Technology PRs should focus on digital coverage

Technology PR agency Cloudnine has released research that suggests that most company IT bosses prefer to get their technology news and information via online publications and blogs.

According to the research, which surveyed 300 IT decision-makers in UK companies, print magazines are playing less of a role.

IT chiefs are also adopting Twitter and Linkedin to stay updated on IT industry developments.

Sixty-four per cent of the IT heads questioned in the poll said they find online publications 'useful' or 'very useful' for keeping updated on IT industry developments, including news from IT companies.

This places online media in the top spot in the list of IT chiefs' preferred technology and news information sources compiled by Cloudnine PR.

Second came independent IT blogs, scoring 52 per cent, with print publications (47 per cent) taking fourth place.

Interestingly, 20 per cent of the sample, which included chief information officers, IT directors and IT managers, finds Twitter 'useful' or 'very useful' for keeping abreast of IT news and developments.

Business-focused networking site Linkedin ranked even higher with a score of 30 per cent.

Uday Radia, managing director at Cloudnine PR, said: 'It might surprise some people to notice that more IT chiefs now value online publications than print.

'After all, it wasn't long ago that it was considered a bigger result by PRs and marketers to get their information covered in the weekly or monthly IT print magazines than their online counterparts.

'The fact that independent IT blogs are now so influential may present a challenge.

'Many bloggers will not tolerate poorly targeted marketing approaches, and you have to respect that some of them just don't want to be pitched by companies.

'There's a lot of research and thinking involved before you approach a blogger,' Radia added.

When it comes to social networking sites and their use in technology PR and marketing, Radia said: 'Obviously many IT publications and journalists already share their content via these sites, with Twitter being one of the most popular.

'But perhaps the numbers of IT bosses who said in our poll that they now access industry news and info via Twitter and Linkedin will mean more technology PRs and marketers will adopt them for directly sharing their information - and possibly start creating specific content that can be shared on social media,' Radia added.

Despite the growing interest in online and social media, Radia emphasised that face-to-face communication, such as trade shows and events, continues to be very important.

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