ATLANTA – Arketi Group, a high-tech business-to-business public relations and digital marketing firm, announced the findings of the 2011 Arketi Web Watch Survey: Inside BtoB Media Usage of Social Media. The survey reveals 92 percent of journalists have a LinkedIn account, an increase from 85 percent in 2009.
The 2011 Arketi Web Watch Survey seeks to understand the use of technology by BtoB journalists covering multiple industries. A free copy of the report’s findings can be downloaded at www.arketi.com/surveys.
“It comes as no surprise more BtoB journalists are participating in social media sites, especially LinkedIn,” said Mike Neumeier, APR, principal of Arketi Group. “LinkedIn provides an online outlet for them to connect with industry sources, find story leads and build their professional networks.”
In addition to LinkedIn, the survey found 85 percent of journalists are on Facebook (up from 55 percent in 2009) and 84 percent use Twitter (up from 24 percent in 2009). Almost half (49 percent) say they blog or read blogs regularly.
“When compared to the 2009 Arketi Web Watch Survey, this year’s results show significantly more journalists are using social media tools,” said Dr. Kaye Sweetser, APR, associate professor of public relations at the University of Georgia’s Grady College. “This means companies have more online channels through which they can reach media targets. This is both a blessing and curse for today’s PR professionals.”
The survey also found 99 percent of journalists get story ideas from industry sources. Other resources for stories are:
“The old adage of going straight to a source for story information still rings true,” Neumeier said. “Because of this, company leaders need to be available and prepared to respond to media inquiries.”
More than nine out of ten journalists responding (96 percent) say they prefer to receive news releases via email from companies they know, and 95 percent of business journalists say they prefer to receive news releases via email from companies they don’t know but are in industries they cover.
Other than the primary source, journalists say they obtain crucial information regarding breaking news from the following sources:
“The old adage of going straight to a source for story information still rings true,” Neumeier said. “Because of this, company leaders need to be available and prepared to respond to media inquiries.”
More than nine out of ten journalists responding (96 percent) say they prefer to receive news releases via email from companies they know, and 95 percent of business journalists say they prefer to receive news releases via email from companies they don’t know but are in industries they cover.
Other than the primary source, journalists say they obtain crucial information regarding breaking news from the following sources:
About the Survey
Seventy-five percent of respondents have been in the field of journalism for 10 or more years, with 49 percent reporting they have been a journalist for more than 20 years. Some of the industries covered by the journalists surveyed include business and professional services, software, Internet, computer hardware, finance and banking healthcare, and telecommunication. The online survey with 147 journalists responding was conducted in the summer of 2011 and is sponsored by Arketi Group.
About Arketi Group
Arketi Group is a public relations (PR) and digital marketing firm that helps business-to-business (B2B) technology organizations accelerate growth through intelligent strategy, public relations, messaging, branding and demand generation. Consistently recognized by BtoB magazine as one of the nation's “Top BtoB Agencies,” Arketi’s core belief is that marketing generates revenue. Clients benefiting from this approach to B2B marketing include Cbeyond, Concurrent, GMT Corporation, Knowlagent, RelayHealth, Sage Software and Xerox. For more information, call 404-929-0091 ext. 202 or visit www.arketi.com.
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EDITOR’S NOTE
Camera-ready charts and graphs of key findings from the 2011 Arketi Web Watch Survey: Inside BtoB Media Usage of Social Media are available by contacting Mike Neumeier at Arketi Group at 404-929-0091 ext. 210 or at mneumeier@arketi.com.
The 2011 Arketi Web Watch Survey seeks to understand the use of technology by BtoB journalists covering multiple industries. A free copy of the report’s findings can be downloaded at www.arketi.com/surveys.
“It comes as no surprise more BtoB journalists are participating in social media sites, especially LinkedIn,” said Mike Neumeier, APR, principal of Arketi Group. “LinkedIn provides an online outlet for them to connect with industry sources, find story leads and build their professional networks.”
In addition to LinkedIn, the survey found 85 percent of journalists are on Facebook (up from 55 percent in 2009) and 84 percent use Twitter (up from 24 percent in 2009). Almost half (49 percent) say they blog or read blogs regularly.
“When compared to the 2009 Arketi Web Watch Survey, this year’s results show significantly more journalists are using social media tools,” said Dr. Kaye Sweetser, APR, associate professor of public relations at the University of Georgia’s Grady College. “This means companies have more online channels through which they can reach media targets. This is both a blessing and curse for today’s PR professionals.”
The survey also found 99 percent of journalists get story ideas from industry sources. Other resources for stories are:
- 80 percent tap public relations contacts
- 77 percent rely on news releases
- 74 percent turn to newswires (such as BusinessWire or PRNewswire)
- 71 get from email pitches
- 56 percent from blogs
- 44 percent from micro-blogs (such as Twitter), and
- 39 percent from social networking sites (such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Myspace).
“The old adage of going straight to a source for story information still rings true,” Neumeier said. “Because of this, company leaders need to be available and prepared to respond to media inquiries.”
More than nine out of ten journalists responding (96 percent) say they prefer to receive news releases via email from companies they know, and 95 percent of business journalists say they prefer to receive news releases via email from companies they don’t know but are in industries they cover.
Other than the primary source, journalists say they obtain crucial information regarding breaking news from the following sources:
- Industry experts (85 percent)
- Company website (81 percent)
- Industry website (80 percent)
- Other interested parties (80 percent)
- Industry blog (57 percent)
- Company blog (53 percent)
- Industry Twitter feed (41 percent)
- Company Twitter feed (33 percent)
“The old adage of going straight to a source for story information still rings true,” Neumeier said. “Because of this, company leaders need to be available and prepared to respond to media inquiries.”
More than nine out of ten journalists responding (96 percent) say they prefer to receive news releases via email from companies they know, and 95 percent of business journalists say they prefer to receive news releases via email from companies they don’t know but are in industries they cover.
Other than the primary source, journalists say they obtain crucial information regarding breaking news from the following sources:
- Industry experts (85 percent)
- Company website (81 percent)
- Industry website(80 percent)
- Other interested parties (80 percent)
- Industry blog (57 percent)
- Company blog (53 percent)
- Industry Twitter feed (41 percent)
- Company Twitter feed (33 percent)
About the Survey
Seventy-five percent of respondents have been in the field of journalism for 10 or more years, with 49 percent reporting they have been a journalist for more than 20 years. Some of the industries covered by the journalists surveyed include business and professional services, software, Internet, computer hardware, finance and banking healthcare, and telecommunication. The online survey with 147 journalists responding was conducted in the summer of 2011 and is sponsored by Arketi Group.
About Arketi Group
Arketi Group is a public relations (PR) and digital marketing firm that helps business-to-business (B2B) technology organizations accelerate growth through intelligent strategy, public relations, messaging, branding and demand generation. Consistently recognized by BtoB magazine as one of the nation's “Top BtoB Agencies,” Arketi’s core belief is that marketing generates revenue. Clients benefiting from this approach to B2B marketing include Cbeyond, Concurrent, GMT Corporation, Knowlagent, RelayHealth, Sage Software and Xerox. For more information, call 404-929-0091 ext. 202 or visit www.arketi.com.
###
EDITOR’S NOTE
Camera-ready charts and graphs of key findings from the 2011 Arketi Web Watch Survey: Inside BtoB Media Usage of Social Media are available by contacting Mike Neumeier at Arketi Group at 404-929-0091 ext. 210 or at mneumeier@arketi.com.