What are the differences between traditional and new media

New media is a phenomenon which has changed many aspects of our everyday communication habits. But what is the importance of new media for the business and what advantages or disadvantages does it give to the PR practitioners?

1. Message spread
The potential of new media to reach wider audience in a short time presents a significant advantage to the PR practitioners. The ability to share information on the social media platforms make users endorsers of the message and help PR professionals reach wider audience.

2. Control of the message
Unlike the traditional media where PR practitioners have control of the message, new media gives everybody a voice. The positive side of this is that PR professionals could receive instant feedback from the audience and evaluate its engagement with their activities.

3. Niche publications
New media gives PR professionals the opportunity to reach specific audience which is more likely to be interested in the service or product they want to promote.

4. Space
While traditional media limit the message volume social media provide PR practitioners with the chance to communicate their message on many platforms increasing in this way its reach.

5. Visual representation
New media allow PR professionals to use diverse range of visuals to make the message more appealing to the audience and impel them to share it.

6. The message stays in the public eye for longer
The information could stay forever in the web space. People interested in the company activities could always find information about it which is a major advantage for the PR professional.

7. Time limit
The twenty four hour news coverage is one of the positive sides of new media. PR practitioners could provide the audience with information at any time and keep in touch with it.

8. Accelerate word of mouth
The ability to make a message or a video viral is one of the most appreciated characteristics of new media. In this way the public become one of the most powerful endorsers of our message.

9. Online communities
The characteristics of social media motivate people to connect with other people who have the same interests which strengthen their sense of community and belonging. From PR professionals’ point of view the ability to find and reach these groups facilitate the communication process and allow them to target more specific publics.

10. Reach of the message
If Facebook were a country it would be the fourth biggest country in the world. The readership of the newspapers is steadily declining and the majority of young people don’t even have a television, so in the future new media will have even greater impact on the PR professionals’ job.