Old Media, New Tricks

Daniel B. HonigmanDigital Communications Supervisor

Weber Shandwick@dan360man

OldMediaNewTricks.com

I’m not here to talk about technology.I’m not here to talk about news.

I’m here to talk about conversation.

First, a quick history lesson.

• First ARPAnet link deployed in 1969.• Built to protect information from possible

nuclear attack.• Connected computers at UCLA, Stanford, UC

Santa Barbara and the Univ. of Utah.

• From the beginning, the Web has been about conversation.

People need to express themselves

Do we still need reporters?

Absolutely

Information moves at the speed of conversation

Social networking is now more popular than e-mail.

Time Spent On Social Networks is Soaring

0

10000000

20000000

30000000

2008 2009

Time spent up over 100% y/y (total minutes)

Includes Facebook, MySpace, Blogger, Tagged, Twitter, MyYearBook, LiveJournal, LinkedIn, SlashKeySource: Nielsen NetView

Q: What is mainstream media to do?

It’s about accessibility

Be accessible.

Be where your

customers are.

Create touch points on your sites and embedded within your products.

“Incorporate social relationships in your value proposition to consumers.”

– Larry Irons, SkillfulMinds.com

What does the layout of this site tell you about Mashable?

Now, what does this tell you?

…and this?

What happens when your customers start talking to you?

• Before you begin, establish your brand’s voice.• Build a persona for your brand.

– Is it an older gentleman? Is it a 25-year-old woman from California?

• Your voice should be consistent across all platforms and social communities, and in your content.

• Tub-thumping is OK, but don’t self-promote too much.

Be part of the crowd, but be exceptional.

You’ll see results

• Local buzz• Industry buzz• Audience research• Within one month of social media

involvement at Chicago Tribune, no more paid search.

5 C’s of community development

Courtesy of Jason Falls, Doe Anderson

What’s the strategy?

Social media rule #1: LISTEN!

Determine your tools

Build community around those tools

Don’t be that guy

My social media turning point

…and some lessons I learned

1. Put some skin in the game.2. Be a trusted part of the conversation.3. Be willing to break down internal walls.4. As soon as the walls are even the tiniest bit

cracked, create a process to ensure repeated success.

5. Document everything for internal – and external stakeholders.

Once you have the process down pat, it

becomes second nature.

Musical interlude – with a point

Get to know your influencers

• Google Blog Search (BlogSearch.google.com)• Ranking services (Technorati/Alexa/etc.)• Aggregators (Alltop)• Social bookmarking sites (Digg/Reddit/etc.)• Social media monitoring tools (Radian6/Visible

Technologies)Keep track of relevant blogs/sites via:• RSS readers (Google, Bloglines, etc.)• Delicious• Spreadsheet

“The idea that you’re isolated when you’re online is, to me, just wrong. It’s an inherently social medium. What starts online moves offline, and what starts offline goes online. Online and offline life are inherently connected. They’re not separate worlds.”—University of Pennsylvania sociologist Keith Hampton, who preformed an extensive ethnography of “Netville,” a new, 100 percent wired community in suburban Toronto.

Source: NY Magazine, 12/7/2008(http://nymag.com/news/features/52450/)

The next step.

Meet your digital influencers.

• Combine the online realm with IRL. You should create an “inline” experience.

• Sponsor events. Get involved!- Social Media Club- Tech Cocktail- Local bar camps/developer camps

• Create analog experiences your influencers can take online, and digital connections your influencers can take offline.

Inline is good for business.

What exactly is the news business all about?

It’s about reach.

1. Mainstream media must become more relevant, timely and

helpful.

NewNew- Real-time customer - Real-time customer

acquisitionacquisition- Real-time customer - Real-time customer

serviceservice- Real-time customer - Real-time customer

acknowledgementacknowledgement

ActiveActive

OldOld- Static information- Static information- Static listings- Static listings

PassivePassive

2. It’s not just about the content; it’s about the conversation. You must

make it easier to get there.

Give your audience multiple ways to interact

3. Create a passionate, simple 3. Create a passionate, simple environment that enables and environment that enables and inspires a shared experience.inspires a shared experience.

How can you do this?

• Respond to comments and questions.– Keep your conversations productive and on track.

• Give your customers a reason to register for your site, become a fan of your page, follow you on Twitter, etc.

• Ask your customers for input whenever it’s appropriate.

• Do not judge your audience by a few anonymous comments.

Get off that pedestal…

……and get involved. and get involved.

For your business to thrive in the age of social media, you must learn to

love your audience.

How should you do that? Any way you can.

Get involved in the conversations that happen both on and off your site.

Your audience and consumers are what ultimately make you

special.

fin.

Of course, I have more up my sleeve.

E-mail: dhonigman@webershandwick.comFriendFeed: Friendfeed.com/dan360manTwitter: Twitter.com/dan360manFacebook: Facebook.com/daniel.honigman

And, of course:OldMediaNewTricks.com