making a social media strategy

17
Making a strategy Using social media with purpose

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A starter guide to creating a social media strategy for journalists.

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Page 1: Making a social media strategy

Making a strategyUsing social media with purpose

Page 2: Making a social media strategy

What is a social media strategy?

Focusing your goals as a journalist or news organisation into how you use social media.

Page 3: Making a social media strategy

What isn't a social media strategy?

Making a Facebook page.Starting a Twitter account.Pinning photos aimlessly on Pinterest.Checking in obsessively on FourSquare.Audiobooing every conversation you have.Posting your mobile phone videos to YouTube. These are tools. Not strategies.

Page 4: Making a social media strategy

Journalist vs. News organisation

Journalist's goals● Quickly source one-off

stories● Cultivate sources in

niche communities● Break news● Find breaking news● Interact with sources and

users● Demonstrate your

knowledge/expertise● Share your content● Show that you're human

News org's goals● Share content and

increase web traffic● Crowdsource opinion

and case studies● Build positive

reputation & brand● Lead on breaking

news stories● Cultivate loyal users● Promote interaction

and debate

Page 5: Making a social media strategy

Step 1 Turn goals into objectives

Goal: Cultivate sources in niche communities Objective: Develop four strong sources with strong links to or within the National Union of Students Wales within two months. Make your objectives SMART -Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely

Page 6: Making a social media strategy

Step 2 Determine your communities.Objective: Develop four strong sources with strong links to or within the National Union of Students Wales within two months. Communities: ● Students' unions officers and staff● NUS Wales staff and officers ● University and Colleges Union staff ● Other people working for higher and

further education (Hefcw, Higher Education Wales, etc.)

Page 7: Making a social media strategy

Step 3 Develop a strategy ● Where are these communities within

social media?○ Twitter - @lukeyoung NUS Wales President,

@katie_dalton former NUS Wales President, @LeightonAndrews Education Minister and NUS Wales alum

○ Facebook - Jennifer Krase Bangor Uni officer, Stephanie Lloyd, NUS Wales women's officer, NUS Wales page

Page 8: Making a social media strategy

Step 3 Develop a strategy● How do you cultivate sources in these

communities?○ Twitter

■ Your account should reflect your purpose for using it as a journalist or news org.● appropriate profile picture● keywords in bio

■ Follow people after your account reflects your purpose, not before. They're more likely to follow back.● Last three tweets important when following.

■ Listen to the person's tweets.■ Ask them questions.■ Engage in off topic discussion.■ Ask online to meet offline.

Page 9: Making a social media strategy

Step 3 Develop a strategy

● How do you cultivate sources in these communities?○ Facebook

■ Cultural of privacy makes it more difficult to engage individuals on professional level.

■ Officers have different privacy settings, though the expectation of privacy may be higher than the settings allow.

■ Pages are more like forums, though only useful if active. NUS Wales isn't very active.

■ Even though there is a presence, Facebook may be worth monitoring and researching sources, but not engaging and cultivating them.

Page 10: Making a social media strategy

Step 4 Pick your tools

● Which tool(s) are going to help you reach your objective?○ In this case, Twitter offers a more public forum.

Because the objective is to cultivate sources who the journalist doesn't have, Twitter is a better choice than Facebook.

Page 11: Making a social media strategy

Step 5 Set your plan

● What are you going to do to reach your objective?○ Revamp your Twitter profile with picture (avatar) and

bio that reflect your objective.○ Search and listen to people in the communities

you're trying to reach.○ Begin tweeting in a way that engages them.○ Follow key people in those communities.○ Listen to what these people say.○ Be bold and engage with them, though keeping to

journalistic standards and ethics.○ Ask questions, begin conversations.○ Take the conversation offline. Meet for coffee.

Page 12: Making a social media strategy

Step 6 Measure your success

● How well did you do?○ How many open message tweets did you send to

potential sources? (ie. @joniayn wondering what you think about twitter lists?)

○ How many of those potential sources responded?○ How many did you engage with on multiple

occasions?○ How many did you meet offline, or speak to over the

phone?○ How many were used as sources in published or

broadcasted content?

Page 13: Making a social media strategy

A social media strategy is...

a blueprint for using the right social media tools to achieve your goals.

Page 14: Making a social media strategy

Task 1 List your goals

Make a list of your goals as a journalist or news organisation.

Page 15: Making a social media strategy

Task 2 Turn 2 goals into 2 objectives

Use your goals to create two SMART objectives. (If you're on a role, write down more!)

Page 16: Making a social media strategy

Task 3 List the communities relevant to your objective

Look closely at the objective and determine the specific groups, organisations, companies, schools, etc. that you're trying to reach/effect. Communities are like audiences, except you talk with them, not to them.

Page 17: Making a social media strategy

10 minute break before...Your 'traditional' social media toolkit