reputation and enhance brand awareness."

Ends

For further information, please contact: Mark Knight / Zoe Butt / Lauren Willington on 020 7726 6111

For a full copy of the report, with analysis, please email digitaltrends@broadgatemainland.com

Notes to editors:

The Digital Trends 2013 survey, the firth in the series, was conducted by means of an online questionnaire which featured 16 questions for journalists and 17 questions for in-house communications officers in the financial services sector on a wide range of topics related to use of social media. The survey took place between May and June 2013.

One hundred and five journalists and 51 in-house communications officers contributed responses to this survey. For 98 journalists and 47 in-house survey respondents, not all questions on the survey were answered. The data from these partially completed surveys has been included in the results.

About Broadgate Mainland

Broadgate Mainland is a leading PR agency that specialises in the financial and professional services and higher education sectors. We forge close working relationships with our clients to help enhance their reputations and achieve business objectives. Combining media relations, corporate communications and digital PR, we deliver results that drive growth and build credibility. Sectors we have specialist expertise in are: Alternatives, asset management (retail and institutional), financial services, professional services, professional development and education, enterprise and innovation, life and pensions and property.

Web: www.broadgatemainland.com

Twitter: @BM_PRNews