|
|
|
It never hurts to remind your readers online and in print to find you on Facebook and Twitter.
WHAT HE DID: Gregory Mathis, editor-in-chief of GateHouse Media New England's South and Cape units (about 40 weeklies) wrote an editorial reminding readers they can find their community newspapers on Facebook and Twitter.
From Mathis, about what inspired him to write the column: "First, I think we've been doing a really good job in the last three months growing our Facebook audience. We're starting to see some real good interaction and the number of fans, likes, comments, Sharing is good motivation for the newsroom to remain active and think of Facebook beyond something that has to be done twice a day.
"Second, I've really embraced the idea that we can grow our audience outside of our main products - the newspaper and the website. I like the idea of building our brand through social media and if we can get that audience to our newspaper or website fine, but if not, that's OK too.
"Third, social media is a really good reporting tool. If done right, it can help journalist with story ideas, track down sources for stories, and especially the Facebook crowd loves to share photos, so that's really good for our reader involvement mission. Plus it's a good way to get our stories, photos and other content out to more people. We need to sell what we're doing better if we want to get noticed in this highly digital age. So the more we can promote our good work, the more people will see it.
"I haven't had any direct response from readers, but I'm hoping the column translates into more Facebook Likes and people finding us on Twitter. If anything, it serves as a reminder to the editors and reporters who happen to read my column that social media is an important aspect of our jobs. So hopefully it's motivating them to pay more attention to those areas."
THE TAKEAWAY: It's a good idea to remind your readers - and your newsrooms - that you are on Facebook and Twitter, and why. It shows transparency, and could drive new fans and followers.
GateHouse Media News & Interactive Division staff post best practices on social media uses, as well as information on the newest technology newspapers can use in the social media space.
