By Ted Spiker, Chair of Journalism, University of Florida

These days, the media world often feels like a fitting room: Try this, try that, ooh that looks good, I hate the way this fits, can I see that in a different style? 

Our rapidly changing journalism, storytelling, and content creation environment includes different genres, platforms, lengths, and skill sets. As we develop specializations in certain subjects (sports, the environment, politics, etc.) or certain forms (audio, video, TikTok, writing, etc.), we must also be nimble enough to learn and deliver many kinds of digital journalism and storytelling. 

Depending on their career goals and stage, students looking to expand their skill sets will venture into a world where they will learn how to strategically and smartly report and tell stories that matter to their audiences and communities. 

As the future changes at Autobahn-like speeds, it’s difficult to know exactly what you will need five years from now (let alone five minutes from now). But when I talk to students about jobs in these fields, I tend to lump the necessary skill sets into two big buckets: 

Digital Journalism: Tangible Skills

Above all, we need journalism students to be able to report. You should be able to find information vital to your community using such methods as interviewing various sources and searching public records. 

What will separate your stories from others in a noisy, chaotic, infinite-information ecosystem? Original information. Related, we need people with creative skills in idea generation — ranging from sniffing out leads in accountability reporting to coming up with engaging listicles that direct traffic to a site. 

 A versatile journalist will certainly be able to write well (with style, clarity, and compelling language) and present stories in visual/video, audio, and social-media formats. 

More and more, data journalism and understanding analytics will become a required skill rather than a boutique one. Of course, within those big-themed skill sets, there are nuances and variations. Ideally, students develop deep skills in one or two areas but also have the versatility to perform many. 

Intangible Skills 

Yes, the X factor matters. What makes you stand out? What makes you thrive? What makes your work product strong enough to satisfy not only your team but also the communities you’re serving? In many ways, they’re similar to those necessary to perform well in many industries (we don’t love deadline-breakers and people who take 17 days to reply to an email). 

 But here are some of the ones that stand out: 

Attention to Detail: Accuracy and precision matter, and when we get facts wrong (no matter how minor), we lose the trust of our communities. 

Curiosity: We ask questions. We want to learn. And we want to bring the answers we find to a larger audience. 

 Adaptability: The point of knowing a lot of different storytelling methods isn’t necessarily to know the software, shortcuts, and keystrokes. It’s to embrace the notion that you are not a one-trick storyteller — that you can learn, pivot, experiment, and do the core work of journalism, no matter the format. 

And no matter if journalism looks very different tomorrow than it does today. 

The post The Skills You Need for Digital Journalism and Storytelling  appeared first on UF CJC Online Master's.

August 27, 2020

By now you’ve likely heard of the social media app taking the world by storm – TikTok. Even with the uncertain future of the app in mind, TikTok has highlighted the power of earned media, a type of media published by an outside third party about a specific brand or product.

The app’s “For You Page” offers curated content specific to each user’s interests, previously liked videos, accounts followed and more. Because users frequently see content from creators they aren’t following, the platform gives anyone the chance to go viral. For users who use the platform to share their favorite products and recent purchases, the fact that they aren’t being compensated to promote the product gives them a level of authenticity many influencers lack. 

Since companies aren’t paying for this content or creating it themselves, it falls into the category of earned media. As one of the most trusted and hardest to obtain types of media, earned media is leading to the rise and fall of many brands on TikTok. From skincare to LED light strips, earned media generated on TikTok are causing products to sell out across the nation. 

One example of this phenomenon is how one user’s video spurred the sale of 52,000 units of The Ordinary’s AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution. In late January, TikTok user @kaelynwhitee posted a video documenting her skin transformation from using the weekly peel serum. Kaelyn’s video includes before and after pictures of her skin demonstrating how much the product helped with acne and scarring. 

Product Review on Sephora

To date, Kae’s video has amassed over 637,000 likes and one million views. According to InStyle, a representative for the beauty brand attributed Kae’s TikTok to the sale of 52,000 units of the serum in two weeks. 

As shown by Kae’s viral video, earned media doesn’t have to come directly from news outlets to make an impact on your brand. In fact, earned media can be even more powerful when coming from someone similar to yourself. According to HubSpot Research, 57% of individuals in the U.S. trust their friends and family most when they discover a new product or company. 

For brands looking to increase their earned media, it’s important to acknowledge the role of social media. Regardless of which social networking platform, users frequently build a sense of trust with one another when it comes to which brands to buy from, explaining the rise in influencer marketing. Outside of maintaining an active social media presence, there are a few best practices to follow for increased earned media opportunities. 

Create an Experience Worth Sharing

During every stage of the marketing funnel, customers are observing your brand and making unconscious notes about their experience. Enhance their experience from start to finish with engaging targeted ads, social media content worth sharing and a product worth purchasing over the rest. Consumers notice everything from messaging to packaging, so give them a meaningful experience worthy of sharing on social media.  

Build Relationships with your Customers

Social media was built on the preface of building relationships with users across the globe. For companies looking to make an impression on their consumers, it’s crucial to engage with them on social media. Show your customers that you care about them by replying to comments, answering direct messages and asking for their input on your brand and products. Doing so demonstrates your commitment to their experience and gives them a positive impression of your organization that they are more willing to share with others. 

Though earned media is seemingly out of your brand’s control, it is entirely possible to position yourself for more earned media opportunities. TikTok serves as a reminder for communications professionals to look outside of influencer marketing and take a step towards creating an experience that everyone will want to promote, not just those being paid to do so.

The post TikTok Revived Earned Media – and How to Do the Same for your Brand appeared first on UF CJC Online Master's.

By Angel Burns

Yes, you have heard of it, but do you use it? Do you use it for business? Besides making pretty collections of pictures, how can you market your brand with it?
Pinterest is one of the main social media platforms today, but less familiar to most than Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram and SnapChat. Still it is the 6th most popular according to DreamGrow (November, 2017), and an expected growing platform as 2018 Social Media Marketing Trends show its increase as personalized content.
Because it is a lesser-used platform, Pinterest could be your green pasture to till for fresh leads.
Let’s look at what it is, how it works, and finally, how it can work for your business interests.
First comes appreciating its appeal, reviewing its capabilities, then comes the strategy.

Did you know?

Deciding to market on Pinterest means considering its demographics. According to Pinterest stats (Omnicore, 2018):
• over 30% of all U.S. social media users are Pinterest users
• 81% of users are FEMALE (although 40% of new signups are male)
• 67% users are under 40
• MILLENNIALS use Pinterest as much as Instagram
• Pinterest generates over 5% of all website referral traffic
• 80% of users access it from mobile devices
• 2/3 of all pins represent brands and products
• 93% of active pinners use it for purchase planning
• 87% have bought something because of Pinterest!

Just take a moment to let those numbers sink in. This is a huge captive market!

Another important Omnicore statistic shows that most users have healthy incomes: half earn over $50K per year, and 10% make over $125 per year. This may qualify your target market too.
If this gets your urge to sell going, let’s understand how the platform works.

The basics:

Pinterest began in March 2010 and is headquartered in San Francisco. It charming history by cofounders Ben Silbermann, Evan Sharp and Paul Sciarra has turned them into billionaires.
Pinterest is a scrapbooking platform that allows users to clip, or “pin,” found images to a collection, or “board,” for later review. The boards can be shared publicly or with followers, and each image can also direct viewers to websites, for more information or purchase.
Available as a mobile app as well as a desktop application, the first step is to create a profile for business.
Pinning can begin by browsing Pinterest by subject or simply exploring, clicking on images to add to your own boards. These can be named and groups according to topic, and hidden for privacy. From there they can be shared.
Brands will want to create their own pins to populate their boards, and test engagement by subtopic and image.
The biggest draw to using Pinterest, particularly for product sales, is with BUYABLE PINS. With this feature, viewers can not only save favorite pins but swipe up to see an item’s price and drop it into a shopping cart right from the platform!
Note that sellers must get approved by Pinterest to have buyable pins, and then it takes about a week for their board to activate. You must have a Pinterest business account to be considered, but good news: these are FREE and offer analytics.

Here’s how to set this all up:

• Business accounts: https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7552-pinterest-business-guide.html
• Buyable pins: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/social-business/how-setup-buyable-pins-sell-products-direct-pinterest

Also, sellers can advertise these pins with featured paid ads known as Promoted Pins, to get more viewing. Expand reach, without annoying potential customers with distracting intrusive ads. Choosing pins to promote should involve some strategic considerations.

Now, sellers can connect with influencers to create campaigns using Promoted Pins:

Consider the three types of Promoted Pin Campaigns: Traffic, Engagement and Awareness.

Since most customers access Pinterest on mobile devices in addition to computers, they can use Apple Pay or a credit card to complete the transaction. The best part is that sellers don’t lose a cut of the sale to Pinterest: they get to keep the whole amount! Zounds! I mean, $$$$!

Brand examples:

There are brand success stories to emulate.

These are favorites that may be familiar: Six consumer brands with picture-perfect Pinterest strategies

It’s always good to see how other successfully gain followers and create engagement. Check out some top Influencer boards to learn from. Notice how compelling imagery is used to share links and consistency creates expert curator status upon the best pinners.

Not all are static product shots. There are advice tips, quotes, how-tos, detailed and behind-the-scenes angles of events; anything to serve as inspiration. Consider ideas that SELL.

Links shared can be to blog posts, to websites to build email marketing lists, or best of all, e-commerce shops for processing sales directly.

Strategy:

Source: https://goo.gl/images/pXiDik

Anna Bennett is a Pinterest Marketing Expert, chosen by Pinterest itself as an Elite Business coach. Using Pinterest to rank number one on Google, she offers marketing and coaching services (https://www.whiteglovesocialmedia.com/pinterest-marketing-for-business/), plus is the author of the Pinterest Marketing for Business Master Course and How to Become a Pinterest Account Manager. She lives by the motto: “Those on the top of the mountain did not fall there.”

Here’s Bennett’s illustrious advice:

“It is very important to realize that Pinterest is not a social media website like Facebook, it is a search engine like Google. People go on Pinterest to plan, look for solutions or look for things to buy.

Therefore, it is vital to identify who your target audience is and what their needs & problems are. Ask yourself “am I creating content that connects with my target audience by helping them achieve their goals or solve one or more of their most pressing problems?’”

So, she is saying to become customer outcome-focused, so your pins will be relevant. Also, since Pinterest is a search engine, keywords are vital to being found.

Here’s an in-depth article on keywording: Pinterest Search – 11 Smart Places to Use Keywords for Better SEO

Keep in mind places Pinterest utilizes keywords: username, profile/business name (the one customers are most familiar with) and About section. Choosing the correct category is important too.

New features to integrate:

Bennett explains the Pinterest LENS:

“The visual lens is a camera located on the right side of the Pinterest Search bar on your mobile device. When you take a picture using the visual lens Pinterest will then show you other ideas inspired by the picture you took. Visual searches on their (Pinterest) platform have increased 74% year-over-year.”

Imagine…with so many using their mobile phone as a camera, it is becoming a primary search tool and a better one, for showing not just products, but ideas how to use them. *HINT, HINT!

Bennett continues with a caution:
“A second thing, according to Pinterest is that the advertising is going to be less and less about keywords or interests to target. Instead, it’ll be about using visual signals behind the scenes to create more useful, relevant and results-driven advertising.”

Anna forecasts this as, “very powerful for verticals like home decor and fashion.”

Leveraging Pinterest for best engagement and brand awareness:

The first step is having quality pins that people want to save and share.

• Canva is a FREE software tool, that helps with content-creation. It available as an app on iTunes, making professional looking pins with stock images, graphics, templates and free icons with a drag-and-drop method that lets you use your own images too.(Now you won’t need to hire a graphic designer!)

Engagement depends on frequent consistent posts, and luckily there are scheduling tools to help with that. The top ones are:

• Tailwind
• ViralTag
• Hootsuite
• Buffer
• Boardbooster This one creates secret boards that no one can see or access, but your collected pins on one board can then be individually scheduled to a public board. It’s free for the first 100 scheduled pins and then either plans start at $5/month to schedule 500. You can loop pins to re-pin old ones to the same board, while automatically deleting lesser performing ones. Especially helpful is testing for broken links and duplicates, to improve pin quality.

With so many tools to automate the process, and a burgeoning market interest, Pinterest could be the next big thing for marketing your brand. Pin and profit!

Source: https://goo.gl/images/QePnoY

About the Author: Angel Burns is a photographic artist and film producer, from Los Angeles. She holds a B.A. degree in Advertising & Public Relations, and is pursuing a Master of Arts in Mass Communication at the University of Florida. In her free time, she can be found cheering for her two performing daughters, or roaming the globe.

Other recommended readings:

Pin Your Way To Success: How Pinterest Is Changing The Game For Marketers

Why You Need To Know Your Audience

The post How to Use Pinterest in 2018… for Profit! appeared first on UF CJC Online Master's.