Read All About It!West Central Tribune’s Social Media Strategy
Ashley WhiteCommunity Content Coordinator
“Social media is a shift in how people discover, read and share news,
information and content.”
Over 50% of people have learned of breaking news through social media
1/3 of adults under 30 get news on social media every day
Among all people using social networks, 36% get news there
Social Media Has Changed the Way We Consume News
Most used platform in this area We use Facebook for two reasons:
◦ Drive traffic to our website◦ Engagement
Very rarely write posts without a question, link or photo
Weather Example
Engagement is harder with @wctrib Tweet with links, but use questions and
photos more sparingly Use bit.ly to track clicks Best for big stories, breaking news, covering
meetings (called "live tweeting")
Have encouraged all reporters and editors to have Twitter presence (not mandatory)
Use personal Twitter accounts to share stories, reach sources, find ideas, interact with public
Twitter shows people who we are as individuals, not as institution
Staff Twitter Accounts
Examples
Examples
Examples
Curation tool Find tweets, FB posts, Instagram photos,
YouTube videos Good for engagement after meetings,
events
Storify
Richard Vos story
Used tweets and FB posts from current and former students for more personal story
Example
Blogging platform for Forum Communications Company
FCC owns more than 30 newspapers, 4 TV stations and 1 radio station in MN, ND, SD, WI
Featured blogs appear on wctrib.com after posting and cycle throughout the day
Reverse publishing: WCT often republishes bloggers’ posts in the print edition
Areavoices
Inside Scoop (insidescoop.areavoices.com)◦ Blog from reporters, editors and photographers◦ Share the “story behind the story”
West Central Tribune (westcentraltribune.areavoices.com)◦ Share general information about Tribune (new
hires, teasers, company information) Multiple people contribute to both
Our blogs
Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest More specific target demographic
◦ Niche audience Pinterest
◦ Follow people from Willmar area◦ Pin our stuff with links back to website
Some Areavoices bloggers become contributors
Live it! Magazine
One of our biggest social media days of the year
Twitter:◦ Updated throughout the night◦ Established hashtag #WCT2012◦ Encouraged photos and tweets
Case Study: Social Media Election
Examples
Had over 5,000 views
Fed blog with hashtag #wct2012
Live Blog: Cover It Live
Google+ LinkedIn YouTube RebelMouse
Always trying to stay on top of trends, determine which platforms make most sense for us
Down the Road
Media landscape changing every day We need to be where people are
◦ Drives online visits◦ Creates engagement
Cannot afford to NOT be on social media
In a nutshell: Social Media Matters
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