The document outlines guidelines for creating an effective social media strategy for news organizations. It discusses evaluating different social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and how journalists can use them to engage audiences, break news and source stories. The document also provides questions organizations should consider to define goals, measure success and ensure strategies align with editorial standards and practices.

1. Debunking the Myths:
Creating A Social Media
Strategy that Work

2. Today’s Session
• Why We’re Here
• Who I Am
• Five Parts:
– Part 1: Social Media Overview
– Part 2: How to Use It
– Part 3: Guidelines to Consider
– Part 4: 10 Questions for Strategy Building
– Part 5: Measurement

3. Social Media? Really?
• Don’t get lost in the hype, buzz words
• Embrace the idea, the concept
• It’s really back to basics

4. Where to you stand?
• What’s all the hype?
• Here we go again Skeptical
• Feel the pressure to do something
• Not sure what I should be doing Reluctant
• All in and experimenting
• Trying to assess ROI Engaged

5. Social Media? Really?
Engagement
Listening
Conversations

6. Part 1
Social Media: So What Else Is New?

7. Source: http://www.slideshare.net/tkawaja/social-lumascape-8223008

8. SOCIAL MEDIA ICONS

9. The pitfalls
 Misuse
 Distribution of wrong information
 Fact check
 Distraction from core tasks
 Spreading staff too thin

10. The pros
• Expanding your reach
• Engaging new readers / audience
• Developing story ideas
• Accessing thousands – millions – of potential
sources that resource strapped newsrooms
can’t reach

11. The pitfalls
 “It is not quite clear what the right use is,”
says Andrew Nystrom, a senior producer for
social and emerging media at the Los
Angeles Times.
 “If you aren’t a friend of someone on
Facebook, should you be pulling photos from
their page?”off Facebook? We err on the side
of caution.”

12. How to use twitter
• What to ‘tweet’ about
– Link to a new blog, story, video, phot
– Retweet a comment or link
– Replay to someone in your community
– Talk about an unfolding story
– Insight, humor, thought-provoking
Source: Steve Buttry

13. Twitter Tools: HootSuite

14. Twitter Tools: TweetDeck

15. Twitter for Newsrooms: http://media.twitter.com/newsrooms/

16. Twitter: Tweet your beat
• More frequent tweets, more followers
– The Patriot-News’ Sara Ganim(@SGanim) saw an
increased number of followers when she tweeted the
JerrySandusky trial, a part of her beat as a crime
reporter.
• Live Tweeting
– The Tuscaloosa News (@TuscaloosaNews) posted up-to-
the-minute updates on a local tornado to
Twitter,including information on emergency
resources. The Alabama newsroom was awarded the
Breaking News Pulitzer for its coverage of the event.

17. Twitter: Use Hashtags
• Hashtags can increase engagement 50%
(1.5x) for brands.
• When you include hashtags in your Tweets,
your Tweets become more visible and you
eventually gather more Twitter followers.
• The Washington Post (@WashingtonPost)
often uses hashtags to describe the content
of its tweets or to add context.
– E.g. #facts, #Iraq, #fiscalcliff

18. Twitter: Share what you’re reading
• Journalists receive 100% more (2x) active
engagement (on good Tweets) when a URL is
included.
• When individuals share URLs to non-company
sources, theyexperience a bump in follows.
• Journalists who retweet see significant
increase in followers (300%)

19. Twitter: @Cite Your Sources
In the above Tweet, The Guardian (@guardian) includes the
Twitter handles of journalist Elizabeth Day (@elizabday) and
actor Stephen Mangan (@StephenMangan), the subject of the
article.

20. Facebook for Journalists

21. Why Facebook?
• Find new story ideas, track trends and sources
• Publish real-time news updates and
community engagement
• Connect with readers and viewers in new
ways
• Bring attention and traffic to your work
• Help reate, craft and enhance your media
outlet’s or personal brand
Source: Facebook Journalism 101

22. Facebook: What should I do?
• Share stories, multimedia, photos, links
• Engage/interact with audience
– Post questions
– Ask for first person accounts of news
• Crowdsource
– Gather anecdotes from readers about breaking news or
other stories, e.g.:
• Where were you on 9-11?
• What is child’s school doing about security in the aftermath of
Newtown?
Source: Facebook Journalism 101

23. Facebook: What should I do? Cont.
• Storytelling:
– Offer “behind the scenes” insights
– Share personal reflections
• Consider stories on education, politics
and behind the scenes stories and
analysis
Source: Facebook Journalism 101

24. Facebook: Time of Day Matters.
• Daily Feedback and Referral Clicks:
– Journalists received the highest amount of
feedback later in the week.
• Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday had
the highest amount of feedback –
– with Sunday receiving the highest amount of
feedback at 25% more likes and 8% more
comments above average.
Source: Facebook Journalism 101

25. How It’s Used
• Mexico “Spring” Uprising –
– “Somos mas de 131” / Yo Soy 132
– Students in protest video
• Egyptian Uprising
• Nearly 1 billion potential sources
Source: http://mashable.com/2011/02/27/facebooks-growing-role-in-social-journalism/

26. How It’s Used
• Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times have expanded
their distribution and sourcing to Facebook.
• Kristof, who has more than 200,000 people who like his
page, has used the page to post regular updates from
his reporting.
• Starting with the Egyptian Revolution to his latest
coverage of Libya, Kristof posted detailed descriptions
and reports about what he saw and information he
received.
Source: http://mashable.com/2011/02/27/facebooks-growing-role-in-social-journalism/

27. Part 2
Guidelines to Consider

28. Guidelines…Seriously?
1. Traditional ethics rules
apply online.
2. Assume everything
you write online will
become public.
3. Use social media to
engage with readers,
BUT professionally.
4. Break news on your
website, not on
Twitter.
5. Beware of
perceptions.
SOURCE: ASNE - 10 Best Practices for Social Media, Helpful guidelines for news organizations

29. Guidelines…Seriously? ASNE
6. Independently
authenticate anything
found on a social
networking site.
7. Always identify
yourself as a
journalist.
8. Social networks are
tools NOT toys.
9. Be transparent and
admit when you’re
wrong.
10. Keep internal
deliberations
confidential.

30. 1. Traditional ethics rules apply online
• In person and online are the same
• Seems obvious: But reminders are critical
• No exceptions – for anybody
• From Day One: State this clearly

31. 2. Assume everything you write online
will become public
• Nothing is private
• Encourage reporters to keep professional and
private accounts
• Warn reporters to watch what they post and
who they follow – even on their private pages
• Maintaining credibility for the media outlet –
and person – are critical

32. 3. Engage with readers, but professionally
• Embrace the power of engagement
• Readers/viewers expect responses
• Stress the value of engagement
• Define the limits
• Encourage reporters to avoid getting into
flame wars with unreasonable readers

33. 4. Break news on your website, not on
Twitter.
• Speed matters today – your competition is more
intense than ever
• Tease, promote, engage
• Drive traffic to your website
• “Expand the reach of quality of journalism”
• Remind your reporter – and editors – to be
aggressive, thorough and accurate

34. 5. Beware of perceptions
• Beware of conflicts of interest
• “Retweeting” or “Sharing a Link” does not mean
endorsement
• Be cautious of editors/reporters “friending” their
sources on Facebook
• Manage permissions and what content is visible to
whom
• Encourage separate personal and professional
accounts.

35. 6. Independently authenticate anything
found on a social networking site
• Verify. Verify. Verify.
• Urge editors/reporters to avoid the
temptation of reposting content from social
media on breaking news stories.
• Get permission from the person, group or
company before publishing.
• Public figures are fair game, but beware of
private citizens.

36. 7. Always identify yourself as a
journalist.
• Anonymity is unacceptable
• Participate in all forms of social media – but
always be transparent
• Everything IS public
• Never mislead

37. 8. Social networks are tools NOT toys.
• Reporting phony information is not a joke
• Always be a “truth teller”
• Avoid pranks and gimmicks
• Always credit the original source, e.g.
bloggers, tweeters, owner of Facebook page

38. 9. Be transparent and admit when
you’re wrong.
• Today’s reporting requires real time coverage
• Don’t fear social media because you might
have to correct information
• Correct it quickly – and often
• Retain credibility with your readers – and beat
the competition

39. 10. Keep internal deliberations
confidential
• Transparency is a good thing, but must be
managed carefully.
• Be clear with editors/reporters on what they
can share on Facebook or Twitter about
discussions of how and why stories are
getting covered, where they’re getting played
and internal debates about coverage

40. Question You Need to Ask
1. What are you doing?
2. What’s your plan?
3. What’s your goal?
 Viewers? Subscriptions?
Revenue, Printing?
4. Who are you trying to
reach?
5. Who’s in charge?
6. Who is your competition?
7. How much support do
you have?
8. How are you
implementing your
strategy?
9. What’s working?
10. How are you going to
make money?
11. What’s your next move?
12. What’s your
metamorphosis?

41. Part 3
12 Questions You Need to Ask in Building Your
Social Media Strategy

42. Where do you
begin?
• Avoid the
bandwagon
mentality
• Create a plan
• Define tactics
• Set priorities
SOURCE: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2202307/Social-Media-ROI-How-To-Define-a-Strategic-Plan

43. Here’s One Approach
SOURCE: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2202307/Social-Media-ROI-How-To-Define-a-Strategic-Plan

44. # 1
What are
you
doing?

45. # 2
What’s
Your
Plan?

46. # 3
What’s Your
Goal?

47. # 4
Who are
you
trying to
reach?

48. # 5
Who’s in
Charge?

49. # 6
Who’s
Your
Competition?

50. # 7
What
Support
Do You
Have?

51. # 8
How are you
implementing
your strategy?

52. # 9
How are you
measuring
success?

53. # 10
How are you
going to
make
money?

54. Part 5
Measuring Success

55. Measuring Success
• What are they responding to?
• What are they reading?
• What are they sharing?
• Where are they coming from?
• How engaged are your readers?
• How long are they “spending time” with you?

56. ROI: What Am I Measuring
Cost-Benefit Analysis: COST = VALUE
• COSTS
– Labor:
• Newsroom, IT, Sales
– Tools & Software
– Training
• BENEFITS
– More traffic
– More visitors
– Expanded audience
– More followers
– More subscriptions
– More ads sold
SOURCE: http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2202307/Social-Media-ROI-How-To-Define-a-Strategic-Plan

57. Facebook Metrics
• Lifetime total likes
• Friends of fans (potential friends – network
effect)
• Page consumption ( what are they looking
at?)

58. Twitter Metrics
• Followers
• Following
• Total tweets
• Retweets
• Number of messages sent

59. YouTube
• Total Subscribers
• Total Video Views
• Comments
• Favorites
• Likes
• Dislikes

60. Questions
• Contact me:
– Neil Foote
– Foote Communications LLC
– neil@neilfoote.com
– 214.448.3765
– Twitter: @footecomm
– LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/neilfoote