“Social media” seems to be the biggest buzz word right now — but how can your station more effectively use it?

While simply feeding headlines to social media services is a great start and can be very effective at driving traffic to your site, users expect more.
One great strategy is to offer your social media friends and followers exclusive content. This might mean an early look at what’s coming up on newscasts and station talent appearances. You can also give social media followers the opportunity to participate in special surveys, polls, contests or giveaways. Also, consider posting behind-the-scene photos of reporters on the scene of stories, taken with a mobile device, as well as links to sources for more information on stories.

Remember that the folks who chose to connect with you on social media tend to be avid fans of your station and are also a great opportunity for word-of-mouth goodwill, so make sure they feel appreciated and valued.

Reporters may also find social media users to be a useful place to start when searching for story sources, especially when something offbeat is needed, and simply post such a request to your station’s various social media accounts.

It’s also important to engage fans using social media. Your social media accounts should be a two-way street, providing users with as much opportunity to interact with the station as possible. If someone asks a question or comments on a story or post, try to provide your own feedback. Users will appreciate that you’re not just a “silent” account.

Also consider how you want to handle your talents’ social media presences. Some talent may elect to set up and maintain their own accounts and it’s a good idea to work with them to make sure the account is mutually beneficial to them and the station, and avoiding any conflicts of interest or other ethical issues.

NewscastTip is a weekly column with tips for your newscasts. See past editions here. The column is available every Friday in our e-mail newsletter and posted here the following Wednesday. Sign up for the newsletter to get it delivered directly to your in box every week.

Michael P. Hill is founder and publisher of NewscastStudio. Contact him with your own tips and feedback.