Four Ways Social Media is Changing Traditional Media
Like many forward-thinking companies out there, traditional media organizations have found that integrating social media into their operations has its benefits. In just a few years, new media has allowed journalists and outlets to touch their respective audiences on a more frequent basis, extend the reach of their content and build new relationships. Some publications are getting really creative and finding new ways to generate revenue.
Looking back, here are the four biggest changes new media has brought to the newsroom:
Integration of sharing tools
For the longest time, traditional news stories that appeared on the Web were housed within content walls. Sharing these stories with your friends was typically limited to an “e-mail this” link, providing only one method for taking content away from the site. However, as social networks matured and letting content loose became more acceptable, traditional news mediums started to integrate basic sharing tools. Now, I can quickly tweet a Detroit Free Press story or easily let my Facebook friends know that I “like” a Detroit News article.
Just as online news stories from newspapers have become easier to share on the Web, so has video from broadcast outlets. There are a number of stations that are now utilizing video platforms that allow advertising-supported video content to be embedded on other sites. While it doesn’t provide the same SEO benefits as having the story uploaded to YouTube, the ability to grab the embed code and add it to any website in a matter of minutes is truly awesome.
Syndication of content contributors
Securing bylined articles in trade magazines and news outlets is common practice in the PR world. It’s a great opportunity for a subject matter expert to get his or her name out there and contribute something relevant to a publication’s readers. However, placements are not always guaranteed and their frequency is typically controlled by the publication (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing). In today’s new media world, there are a number of publications creating roles for content contributors.
Crain’s Detroit Business, one of Detroit’s premier business publications, recently launched a section specifically targeting second stage companies. This new section blends editorial content with regular insight from business professionals located throughout metro Detroit. Crain’s Detroit Business wins because it now has great content regularly pouring in from multiple sources, which enhances its SEO efforts. The section also serves as a new medium for selling advertising. The guest bloggers win because they now have access to the publication’s massive audience and can market their relationship to potential prospects (disclosure: Identity’s Tom Nixon is a featured blogger).
Creating outposts to frequently touch viewers/readers
This one is kind of a no-brainer. Developing a presence on social networks has created amazing opportunities for traditional media organizations to “pull” people back to their websites.
On Facebook alone, the Fan pages created by WXYZ Channel 7, FOX 2 Detroit, WDIV Local 4, Crain’s Detroit Business, DBusiness Magazine, The Detroit News and The Detroit Free Press reach more than 29,000 people. These pages are updated multiple times per day and each update receives comments and interactions. Additionally, content posted on these networks has a stronger chance of being shared and amplified across the network.
Media personalities get personal
Social media eliminates barriers and grants access. I can now have genuine conversations with sports stars, actors and representatives from some of the world’s largest companies. Now that social media has made its way into the newsroom, I can add journalists and anchors to that list. Like many of my peers in the communications industry, I’ve used this opportunity to create new relationships with reporters and strengthen existing ones.
Check out this guest post from WXYZ news anchor Stephen Clark. He shares some great insight about how Twitter has changed his role as a journalist and created a new channel for building relationships with viewers.
What has changed for you?
Now that social media is playing a big part in the newsroom, has it changed the way you consume and read news? What is different now compared to a few years ago?
This post has 4 comments
July 8th, 2010
The big one for me is your last point: making it personal. Since Stephen Clark seems to be big on confessions on his entertaining blog, allow me to make a confession: I used to be a Channel-7-only guy. But over the years, that affinity waned. By wife is a WDIV-er. And I succumb, from time to time, to the small-town folksiness of Fox-2. I grew to not have a preference, in other words, and I liked them all for different reasons.
Now I find myself gravitating back to Channel 7 with greater frequency. Why? One reason: I feel like I have a connection with the personality of the station, in the form of a connection with A personality FROM the station. Getting to know Stephen online has formed a new perception of someone I had previously only seen through the looking-(TV)-glass. I see humor. I see genuine-ness. I can relate to the personality in a way that wasn’t previous possible. I’ve yet to personally shake hands with him, but I feel like, in some small way, we know each other to a point…all through online interaction in public fora.
As a result, I feel a stronger personal connection to his newscast and his station. And I want to, as you so often put it, do business with people I like. So Channel 7 gets my ratings point. And I really can’t attribute that to anything other than an online but personal exposure to one of the station’s anchors.
Strong agent of change, this Internet thingy.
July 8th, 2010
Awesome points in this post, B. It’s one thing to have an e-mail/phone relationship with a reporter, but I think it’s great when you can extend that and start connecting online, as well. I’m not sure if I would have ever had the chance to know some reporters/anchors as well as I do now if it weren’t for Twitter.
I hope more traditional media continue to see social networks not only as a means to find new stories, but also as a way to deepen connections with readers/viewers and PR pros.
July 8th, 2010
Tom– Thanks for the kind words. One of the frustrations of my business has always been that it is a primarily one-way medium.
By nature I like to talk TO people not AT them. I’m really enjoying breaking down that glass screen between us.
I invite anyone with a Twitter account to join the conversation @sclarkwxyz.
Don’t email me– my inbox is choked with spam!
Stephen Clark´s last blog ..I Admit I Have Tweep Envy
July 8th, 2010
Great post, Brandon.
Based on your excellent takeaways and from reading the comments above, I think that what we all value is a genuine interaction. Mostly, we are all seeking to establish TRUST.
Coming from a PR person’s perspective, it’s been huge for me to be able to talk to media online in order to create relationship – to get to know the person – so that the next time I call with a story idea, there’s extra incentive to listen to what I have to say. It goes both ways. Social media, at first, is a little like testing the waters of face-to-face interaction. Based on the information you share and the insight you lend, others learn to classify you as one to pay attention to or not.
What it can evolve into is an incredible education tool and information giant. The idea that things can be shared in so many ways seems to parallel the advantages of different teaching styles. People are receiving and processing information faster than ever and at their convenience. There are no longer clear cut lines between content producers and receivers. As people start to realize that and take advantage of all the tools at their disposal, social media becomes that much more effective.
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