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How to maintain a trusted brand in local media

How to maintain a trusted brand in local media

It’s no secret that trust in media has gone down in recent years. But this isn’t the case with all brands and platforms. Consistent with Magid insights, a recent Poynter survey showed that trust in local media is actually on the rise. 76% of Americans across the political spectrum have “a great deal” or “a fair amount” of trust in their local television news, and 73% have confidence in local newspapers.

This confirms a trend we have seen amidst the changes in consumers’ trust in news media – even with all of the sources consumers can choose from to get news, local broadcasts are seen as a top source that warrants trust.

However, local broadcasters can’t just assume they get credit for being trustworthy among their viewers. They need to leverage their strengths and continue to make it known to consumers that they’re a valuable source. They need to maintain their trusted brand by giving viewers more of the content they’re asking for.

In-depth stories

Consumers today have no shortage of content. When turning on the TV, there are hundreds of channels to choose from – not to mention the vast number of digital platforms consumers watch unique content on. But according to Magid’s Digital TMI Study, less than a quarter of consumers think that there need to be more news stories. Instead, most consumers are interested in more details and more context. In other words, quality over quantity.

News stories that offer quick snippets of information just scratch the surface before moving on to the next story. This results in information overload for consumers – too many stories in too little time. Instead of spending resources on more stories to fill the linear newscast, newsrooms need to consider looking into ways to uncover more details and context for existing stories – delivering rich, full content.

Unique perspectives

Consumers find value in local news when it touches on what’s happening where they live, and what issues matter most in their everyday life. Viewers depend on the local newscast to provide an in-depth story with unique perspective – more than they would get from reading the same information online or on a news app.

Loyalty diminishes only when viewers see less differentiation and fewer unique reasons to watch. Demonstrating unique value can shift non-viewers your way and keep loyal viewers tuning in.

Active anchors

Local newscasts wouldn’t be what they are without the news anchors. But they are more than just the face of the newscast, reading a story to viewers. According to Magid’s NAB Study in 2017, when anchors are actively involved in the coverage and reporting of important stories, when they explain the impact of the story and give valuable perspectives, it gives viewers major reasons to tune in and watch the news. Consumers don’t want an anchor that just reads the news, they want an engaging, interesting storyteller.

By focusing on in-depth, engaging stories with unique perspectives consumers can’t get anywhere else, you can continue to build on the trust that viewers have with local media.

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