Joy Mayer Social Media Workshop #3

Transcript

1. What do you want users to do? joy mayer | joymayer.com | @mayerjoy
2. Let’s start with … we want them to trust us.
3. 32%
4. Trust numbers go up when people are asked to think about a specific news source. — Just 17 percent of Americans say that “thinking of the news media” generally, they have “a lot” of trust in the information they get. — That number jumps to 24 percent when people are asked about the news media they use most often. “My media” vs “the media” — Media Insight Project, 2017
5. TRUSTINGNEWS.ORG We’re studying the cycle of trust. How do news consumers decide what to trust? How do they describe credible news? How does that change for different types of people? What do they say they want, and what do they actually want? What can journalists do in response to all that? (Today, preferably.)
6. In our 8,700+ responses, there was a direct tie between how likely someone is to trust the news and how likely that person is to pay for the news. Earning trust is a business investment. Financial support correlates with trust.
7. “Mainstream media, because of corporate status, have an agenda – they write the article to gain money, get advertising. It’s all about the money.” People make assumptions about our motivations.
8. Perceptions of fairness and bias are all over the place. "Journalists are trained in journalism schools to slant the news.” He likes that Fox includes someone representing both sides of an issue during most of their programming. He doesn't trust CNN, MSNBC, Time, and the NY Times. He thinks they're biased, and completely negative.
9. Much of what people say they want, many of us are doing. But they don’t realize we’re doing it. There’s an information void about US, and we’re not filling it.
10. We have an education problem. A storytelling problem, actually. Don’t let yourself be lumped in with “the media” and the often legitimate complaints people have about journalism. Show readers why you’re worthy of their time, trust and support. Invite them to get to know you.
11. Be distinct from “the media.” Differentiate yourself from the impersonal, generic, misunderstood cultural phenomenon. Communicate your values (and therefore your value). Look for chances to explain your motivation and your goals. Reflect what you know your community values, and demonstrate that you share those values. Also, show that you value their trust. That itself increases trust.
14. Be distinct from “the media.” Say or show things like: We’re your neighbors. We’re rooted here. We’re in this together. We do this because … Our only agenda is to … We know you value this. We do, too. We invest in this type of reporting because ... We are here because ...
15. Tie those messages to revenue. We’re a local business. We employee xx local people. We invest in getting things right. We’ve been documenting life in this town for xx years. Some communities are losing their local newspaper. If you’re glad you still have one, do your part to invest in it.
16. What are the on ramps to subscriptions? What causes people to convert to being a paying print subscriber? Or to subscribing to an email newsletter? Each post is a targeted — not generic — invitation to find value in what you do.
17. How can Facebook make you money? The short answer: It won’t give you the direct feedback that print and newsletters will. Nobody else is paying you for the privilege of reaching your Facebook audience. But you can’t afford to *not* be where your community already is. You need your product to be a central part of community life.
18. How can Facebook make you money? What do you want your community to know about you? What would you put in a mailer? In a radio ad? What would you say at a community meeting? The people you want to subscribe are on Facebook. Treat it like marketing. Each post is an opportunity for you to communicate your value.
19. How can Facebook make you money? Give people things they will be willing to pay for (and remind them why it costs money to provide it). Demonstrate why the community needs you (and remind them why it costs money to provide it).
20. What are the on ramps to subscriptions? Create different shortlinks to your subscription page. Test them on different platforms. Or with different types of messages.
21. What are the on ramps to subscriptions? bit.ly/joysocialsearch — put a plus at the end of any bit.ly link to see metrics.
22. What are the barriers to subscriptions? The barriers to trust? What are the assumptions people make about you? The common complaints? (Don’t focus on the just the loudest, crankiest ones.) What are you doing to address those?
24. COVERED IN THE KCRG Q&A: • ethics (no, we don’t purposefully suppress stories) • process (here’s how we check facts) • news judgment and perceived agendas (here’s how we decide what to cover) • commitment to the local community (we’re raising kids here too)
25. COVERED IN THE KCRG Q&A: • their relationship with national news and with their parent company • balance and fairness (no, those aren’t the same thing, and equal time isn’t always what’s fair) • how investigations work (they take time and often unfold “like layers of an onion”) • why they need viewer’s help to keep a pulse on what needs to be covered
34. We also need them to engage with us.
35. And the comments are our problem, not theirs.
38. HAVE A COMMENT POLICY • Reward productive conversation by liking it, sharing it or responding to it. • Punish offensive conversation by deleting it. But do it transparently, and post a reminder to the thread about your policy. • “Hi, folks. Thanks for the conversation. As a reminder, our policy (include link) prohibits personal attacks. We do that because we know you value civil, respectful discussions. We’ll delete comments that violate the policy.” — Joy Mayer, community editor
39. Let’s talk about Facebook groups
45. FACEBOOK GROUPS • Citizens for Sarasota County • Friendly People of Sarasota County • Sarasota County Citizens • The Celery Fields - Sarasota, Florida
46. FACEBOOK GROUPS • Sarasota free stuff • Totally free stuff Sarasota / Bradenton • Sarasota Buy Sell Trade
47. FACEBOOK GROUPS • SRQ Food • SW Florida Restaurant Review Group • SRQ Applause • BACKSTAGE SARASOTA • Lost and Found Pets 941
48. FACEBOOK GROUPS • I Remember Sarasota • You know you're from Sarasota if ... • If you grew up in Sarasota, FL...then you remember • Sarasota History & the SRQ Quiz
49. FACEBOOK GROUPS • 941 Mommies • Sarasota Families Paying it Forward • Supportive Moms of SWFL • Sarasota Mommy Sale & Trade Page
50. Let’s talk about hosting conversations
51. WHEN TO POST: A QUESTION First ask: — What are you likely to get in response? — Do you want the answers? — Is the question designed to prod people to engage or to enhance actual conversation?
52. BUT FIRST: Make sure you’ll be listening to the answers. That’s not optional.
53. THEN ASK: Is this a question people want to answer? Consider the “universal particular”
55. What does a specific topic or story get people in the mood to talk about?
63. LINKS, HANDOUTS, RESOURCES joymayer.com
64. PRACTICE ASKING QUESTIONS What do you want to ask your community to talk about? Pick two issues likely to spark community conversation, and write a Facebook post for each with a primary goal of hosting conversation. 1. One should be easy — something people are dying to talk about. 2. One should be something you want to learn from them about.