What Can Veteran Media Professionals Bring to the Digital Table?
Though employers will be hiring many recent graduates, these right-out-of-college, still-wet-behind-the-ears kids will not have the business expertise of experienced media professionals. Experienced media professionals bring invaluable knowledge about developing relationships with clients, understanding clients’ needs, and weathering the ups and downs of the market. Agencies and publishers are well-advised to invest in experienced media professionals to expand their digital media business.
What Does a Digital Media Professional Have to Know?
First and foremost, as a digital media professional, you have to familiarize yourself with the terminology of the digital media space. Digital media terminology includes “page views,” “unique visitors,” “engagement,” “Web 2.0,” “rich media,” “social media,” “the Long Tail,” “optimization,” “RSS,” and “opt-in.”
You’ll also have to understand and stay on top of digital media industry trends. You’ll need to know how digital media and traditional media work together to meet an objective. You’ll also need to familiarize yourself with how the successes and failures of digital media campaigns are measured.
How Can a Traditional Media Professional Learn More?
Participating in the digital world is the best way to learn what digital media is and how advertising professionals use it. Leslie Laredo, founder of Laredo Group, an interactive training and consulting firm, suggests that media professionals should “observe how, when, and with what devices children and young adults — anyone under 27 — integrate and multitask with the web.” Use the Internet for more than just checking your email. Watch viral video clips, read blogs, explore photo-sharing sites, create your own social-networking page, download podcasts, and shop online.
While a degree in digital media may not be necessary, there are schools that offer digital media degrees. The University of Washington offers a Master of Communication in Digital Media. The City University of New York offers a variety of digital media programs at its many campuses.
Organizations and associations hold conferences and events that facilitate networking and provide insight into the industry. The online resource for digital media business, DigitalMediaWire, is holding a conference this June, for example. And AdAge just held a digital marketing conference this month.
There are virtually unlimited resources available to media professionals to learn more about digital media.
How Do Digital Media and Advertising Work Together?
Digital media, in its many forms and permutations, creates targeted audiences almost organically. With the audience already formed, advertisers can then purchase ad space and safely bet that their messages will reach the intended audience, and only the intended audience.
Case in point: Forbes.com has recently launched a new network of blogs focusing on finance and business. The blogs touch on subjects ranging from banking to hedge funds and target serious investors, such as financial and business professionals. In this way, Forbes has created a targeted audience for potential online advertisers to reach.
Again, industry experts have set the bar high for digital media and advertising in the next few years. And if all goes as planned and the expected $44 billion in revenue is generated, then now’s the time to break into the digital media world. And bring your old-school advertising expertise along with you.
