Media marketing is not a new phenomenon. It is probably as old as the net itself. But the pertinent question that we need to ask ourselves is that are we actually on the right track when it comes to media marketing or are we like the proverbial blind mice running down the alleyways with nothing but our most basic instincts to guide us?



There are a lot of other things that we need to clarify such as:-

- Are potential customers spending time at Digg and other relevant sites?

- Do they attend SEM conferences in order to hire a company, or are they just trying to learn to do it themselves?

- What are other industries doing about it?

- Is there anything in the pipeline for developers of product lifecycle management software?

- Are there groups of people online comparing the various brands of auto parts?

- Are there really people seeking out articles on these topics?

If yes, we'd be remiss not to promote our websites in those spaces. But is this media marketing? Or is it simply online marketing?

Of course one can always argue that it does fall into the realm of media marketing if it increases link popularity, but surely that should be the secondary goal of this type of marketing campaign.

The fact remains that link popularity comes from having something worth linking to, not something you've asked your insulated group of cronies to link to.

The amount of direct traffic diversion that takes place when something or some site is being discussed in all the right places is phenomenal but what remains to be seen is that is this reason enough to try to be found in all the right places.

Another very important issue that needs to be addressed is that how much of that traffic that results from our media marketing efforts actually converts into anything good, and how much does it help your organic search rankings? What is more important is the amount that it contributes to your bottom line.

Don’t you feel that media marketing is just like preaching to the choir? What I’m trying to say is that instead of reaching your target audience you simply end up reaching your peers whoa re not going to contribute to your coffers and tat is what matters.

Of course it's a nice ego stroke to have others in your industry tell you how great you are, and there's something to be said for building credibility within your own community but how does it help you to sell your products and services?

Does it lead to more customers and more conversions? That is the issue that you need to think about and to answer.

Also, do your media marketing efforts actually increase your rankings for the keyword phrases your actual target audience is typing into the search engines?

With all the hype about social media marketing people might end up believing that is this is what SEO demands and what SEO is all about.

Always remember that media marketing is a great addition to any traditional SEO work that you do, but it's not a substitute. So before you jump on the media marketing bandwagon give it a good hard think. It’s an addition not an alternative.