Publishers: 3 Tips to Accelerate your Transition to Digital

Traditional media is struggling with the advent of digital disruption. Users are now in control of what they want to watch and when they want to watch it. 

As a graduate student studying Media Strategy and Leadership at Northwestern University’s Medill school of Journalism, I found 2 articles which highlight how to create a multimedia presence in the new digital marketplace.

Snapchat to unveil Vanity Fair's Hollywood issue by Saba Hamedy on Mashable is an article about Vanity Fair unveiling its most important issue of 2016 in an unconventional channel—Snapchat Discover. The channel will feature a few Snapchat-exclusive features and will be live for 36 hours. The partnership not only demonstrates Vanity Fair’s attempt to attract younger audiences via Snapchat, but also help Snapchat expand its content offerings to its viewers.

                                                                                                  Source: New Yorker Magazine

Traditional Radio to Make Audio Awesome Online by Shan Wang on Niemanlab is the article about Boston public radio station WBUR getting their website an overhaul in order to make audience more engaged with its digital offering. They've built a brand new platform rather than a redesign.The new website tackled the obstacles preventing audio from being a first-class citizen online and active on social media. It is just the start of how audio can work better on the social web.

Based on the ideas in these articles and my studies in Medill Journalism program, here are three actions you should consider to leverage the social media.

1.       Follow your audience - Bring the content to people where they are, so that they can find out that who you are and what you do.

2.       Digitize content - Create content in the way pivoting digital channel, where powerful social influence can help content go viral.  

3.       Keep reinventing - Don’t be afraid to use unconventional channels which give traditional media a cool new lens on what they have been doing over years.

Today, you need to think digital with every content item you develop to accelerate the transition new and ever-evolving social media platform.

Wenjing Fei is a media and marketing professional with 10 years of experience. She worked as senior feature editor for ELLE MEN Hearst Magazines China, focusing on business section and long-form stories. She is currently studying Media Strategy and Leadership as a McCormick Fellow at Medill - Northwestern University, with a focus on digital media skills and business strategy. 
Connect her on Twitter or  LinkedIn

HigherEd Marketers: 3 Ways to Create a Lifelong Social Media Presence

According to a recent study by the Center for Marketing Research, nearly 100% of universities have a social media presence. That's good news. The bad news is that the majority of that social media presence is focused on Admissions and we're missing out on a lot of interaction, connection and engagement with students and parents.  As HigherEd marketers, it's critical for us to start extending our social media beyond admissions process because a consistent and strategic social media presence can keep our communities engaged and excited about the University from application to alumni. As a HigherEd professional and student Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern's Medill School, I have found two articles that can help you turn your social media presence into a lifelong social media strategy.

HigherEdWeb.org published an article on The State of Social Media In Higher Ed, which lists some important ways to think about social media as a University tool rather than an admissions tool. The author points out that even though pretty much every University has a social media presence, that having a presence doesn't mean we're adding value. The article goes on to provide the important big picture steps you need to take to transform your social media including creating a strategic plan, empowering departments and educating decision makers on the use of social media.

http://www.labnol.org/internet/masters-degree-in-social-media/8072/

Mashable's article 6 Best Practices for Universities Using Social Media, which has been shared over 6,200 times, gives concrete actions we can take to turn our big picture plans into an every day reality. The author, the Director of Young Alumni Engagement at Syracuse University, talks about the importance of setting goals, creating guidelines and choosing your platforms wisely.

Based on my examination of these two articles and my studies in the Northwestern IMC program, here are three steps you can take to get started:

1) Talk: Universities can move slow, so get it going. Talk to the Dean. Tell your staff. Check in with Faculty. Mention it at the next inter-departmental meeting. Get the official approval and the unofficial consensus needed to move forward.

2) Write: Establish your goal and your departmental strategy for achieving that goal. Put policies and procedures into place and into writing.

3) Start: And start small. Work with one staff member and one faculty member. Use that experience to update steps 1 and 2, then rinse and repeat.

To keep your students engaged for a lifetime, a University’s social media presence should be integrated into the entire Higher Education experience. This requires a dedicated, comprehensive, social media plan by the marketing department and there's no better time to start than now.

Arden Schuman is a M.S. Candidate in Integrated Marketing Communications at the Medill School at Northwestern University. Arden currently serves as the Assistant Director of Marketing and Recruitment for Northwestern Law School. @ArdenSchuman

Sports Marketers: Tips on Creating a Successful Social Media Campaign

From the NCAA to the NFL to the PGA, its no secret that sports teams and athletes generate fan bases the size of small countries. As sports marketers, it is our job to harness this following to generate excitement for our teams. But how can we make sure we are truly maximizing the full potential of our fan base? As a graduate student in Northwestern University Medill's Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) Masters program, I have found 2 articles on how to create successful social media campaigns to engage your fans.

Lauren Drell, author of Five Tips for Marketing to Sports Fans on Facebook, focused on understanding the sports fan persona.  Sports fans are passionate, loyal and more importantly "they crave interaction with the team and will gladly engage right back." Think about any passionate sports fan you know and you'll see the signs - the baseball fan who goes to the game with his glove, in hopes of catching a foul ball; the football fan who plays fantasy football as the "owner" of their own team; the NCAA basketball fans who will paint every inch of their skin and dye their hair simply to match the colors of their beloved team. They all want to feel connected to their team - and as sports marketers, you have the power to make that connection. This is crucial for sports marketers to understand when formulating their social media campaign.  

                                               Source: http://www.zimbio.com/Cameron+Crazies

Ty Scheiner,  author of Four Winning Sports Social Media Marketing Campaigns You Can Learn From highlights the work of teams that have successful social media marketing strategies.  Baylor University has a rewards program that encourages content sharing.  The New Jersey Devils "Mission Control" campaign rewards loyal fans with the opportunity to be part of the team.  Each campaign that Scheiner highlights shows the teams engaging and interacting with their fans through creative social media campaigns.

After reviewing these articles, there are three action items you should immediately consider when developing your own social media campaign:   

• ENGAGE ALL FANS - Social media gives you opportunity to engage with fans anywhere at anytime. It is important to find ways to keep fans feeling connected with your team - Find a way to reach those who can not make it to the games and ways to keep the fire burning even during the off-season.

• INTERACT - The fans want to be a part of the team and they want to interact - so be sure that your social media campaign is a two-way street. Create contests, offer give-aways, involve players - anything that provides an interactive forum for the fans to get involved with the team.

• GET CREATIVE - Create unique content that is cannot be found anywhere else and is only specific to your team. Don't be afraid to think outside of the box! Crazy fans get excited by crazy ideas, so run with it! 

Every sports market is unique and it goes without saying, that it is important to know your market before establishing any type of program. But if you follow these three simple tips, you will be on the path to creating a successful social media campaign for your sports team.

Danielle Pierce, a sports fanatic and marketing wiz, is currently completing a Masters in Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University.  She previously completed her Masters of Science at Johns Hopkins University and her Bachelors of Arts at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Follow her on Twitter @dmapierce912

Pinteresting Changes Will Affect Your Social Marketing Strategies

As a brand manager, it is important for you to evaluate newer media platforms like Pinterest and determine their role in your social marketing strategies. As a graduate student in the Northwestern Medill IMC program, I have been studying social marketing and strategy, and found a few articles you will find interesting and informative. Recently, Pinterest launched a redesigned platform containing multiple changes to the much-loved pinsperational-sharing site. Although most Marketers are rejoicing at the ability to analyze and track their user analytics, there are some other changes that will change the way you’re socially marketing your brand. Here’s a quick rundown of what changed according to Stephanie Buck at Mashable.com:

• #Sorry: For all those marketers who formerly used twitter-verbiage to track and group content, you will no longer be able to search by hashtags.
• No more homepage comments: Additionally, you won’t be able to link directly to your brands website in the comments sections on other pages.
• Cross-Promotions: No more "liking" boards on Facebook or Tweeting at the same time that you pin.

via Empower.com

Pinterest, the “magnet for hip urbanites searching for the hottest wedding owns and apartment décor” according to Techcrunch attracts 15% of online adults. So how do you leverage these changes on this visual marketing dream to your brand’s benefit?

Although the cross promotional possibilities will be missed, guaranteed you’re not going to miss taking that extra step to go back to hashtags all of your keywords. From my review of these Pinterest changes and my work at Northwestern, here are three action items I recommend you consider, 

• Instead of blasting out generic content across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, use this opportunity to segment your customers by their social networking habits, likes and wants, and then act accordingly.  Pinterest took away cross-promotion but gave you analytics. So use them!  
• Disappointed about not being able to link directly to your brand? Quit being lazy: Hyperlinking to your brand’s content is not only tacky it also looks like spam. According to Pew Research, Pinterest users are typically well-educated digital natives and appreciate creative and compelling marketing.  
• The hashtag searching option isn’t the worst change to cope with. Although you’ll have to make slight changes to the way you group your content. Nothing here is catastrophic. Get some organizational guidelines in place and you're good to go. 

Pinterest has given marketers the greatest gift of all in their analytics capabilities. The lesson here is that Pinterest is no longer a segway to other mediums, but a place for your brand to live and breathe. Focus on creating content that is compelling, visually appealing and what your customer is interested in seeing, and watch your brand grow. 

Lindsey Duda is a student in Medill's IMC Graduate program at Northwestern University. She is interested in Brand Management, Consumer Insight, Strategy, and all things Gourmet. She can be found on Twitter @mld1983. 

Are You In Danger of Customer Care Overkill?

As a customer service manager, new technologies, like Twitter, can imply improved service; but it's not always so easy to meet rising expectations. As a graduate student in Northwestern's Medill IMC program, I have been examining articles on customer service and technology and have found two worth exploring; one by entrepreneur and ex-Mashable, Ben Parr, and the other by HootSuite blogger, Sarah Chambers.

Ben Parr’s Mashable article, “How To: Use Twitter for Customer Service,” makes the claim that the key to great customer service is the speed and quality of your response. Twitter is without a doubt the best way to share and discover what is happening right now. At least that is the claim found on Twitter’s support page, verbatim. Twitter’s proven omniscience and omnipresence is exactly why companies have added it to their customer service repertoire (if you haven’t, you probably should...five minutes ago). 

Aside from the unfavorable aspects of using Twitter to address customer issues—the 140 character limit, heaven forbid you need a longer phrased solution to your customer’s problem—the major plus for customers is instant gratification. Several companies have made headlines (ex., Zappos, Southwest, Starbucks, etc.) with their timely and thoughtful customer care. Gratifying indeed. But where should you draw the line?

I recently had an unexpected run-in with KLM’s customer service; what started as a slightly palpitation-inducing experience—both from the fear of being caught complaining and then satisfaction at being unexpectedly rewarded—quickly turned into an eye-rolling session between me and my computer screen. Having recently watched KLM's (KLM Surprise) success in using social media as a tool to enhance the customer experience, I was a little perplexed at their seeming inability to get the basics right.  

After reading an article about the benefits of being bored, I was reminded of my 28-hr flight to and from Europe with a malfunctioning TV screen.  I had so looked forward to watching the latest movies I had missed on the big screen; and so I tweeted about it. KLM responded. Quite unexpectedly. They offered me miles, but I’m not a rewards member. And so proceeded the sending of information, the tweeting, the emailing, and the filing of official complaints. All I did was add a hashtag! 

Source: mediabistro.com

Sarah Chambers explains in "HootSuite’s 3 Secrets to Rocking Customer Service via Twitter," that directing users to submit a ticket or call a hotline, as KLM had done so with me, only defers the problem. It makes the user take "another step to contact you, instead of providing an immediate solution." In dragging out the process, Twitter's "instant gratification" capability becomes void. 

Okay, so forget immediate solutions to customer problems for a moment. One could argue (as I am) that what makes Twitter a great platform for customer service is that it enables authenticity. A company can be quick, transparent, and above all, real. KLM’s approach to my complaint, however, was formulaic at best, and all too focused on filing information. Based on both articles, by Parr and by Chambers, it is vital to remember that Twitter is a medium for conversation. Excellent customer service is not about “shutting-up” the customer or about bribing them, it’s about meeting their needs.

From my analysis of these two articles and my work at Northwestern, here are three action items I recommend you implement immediately:

• Focus on Customer Needs.
• Know the Purpose of Social Media Platforms.
• Have a Conversation.

Monitoring what people have to say is only a fraction of what needs to be done to deliver quality customer care. No customer service manager in their right mind would boast about how many people they heard complain in a day or about owning a Twitter account. Using social media correctly and for its intended purpose is what differentiates good customer service from great customer service. Twitter is meant to be quick and concise. 140-character responses should lead to 140-character actions. Use social media the right way to avoid customer care overkill.

Liz Arteaga is a M.S. candidate in Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University. Her previous work experience has been focused on event planning, most notably with the Boy Scouts of America and Adobe. She is currently a graphic designer for a non-profit organization based in Utah. Follow @LizNArteaga

Survivor TV: Social Media Makes Marginal TV Programming a Hit

There is a lot of talk these days about how no one watches television anymore.  As we know, the almighty advertising dollar, like it or not, drives most of the content decisions on television.  If the audience goes away, so does the advertising revenue, and ultimately, so does the content. 

Rumors of the death of television are greatly exaggerated

In the Mashable article “TV Advertising Still Dominant,Still Growing,” author Lauren Indvik discusses the projected trends in advertising spend, as reported by eMarketer.com, showing television as dominant, and more importantly, continuing to dominate, the ad spending landscape through 2017.  While the gap in television versus digital spend is closing, television will remain the big kahuna.

Multitasking:  the new normal

Meanwhile, social media habits clearly influence how consumers use television content, but not necessarily all content.  Advertising Age’s Simon Dimenco and Senior VP/Director of Digital Strategy at Hill Holliday, Mike Proulx, discuss social-TV analytics in a recent Q&A article, and the so-called “Twitter TV Rating,” on tap for a fall, 2013 rollout from Nielsen, after the merger with SocialGuide.  The acquisitions of SocialGuide by Nielsen, and Bluefin Labs by Twitter, imply that measurement metrics convergence is imminent.  Is there a correlation between ratings and social media chatter?  For now, the jury is out.      

“Twitter TV ratings?”

While the MTV Awards and VMA’s generate a ton of social media buzz, other events, such as the tribute to Whitney Houston at the last Grammy Awards, not so much.  A respectful social media community, perhaps?   In these cases, social media buzz was inversely related to the TV rating.  One theory:  you can stay current on the VMA’s, for example, without actually watching the telecast.  The corollary:  for other genres, like drama programs, well, you just need to be there. Plus, the sense of urgency tends to wane when time-shifted programs are viewed.

The related complexity that arises here is the disposition of the consumer.  For example, some are social media introverts and for others, it’s just too much work.  As Proulx astutely points out, “The mass audience still uses TV as a means to veg, as a means to unwind.  And if that’s the case, do they want to be, for all intents and purposes, working when they’re watching television?”

So, as they say in the TV biz, stay tuned.  With the healthy prognosis for television ad spend, there will be a lot more to come in this quest for quantifiable and actionable TV+social media measurement.

About Susan McLeod  

Susan McLeod is President of media management firm Conroy Media, Ltd. in Willowbrook, Illinois (www.conroymedialtd.com) and is a masters candidate at Medill/Northwestern University's online IMC program.  Follow her on Twitter at @SusanMcLeod.