Social Media for Magazines - AEJMC 2011

Social Media for Magazines Cindy Royal, Ph.D Associate Professor Texas State University School of Journalism and Mass Communication [email_address] www.cindyroyal.com www.onthatnote.com tech.cindyroyal.net twitter.com/cindyroyal facebook.com/cindyroyal linkedin.com/in/cindyroyal

Social Media for Magazines
Most magazines cater to a niche audience
Have always sought to connect readers around interests
Magazines were slow to provide all content online; consumers still purchased print product
Slowly realizing the benefits of online presence, which can go beyond their website

Goals of Social Media
Social media doesn't happen, needs a strategy that is constantly evaluated
Promote
Interact
Share
Connect
Analytics – followers/fans, interaction (retweets, replies), use of hashtags and other interaction with your brand; blog interaction; success of promotions, contests, polls; user-generated content around your brand
Connection is a natural human need. People are connecting and forming communities on their own. How can you participate?
Can you help develop a community around your brand?

Social Media for Magazines
Websites still important – hub of online presence
Big 3: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn Google+ developing strategy for brands
Mobile apps
Blogs – can be integrated in website; also important to engage user or professional blogs on topic, have interaction in comments
Video – YouTube and live streaming
Branded social networks

Websites – still important

Facebook

Twitter

Mobile

Challenges for iPad apps
Walled gardens; seek to simulate print experience
Apple-controlled marketplace/censorship
Will consumers pay per issue or annual subscription?
Limits the audience for your content; sharing and interaction?
Constant upgrades and maintenance
Changing technologies, ie HTML5
Multimedia/Programming expertise
Competition from online/free services

YouTube

Branded Social Spaces
Branded social networks – example Meredith's Mixing Bowl – users setup groups around culinary interests.
Use Facebook Connect to have users connect to branded sites.

Other Location-based services like Foursquare and Gowalla – integrate place with promotions and partners Provide info to users; add value to experience

Other
Widgets and plug-ins allow users to host your content on their sites
Technology – Application Programming Interface (API) – a copy of a database, made publicly available to be used in other ways.
Provide share buttons (social bookmarklets) to make it easy for others to share your content

Where's the Money?
Revenue streams likely to come from a variety of sources, rather than one or two
Paid content
Micro-targeted content via the groups on the site and in Facebook
Local opportunity with groups that have a geographic emphasis
Sponsorships
Brand advocacy/build reputation
Charge for iPad apps – per issue or annually
General value in engagement with brand – loyalty, word of mouth, etc.
From: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5MZ-fXrOtw

Preparing Students for Social
Social Media at Work course - cindyroyal.com/social
In order to be prepared, students must use and experiment
Students must become familiar with the personal brand concept
Creating content online via a blog or website – provides a portfolio of work in a job seeking situation
Use of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube in a professional manner – extends networking to benefit a job search
Interaction with new topics and concepts and an enthusiasm for the space
Use of social media for events and campus activities (see sxtxstate.com and txstatemcweek.com)

Preparing Students for Social

Search Engine Optimization
Most important thing – get others to link to you
Google Page Rank algorithm
Link to others, they are more likely to link to you
Participate on comments, forums – tactfully include links to your content
Write meaningful headlines – different than print
Write strong teasers – not necessarily your lead
Use phrases (keywords) frequently that you think people will be using to search for relevant content
Fresh content – update regularly and often
Use keywords in URLs
Consistently use alt tags for images and videos; put content on video/slideshow pages
Pages should have meaningful titles
Use social media to spread your content, allow users to share
Monitor your search standings and traffic – Google Analytics or other services

Future Trends
Data and Visualizations
Social as a feature, not platform
Inspiration from other media: tech, games, etc
Tools and interactivity
Creativity abounds
Links on Delicious associated with this presentation - delicious.com/clroyal/magazine

Social Media for Magazines - AEJMC 2011

by clroyal on Jul 24, 2011

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Social Media for Magazines - AEJMC 2011 — Presentation Transcript