When is the right time to get media coverage for one's business? It depends.

Some may need it urgently for a launch, some may want a long term plan to be elevated amongst the competition, and others would like to be prepared for cleanup of a potential disaster. Whichever it may be, the truth of the matter is that any firm that does not engage in media outreach (in any shape or form) is awaiting a slow demise.

This is not an exaggeration.

According to the Content Market Institute, 80% of business decision-makers prefer to get company information in a series of articles versus an advertisement. In another report, it also stated that 70% of consumers prefer getting to know a company via articles rather than ads. A Chief Marketer report found the content most effective at moving prospects through the B2B sales funnel are articles and blogs [49%]

Ignoring such statistics is folly. B2B clients and B2C consumers are unified in that they are no longer interested in advertising, companies need to step up with more content. With savvy corporations investing more into their media outreach efforts, SMEs cannot afford to be left behind. Businesses will invest more on PR as its value becomes more obvious. 62% of marketers will up their internal manpower and 75% will increase expenditure on public relations over the next half decade - this based on a report from the Association of National Advertisers (ANA).

Many may debate the bleak future of media with declining revenues and readership across the board as a sign that PR is no longer a priority. Detractors will also say that there is a plethora of competing online sources or social media platforms with better metrics which ads can be bought on.

That may be true in the early days of the Internet, however now, the reverse is true. Respectable media outlets are in fact bucking the downward trend with the New York Times surging in its subscriptions for delivering premium journalism. Due such noise and content online - how do you know what is real or vetted? The true currency of the media is credibility and PR is the only way to acquire it for your business.

According to Hubspot, 93% of B2B buying processes begin with an online search. Just a quick review of your own purchasing habits and you would know this to be true. After hearing about about something from somewhere, everything starts with a Google search. You would only read links on the 1st page and the most trustworthy link is the usually the one with a top-tier media outlet reporting it.

The "As Featured In" segment is almost always present for upward mobile businesses as customers look toward them as a reference for quality. It is also impossible to simply just pay money to be reviewed/featured/interviewed.

Where everyone can buy an ad, not everyone gets a trusted product review (even less a positive one) - Millennials are 247% more likely to be influenced by trusted blogs or media sites (Hubspot).

Where everyone can make a video advertisement, not everyone gets a live CEO interview - especially when 86% of people skip TV advertisements.

Where everyone can pay for an advertorial, not everyone gets thought leadership posts published - 96% of B2B buyers want content with more input from industry thought leaders (Demand Gen Report).

So, harsh may it be for me to state the obvious, those who do engage in PR (through an agency or in-house) are playing the modern business game. Those who don't, will be relegated to the past.