Corporate media: types, functions, examples and secrets of efficiency

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Not all individual entrepreneurs think about publishing any media. Although recently such corporate media as company websites have become extremely popular. And some companies have several sites at once - for internal and external users. And such action is quite justified. Internal portals are primarily needed for orienting and coordinating a large audience.

What is corporate media?

Corporate media in the modern world are printed or electronic publications. They are needed for the dissemination of information intended for official or general use. They can be varied. Among the printed ones, the following types are distinguished:

• newspapers;
• booklets;
• magazines;
• flyers and more.

Among electronic means:

• sites;
• TV programs;
• radio programs.

With no moneyfor full-fledged programs, companies can shoot stories that are placed in local media. This will save resources for opening your own media. But at the same time, it will be necessary to keep an employee whose duties will include the creation of corporate information products. You also need to understand that any corporate information is intended to enhance the company's image and serve its corporate interests.

Features of corporate editions

The main feature of the corporate media is that it is difficult to find information not only about the subjects of the specified business, but also about other types of business. At the same time, several single-industry enterprises can act as founders of corporate media at once. These types of corporate media provide information about the industry as a whole, as well as about the parent companies. Information that is relevant for all enterprises of this profile can still be posted, but the companies that became the founders of the publication will still serve as an example.

Corporate edition can be produced by the parent company. It is assumed that the company creates a dedicated media department that deals with the resource from the very first step until the release of the publication or program. Alternatively, you can conclude an agreement with the selected edition, the subject of which will be the production of a corporate information product. This will allow the company to do without increasing staff, as well as avoid large-scale work. SuchThe trick will save the company money, but it's worth accepting the fact that you lose 100% control of the process. Many enterprises manage to find a compromise and build a working outsourcing scheme in which they get the maximum benefit and result.

Types of corporate media

Main types of corporate media:

• printed (corporate magazine, newsletter, newspaper, corporate board, catalogue, corporate information sheet);
• electronic (radio, websites, television, as well as electronic versions of all publications).

Also, corporate publications can be divided according to the audience they affect:

1. For employees. They were created in order to increase staff loy alty to the company, as well as provide information about events that are held for employees (for example, about some kind of competitions). Such publications contain stories and articles that are needed to improve the professional level of employees. They encourage the best specialists of the enterprise. And of course, such media are needed to inform about new technologies in a particular area.
2. For the company's clients. Such publications contain information that may be useful or interesting to the company's customers. For example, a company's existing housing stock may be presented in a publication for clients of a real estate agency. But customers of tea and coffee shops will be interested in information about the beneficial properties of such products. Secrets of efficiencycorporate media of travel companies in that they very vividly and clearly represent tourist countries and cities, so they work perfectly.
3. For business partners. Such publications contain information about new products, as well as new technological lines or processes. On such a platform, it will be effective to search not only for new partners and suppliers, but also for buyers.
4. For professionals. That is, for those companies that independently carry out technical and scientific developments. Typically, the production of such media is carried out by large companies that are leaders in a particular area of production or economy. Their resources make it possible to produce a worthy periodical.

Also, corporate publications can be divided according to the method of production. That is, only in-house specialists can take part in the process of creating a publication, or third-party workers are involved. Also, the production of the publication can be given to an outsourcing company.

Separation of corporate publications by type of financial support

Financial support for corporate media is the third factor in the division of publications. Budgeting can occur at the expense of the founder. They can pay off thanks to the financial and economic activities of the media itself. At the same time, financing can only be partially paid back, then they are partially subsidized from the company's budget. But there are also examples of corporate media that are also profitable. Most of these publications are onsubsidies.

It is worth noting that some publications on the domestic market are turning from simple corporate media into quite popular and large media that have a common focus. They attract advertisers quite often and start to bring in very good profits.

The value of corporate publications for internal audiences

The purpose, goals, and functions of corporate media directly depend on what target audience they are intended for. One of the main purposes of corporate publications is the formation of corporate culture in the company. It is with the help of such media that the mission of the company, as well as its corporate values and role in society, are introduced into the minds of the staff. The ideological function refers to the main function of the corporate media. On the pages of such a publication, it is convenient to position the models and standards of employee behavior.

One of the important purposes is to inform the representatives of the target audience. In this case, the main topics of corporate media relate to production processes, as well as possible professional problems and the most effective ways to solve them. It is this publication that provides employees with the most complete information about the enterprise as a whole, as well as about the company's strategy and plans. The importance of the media is greatly increased when it comes to a market that often undergoes some kind of change. After all, timely informing about them is the key to the success of the company.

It's no secret that at critical moments, rumors start to grow at lightning speed, which is why it's so importantprovide honest and objective information in a timely manner. Representatives of enterprises mark this very moment as the main value of such publications.

These publications do an excellent job of integrating important and useful information. They also make it easy to share professionally meaningful data. Also, it is these publications that help to find out up-to-date information regarding the profile of the company. Moreover, you can be sure that it will be cutting-edge and modern.

The value of corporate publications for external audiences

Corporate media are of interest to any target audience. It is only important that employees who produce publications clearly understand what they are intended for.

It has been proven that the secrets of the effectiveness of corporate media lie in the fact that thanks to them, partners see the company that is the founder of such a publication as a truly reliable, strong and stable ally. This function is called commercial, noting that it is to make the enterprise more attractive to both partners and new customers. Customers see the publisher as a very prestigious manufacturer that is doing well and delivering products of exceptional quality. Hence - increased loy alty and consumer demand.

There are examples of corporate media that have become a full-fledged platform where customers communicate with the company. Not only job reviews can be posted hereenterprises, but also suggestions that will help improve products and services.

How is corporate publications distributed?

The specifics of the target audience targeted by the media directly affects the schemes for the distribution of corporate publications. If we are talking about a wide audience of retail chain customers, then in this case the following distribution options will be really productive:

• delivering newspapers to mailboxes;
• posting leaflets in doorways.

But with the release of a glossy edition intended for VIP clients, delivery must be organized not just to the office, but personally to the recipient. General distribution channels are suitable for television and radio programs. But here you need to understand that only those who are really interested in information of this profile will watch and listen to such programs. Provided that the stories are placed in other media, you need to carefully consider the timing of the programs, because it must necessarily suit your target audience. You also need to consider the channels through which you can notify customers about new informational material.

When it comes to publications for their employees, they are distributed at the checkpoint or reception. Media for customers can be distributed in stores, as well as urban areas that are well traveled. And they can also go to the offices of client companies.

Regardless of how the distribution takes place, it is very important to think over the logistics of all deliveries and their proper design, whichwill meet the preferences of buyers.

Onboard media

Onboard media is a type of corporate publications that are distributed in transport (airplanes, regular buses, trains, etc.). In this case, it is not necessary that the carrier itself be the publisher and founder. An example is the Atlant-Soyuz magazine, which is distributed on board aircraft operated by the Moscow Government airline.

The territory of distribution is one of the features by which the classification of in-flight magazines occurs:

• publications that are intended for visitors to airports, train stations (Pulkovo Airport, Vnukovo Airlines and the like);
• publications distributed directly during flights ("Donavia", "S7. Magazine for business class passengers").

It is also possible to divide according to the totality of social characteristics, when such types of on-board media are distinguished:

• For regular customers, foreign passengers or citizens of the Russian Federation who often travel abroad.
• For passengers who fly all the time in business class on domestic flights.
• Universal editions.

You can also categorize corporate in-flight media by age:

• for kids;
• for adults.

Corporate online publications

Several years ago, Russian researchers noted the rapid growth in the appearance of corporate printed publications. Many companies have embracedthe possibility of dialogue with their audience in this way, releasing their own corporate press. However, the global trend in the last few years is that the printing of the press as such has slowed down. At the same time, corporate Internet media are becoming more and more popular. Among them, it is worth highlighting the following:

• official websites;
• social media pages;
• channels on video hosting sites;
• blogs etc.

Such channels of communication do not go unnoticed not only by commercial, but non-commercial structures. The activity of companies on the Internet allows them to perfectly cope with the promotion of their services and / or goods. But also corporate media such as new media can improve the image of the company, as well as shape the corporate culture.

Why are corporate publications going online?

The creation of corporate media on the web has become commonplace. But what exactly motivated businesses to go online en masse? There are several reasons, and we will analyze them below.

Firstly, the reason lies in the fact that the entire audience of companies is gradually moving to the Web. And this number is constantly growing. Thus, the annual increase is approximately 11% (for an audience that accesses the Web at least once a month). For the daily audience, this figure is even higher and amounts to 15%. At the same time, according to statistics, there is no seasonal decrease in the share of users.

The best corporate media are embracing the World Wide Web because it improvescommunication with both internal and external users. Thanks to the correct interaction with the first type of audience, a corporate culture develops. And communication with the second type allows you to improve the company's image and get another channel for selling goods.

What information do companies post in online media?

Using corporate online media, companies even search for employees. For example, the popular furniture company IKEA posted a test for potential employees on its official website. It is with the tempting title "Are we right for each other?" on the resource collects information about applicants who comply with the corporate policy of the company.

Youtube channel of the company MindValleyRussian is used by its owners to acquaint a large audience with the values of the company. It also provides information on how these values are respected. In this context, the media play an important role. On their specially created intra-corporate resource, thanks are placed to employees who successfully completed a task. At the same time, any employee of the company can express gratitude for the help.

For the official websites of large companies, it is no longer a novelty to place tabs with the missions and values of the companies. It is here that the consumer can directly get acquainted with the culture of the company. The goals and objectives of online corporate media have become the subject of research in many scientific papers. It is worth noting that in many ways these goals coincide with publications that work offline.

Corporate publications as a tool for enterprise management

When managing various business processes, top managers of companies can operate with different assets. But the trends are such that recently more and more attention is paid to intangible assets. This is important for maintaining the reputation of the company in the eyes of customers and management in the eyes of employees, as well as for creating a positive image of the enterprise. To manage such intangible assets, one cannot do without a well-built communication system. This can be done with the help of effective tools, which are corporate media.

Today the system of corporate publications consists of:

• several prints;
• official website.

This system is the most common. But in some cases, it may also include news radio and television programs that are produced with the help of their own or local. Often, other means of communication with the target audience can be used (for example, email newsletters).

The role of corporate media is difficult to overestimate, so their creation should be treated as responsibly as possible.