GET ENGAGED!OR HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE SOCIAL MEDIA

Jaci Smith, managing editorFaribault (MN) Daily News

WARM UP QUIZ

TRUE OR FALSE?An average of 1.3 BILLION people use Facebook monthly.

Social media is …(to paraphrase other journalists)“A layer that sits over the rest of the internet, surfacing the best stuff”

“A replacement for a clipping service”

“Word of mouth on crack”

“A rolodex that expands itself”

“An ecosystem built on information-sharing networks”

ABOUT A CHANGE IN MEDIA CULTURE

…TOO EASY TO GET WRONG

TIPS TO MANAGE THE SOCIAL MEDIA CIRCUS

• First, listen. Who is your audience and what do they want?

• Think quality, not quantity

TIPS TO MANAGE THE SOCIAL MEDIA CIRCUS

TIPS TO MANAGE THE SOCIAL MEDIA CIRCUS

• 3. Engage

Are you a millionaire and just don’t know it yet? http://www.southernminn.com/faribault_daily_news/news/article_a55cb786-20f9-5a7c-9786-4c3a090f9fb9.html

TIPS TO MANAGE THE SOCIAL MEDIA CIRCUS

• Yes, on your website, too.

• Yes, in every department.

TIPS TO MANAGE THE SOCIAL MEDIA CIRCUS

• And yes, you have to be a traffic cop at times.

TIPS TO MANAGE THE SOCIAL MEDIA CIRCUS

YOU ARE ALLOWING COMMENTS, RIGHT?

TIPS TO MANAGE THE SOCIAL MEDIA CIRCUS

• Try out other platforms – find out if your audience can be found there.

• Encourage citizen journalism

TIPS TO MANAGE THE SOCIAL MEDIA CIRCUS

TIPS TO MANAGE THE SOCIAL MEDIA CIRCUS

• Use it for research• Does your staff know how to search on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter? • Are they familiar with sites like social-searcher, socialmention,

whostalkin?• Are they lurking on Yik Yak, SnapChat, Instagram?

• Make it part of you and your team’s workflow

• Use Twitter as your notebook/journal• Pose questions to your audience to

help in your reporting/sales• Report stories as they unfold – and

don’t be afraid to say what you don’t know

• Celebrate community

TIPS TO MANAGE THE SOCIAL MEDIA CIRCUS

• Questions you need to think about NOW• Ethics guidelines for use with photos, comments, etc.• Who, if anyone, edits your social media posts• Who monitors and polices comments• Who responds

TIPS TO MANAGE THE SOCIAL MEDIA CIRCUS

HERE’S HOW TO FIND ME

@FDNJaciSmith

linkedin.com/in/jacismith1

507.649.1693

Jaci.Smith@gmail.comjsmith@Faribault.com