Through The Marketing Lens: The Social Experience of Today’s News

By Yosef Solomon on Mar 1, 2010

For those of you who are like me and enjoy being the news source for all your co-workers, friends and family, then this article is definitely for you. In the last few years we’ve experienced a shift in how we get our daily news. We can all agree that the newspaper medium is quickly phasing out and digital news will continue to dominate.

That being said, the socialization of news is quickly gaining popularity and allowing citizens to be journalists. From micro-blogging (i.e. Twitter) to video recording on your mobile device, large news corporations are utilizing consumer coverage. For instance, after the US Airways plane landed in the Hudson River, the first picture surfaced was on Twitter before any other news site. There are countless other examples depicting citizen journalism and user generated news . One major sign of the times is how news stations are now asking viewers to tweet their photos into news stations for exclusive content.

One of the greatest benefits of Social Media in the news is the ability to shape what you want to see. Social Media ultimately levels the playing field and with the right amount of momentum your online campaign can make national news. The best example of this occurred earlier this year with the infamous “Balloon Boy” fiasco. Most of you already know the story, but I just want to emphasize the power of Social Media here. The speed in which this event spread across the world via the internet was amazing. Imagine if this event occurred 10 years ago without the power of social media. Sites like Digg and StumbleUpon have been major game changers for today’s news and now larger publications have resident Social Media Strategist that make sure their content goes viral (See New York Times)

So what? You might ask, “Why is it important to know how news is created?” How could this benefit you right? Well, the answer is… it all depends. Whether you want to promote an event or make national news with your newest product, Social Media has given you the power back to the citizen. However, it’s on you to make sure the content is distributed efficiently and effectively. Knowing the right people is still important in getting your news out there, but Social Media has definitely changed the game.

One byproduct that carries these same values is Viral Videos. They’ve been able to increase brand awareness, with very little money and resources. One trend I’ve seen in the past few years is the embracing of viral videos by small and local companies. The investment is small and the potential to gain national news coverage is big. In general, the more brands involve themselves with news and social media, the more relevant and appealing they’ll become to potential customers/clients.