OK, the new year is here; time to plan our work and work our plan. And that applies to marketing, promotion and advertising. Here is a quick, little review.

Print Advertising Some say it's going away. Well, it is to some degree, no question. Newsweek no longer exists, Time is down to the size of a pamphlet; a myriad of once-prominent magazines have diminished or disappeared. So are we to conclude that print – in all shapes and forms – is doomed and will cease to exist? No.

As a matter of fact, the audiences of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) are still reading print. In the CAM niche the majority of web traffic comes from a print source, according to a study by MPA Media, which has products in print, app and web formats. In other words, even if your electronic effort is a major component in your marketing, you might not want to completely forgo the print side of things, since most traffic originates from print.

If you do conclude you want to keep a print presence, how can you ensure it's as effective as possible? Well, there is a reason that a plethora of books have been written on the subject, and I can't duplicate all that information here, but I will at least say this: The #1 most critical element of print advertising is consistency.

For the majority career, whenever I've been heard a client say, "the ad didn't work," they were usually referring to a single ad or an ad that ran only a few times. Under those circumstances, the advertiser is always right: ads won't work if you just put your toe in the water. You have to at least jump in waist high (or at least knee high). Whatever your marketing plan may be, make sure you can run ads consistently. And size doesn't necessarily matter. I have seen campaigns utilizing quarter page ads run successfully for a dozen years. You don't always have to be big, just be consistent.

Social Media – the can't-miss, miracle marketing wonder! I am no social media expert (or even play one on TV). But I do know this: Social media can indeed be a thoroughly effective, cheap form of marketing...in some markets and product categories. If you make a unique consumer product, you literally can go exclusively with social media to "get the word out." But in the professional CAM niche?

I don't see anyone using social media, exclusively, in the CAM niche and excelling. Sure, everyone has Twitter and Facebook logos in their ads, but when you go check out their pages, etc., they are nearly dormant most of the time. How many videos exist in the CAM market on YouTube? Not all that much. Does this mean you should ignore these elements in your marketing? Not at all. But can you rely on them exclusively to "get the job done?" I don't think so, at least not in the CAM niche.

PR. What it is PR really? Public relations? Yes. Promotion? In some ways, yes. In a nut shell it's the stuff you get for free, but in this case, you really do get more than what you pay for. PR is often more effective than paid advertising (but you often need the paid advertising to help get you the PR). Many times my clients tell me that an article has got them more leads than several ads combined. Even product releases often out-pull ads. But most companies fail to traverse the editorial terrain successfully well enough to end up with free ink.

In short, follow these guidelines. First, get your hands on the editorial calendar all magazines put out each year. It highlights the subject matter for each issue. Find those articles that pertain to your business and/or product. You need plenty of lead time in order to get a shot. If you are planning an effort for the spring for example, you should be talking to editors in January or February at the latest. Reach out and ask if you can submit an article to an upcoming issue.

Truth be told, most editors are grateful that others are submitting quality content - as they are in constant need of it. However, that is only if the content is indeed quality. And let me tell you what content is not: anything that plugs your proprietary service or product. That will get your submission tossed and create a frowny face on the editor every time. It is, by far, the number one reason articles don't get published.

It is usually OK to expound on the general features and benefits of your general product category. For instance, if you make a nutrition supplement, you can detail how such a product benefits a practice or patients. But if you try to plug something unique just to your product only, it will get tossed. (You can include such in a product review, just not an article. Product reviews are those 50-250 word product description found in some – not all – magazines in the CAM niche.)

Bottom line: Keep an eye on marketing trends and emerging methods of marketing and promotion. But don't assume Twitter and Facebook are all you need in the CAM niche, because you may fall short with all your eggs in the social media basket. The most successful companies still use traditional methods of marketing, usually enhanced by electronic efforts, to get the ROI they expect.

Chuck Mancino is an independent PR/marketing consultant, and can be reached at cmancino@gmail.com.