Traditional media going more social
Regardless of the person’s title -– whether it’s social media editor or social media director — newsrooms across the country are embracing the art of tweets. The job responsibilities can vary from reporting on social media to utilizing it on behalf of the paper –- but one thing is for sure, social media positions are on the rise. According to an article in Forbes, approximately 200 social media director positions have been created at book publishers, newspapers, magazines and television stations over the last couple of years.
Since July of last year, Ana Cabrera has been writing blog posts and interacting with readers on Facebook and Twitter as social media manager for magazine publisher Northridge Media. But the editorial aspect is just a part of her job. She also helps to strengthen the company’s marketing message as well as the campaigns of its advertisers.
Northridge Media decided to create the position in an effort to connect with readers, Cabrera noted. “Our readers are loyal, and we wanted to get to know them more, to fulfill their needs better. With that connection creates opportunities of course for marketing and for our advertising partners,” she said in an e-mail. “And this is the most exciting part of my job, which is helping to strategize and execute campaigns that include strong social media elements.”
Lynn D. Johnson, senior vice president for social media at the Advertising Research Foundation, told Forbes back in December that news organizations aren’t making any real money off social media directors. “Hiring an SMD is a marketing crap shoot. It’s been likened to the risk model of venture capital, where only a handful of start-ups succeed in a sea of failures,” wrote Forbes reporter Dirk Smillie. “For some media outfits, it’s understood that SMDs are there simply to create conversational marketing — building communities around products.”
Yet according to Jason Falls, principal of Social Media Explorer, a social media and public relations consultancy, having a social media expert in the newsroom is crucial. “With audiences shifting online and increasingly preferring to find their news through social networks, blogs and the like, it’s critical for news outlets to understand and embrace the online consumer culture,” he said in an e-mail.
At Washington Life Magazine, executive editor Michael Clements employs a social media assistant to help him blog and tweet. “It’s the future of and present of journalism and should be a part of every current university media or journalism course,” he said in an e-mail. In fact, the first thing Clements asks when he’s interviewing someone for a job position is the person’s experience in social media.
Although many newsrooms have implemented social media gurus, Cabrera believes the media’s continued struggles deter many other outlets from investing in an “SMD”. “My former employer had me in that position, one that was created for me. And now in this company, I also opened up that position,” she said. “Many of the manufacturers in our vertical are beginning to use social media as a means of connection. But I have not seen many who have a dedicated person, or who are really using social media for the marketing vehicle it can be used for.”
The social media bandwagon still has room and Falls said that more media outlets should be jumping on. If they don’t, they’ll cease to exist. “I think the editors of tomorrow will have to be social media strategists as well as editorial strategists,” he said. Meanwhile, the position of social media director will not only grow, but “will become baked into the DNA” of future journalists. “What we call social media now will be just how content is covered and produced in the future,” he said.
— Katrina M. Mendolera
