Focus On Communication Newsletter
January 2009
Building a New Media Strategy that Works
Ask any expert why it’s important for companies to participate in new media, and they will all give you the same answer: it’s where the customers are. And while it’s easy to put a blog on your Web site or launch a Facebook page, these tactics don’t mean a thing unless you have a strategy.
New media strategies start with taking a step back and determining why you need to go digital. In short, do your homework. Take a look at your customers’ purchase process – are they making decisions on their own, chatting with others? And really understand the scope of what’s already being said about you online, which often can be an eye-opening experience that can help dictate your new media approach. Then look at what your competitors are putting out there so you can recognize how to stand out in the often-cluttered new media space.
Once you’ve done this due diligence, it’s much easier to identify your objectives, audiences, and messages. But don’t be surprised if these elements aren’t all that different from your core communications objectives, audiences and messages. For example, because people today are branching out in the ways they absorb information, it is not always an entirely new audience you are reaching through new media.
Finally, know what you want to get out of a new media program. And remember, success isn’t just getting out there with a blog – it’s bringing your customers into a two-way conversation so they’re truly engaged with your brand. So think in terms of goals for online reputation management or customer touches.
New media is quickly becoming more influential in how the world sends and receives information. But don’t get caught up in the tactics – staying true to “the big picture” is what really makes a new media program successful.
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Harnessing Social Media to Drive Reach
In the age of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and YouTube, the quantity and variety of social media outlets seem endless. The proliferation of social media has truly changed the landscape of information sharing. Now more than ever, individuals are creating, distributing, absorbing, and searching for information at astonishing rates. Understanding where information comes from, how it is imparted, and how it can change in an instant are becoming increasingly more relevant as more and more people turn to social media.
In this ever-changing landscape, it can be overwhelming to manage all of the opportunities social media offers, especially for professionals with limited to no prior experience with new media tools. While you may not be ready to dive head-first into the social media scene, there are ways to get your feet wet while learning about the available tools and also driving reach for your company or program.
Select a handful of different tools and do some basic research on your company and your competitors. For example, do a quick search of the blogosphere, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube by identifying key terms or phrases. What is being said or shared? Determining the topics of conversation, as well as who is saying them and where, is essential in recognizing the need to join in. Starting small – whether it is commenting on blog posts, submitting a response to a viral video, or creating a social networking group for your organization – will make the foray into social media more manageable.
Even if you are still not ready to commit to social media, there is one thing you should be doing – monitoring social media. Monitor what is being said and shared as much as possible to have a better understanding of what you can do in the future. Read consumers’ blogs, follow industry players on Twitter, or join conversations in MySpace portals. Understanding a variety of tools will assist you in harnessing them and using them for your own purposes down the line.
Back to Top
Measuring New Media
Page views, click-throughs, visitors per month – the list goes on and on. What does it all mean in the realm of measuring the impact of new media? With so many different types of new media available for use, not to mention such a vast amount of new media users, it’s often difficult to get a good grasp on your impact.
Unfortunately for traditional media aficionados, there isn’t a true black-and-white scale for measuring new media results. It’s a sliding scale, dependent on multiple variables, from the type of media to the total number of users. And while those numbers provide a good baseline read, making sure you’ve reached the right audience, delivered the right messages, and driven some kind of action – whether it’s an initial inquiry or a final sale – are even more important.
For example, although 10,000 people viewed your YouTube video, did it generate a bump in Web traffic? How long did each individual who commented on your blog post stay on the Web page? Understanding these nuances of new media often requires thinking outside the box and embracing new techniques, such as online measurement portals or downloadable software. It also requires a more detailed definition of the goal of new media. Rather than just wanting people to read your story and absorb your message, perhaps you want them to share it with friends. Or, maybe your goal is to increase traffic to a site or increase contest submissions.
Embracing different types of measurement, aside from the typical quantitative or qualitative evaluation, can put the impact of new media into an entirely new light. The possibilities are vast for the delivery of your message via new media and the impact of that message itself.
Back to Top
Building a New Media Strategy that Works
Ask any expert why it’s important for companies to participate in new media, and they will all give you the same answer: it’s where the customers are. And while it’s easy to put a blog on your Web site or launch a Facebook page, these tactics don’t mean a thing unless you have a strategy.
New media strategies start with taking a step back and determining why you need to go digital. In short, do your homework. Take a look at your customers’ purchase process – are they making decisions on their own, chatting with others? And really understand the scope of what’s already being said about you online, which often can be an eye-opening experience that can help dictate your new media approach. Then look at what your competitors are putting out there so you can recognize how to stand out in the often-cluttered new media space.
Once you’ve done this due diligence, it’s much easier to identify your objectives, audiences, and messages. But don’t be surprised if these elements aren’t all that different from your core communications objectives, audiences and messages. For example, because people today are branching out in the ways they absorb information, it is not always an entirely new audience you are reaching through new media.
Finally, know what you want to get out of a new media program. And remember, success isn’t just getting out there with a blog – it’s bringing your customers into a two-way conversation so they’re truly engaged with your brand. So think in terms of goals for online reputation management or customer touches.
New media is quickly becoming more influential in how the world sends and receives information. But don’t get caught up in the tactics – staying true to “the big picture” is what really makes a new media program successful.
Back to Top
Harnessing Social Media to Drive Reach
In the age of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and YouTube, the quantity and variety of social media outlets seem endless. The proliferation of social media has truly changed the landscape of information sharing. Now more than ever, individuals are creating, distributing, absorbing, and searching for information at astonishing rates. Understanding where information comes from, how it is imparted, and how it can change in an instant are becoming increasingly more relevant as more and more people turn to social media.
In this ever-changing landscape, it can be overwhelming to manage all of the opportunities social media offers, especially for professionals with limited to no prior experience with new media tools. While you may not be ready to dive head-first into the social media scene, there are ways to get your feet wet while learning about the available tools and also driving reach for your company or program.
Select a handful of different tools and do some basic research on your company and your competitors. For example, do a quick search of the blogosphere, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube by identifying key terms or phrases. What is being said or shared? Determining the topics of conversation, as well as who is saying them and where, is essential in recognizing the need to join in. Starting small – whether it is commenting on blog posts, submitting a response to a viral video, or creating a social networking group for your organization – will make the foray into social media more manageable.
Even if you are still not ready to commit to social media, there is one thing you should be doing – monitoring social media. Monitor what is being said and shared as much as possible to have a better understanding of what you can do in the future. Read consumers’ blogs, follow industry players on Twitter, or join conversations in MySpace portals. Understanding a variety of tools will assist you in harnessing them and using them for your own purposes down the line.
Back to Top
Measuring New Media
Page views, click-throughs, visitors per month – the list goes on and on. What does it all mean in the realm of measuring the impact of new media? With so many different types of new media available for use, not to mention such a vast amount of new media users, it’s often difficult to get a good grasp on your impact.
Unfortunately for traditional media aficionados, there isn’t a true black-and-white scale for measuring new media results. It’s a sliding scale, dependent on multiple variables, from the type of media to the total number of users. And while those numbers provide a good baseline read, making sure you’ve reached the right audience, delivered the right messages, and driven some kind of action – whether it’s an initial inquiry or a final sale – are even more important.
For example, although 10,000 people viewed your YouTube video, did it generate a bump in Web traffic? How long did each individual who commented on your blog post stay on the Web page? Understanding these nuances of new media often requires thinking outside the box and embracing new techniques, such as online measurement portals or downloadable software. It also requires a more detailed definition of the goal of new media. Rather than just wanting people to read your story and absorb your message, perhaps you want them to share it with friends. Or, maybe your goal is to increase traffic to a site or increase contest submissions.
Embracing different types of measurement, aside from the typical quantitative or qualitative evaluation, can put the impact of new media into an entirely new light. The possibilities are vast for the delivery of your message via new media and the impact of that message itself.
Back to Top
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