Do you have a social media strategy in place? It’s easy to use social media to grow your digital magazine – just as long as you’ve got the right plan.
What kind of social media strategy is best for digital publishers? Glad you asked.
Social Media Strategy for Digital Magazine Publishers
In order to use social media to grow your digital magazine, you need to have a clear understanding of the latest technologies and social platforms. Choosing the right platforms to use for marketing is just as important as knowing how to use those platforms correctly.
According to recent statistics, Facebook is the most widely used social media website among adults in the United States. Nearly 70% of adults say they use the platform, making Facebook an excellent place to begin if you’re looking to use social media to grow your digital magazine. YouTube is another popular online platform, as are Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.
Of those platforms, Instagram and Snapchat are two of the most popular channels among consumers between the ages of 18 and 24. Is that the reader demographic that you’re trying to target? If so, then these are the social media platforms your publication should be on. If you’re going after a slightly older demographic, then platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are better alternatives.
An effective social media strategy for digital publishers should do the following:
- Optimize the use of social channels
- Drive interest in your publication
- Expand your reach through two-way communication
- Reduce overall paid marketing costs
Social Media Strategy Template
Ready to get started using social media to grow your digital magazine? A typical strategy includes the following sections:
- Platform selection – As we mentioned above, the first step in using social media to grow your digital magazine is to choose the right platforms. Posting content on a platform that none of your readers use will take you on a path to nowhere. Use market research and audience polling to discover which platforms will deliver the greatest ROI.
- Create a content calendar – You know which platforms you want to use, now how do you plan to use them? Developing a content calendar is a great way keep track of the content you’re uploading to each social channel. This decreases redundancy and repetition, and it can be useful to ensure there aren’t any accidental lulls when you’ve forgotten to post. Many digital publishers will use social media scheduling tools to automate the process of uploading content to multiple channels each day.
- Engage with your audience – Social media is social. People go on platforms like Facebook and Twitter to engage. If you want to use social media to grow your digital magazine, then you should expect to participate in conversations and reply to the comments posted by your readers. On platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn, especially, it’s a good idea to follow industry players to learn from the strategies they’re using to actively keep their followers engaged.
- Build real relationships – Social media gives digital publishers an opportunity to bond with their readers in a way that’s challenging on a traditional website. As a publisher, you should be following and engaging with your readers, as well as potential sources, advertisers, and industry influencers. Like, share, and comment on the content they post. Developing real connections is an important part of growing your following on social media.
- Watch the metrics — How is your social media strategy paying off? If you’re not tracking key metrics, then you likely have no idea. Instead of focusing solely on the number of followers and page likes, keep tabs on engagement and watch how your content is being received by your core audience. If the articles you post are generating likes, comments, and shares, then that’s a sign that you’re doing something right. Also keep in mind that it takes time to grow your audience on social media, and whether you’re trending upwards or downwards matters more than how many followers you have at any point in time.
There is no one-size-fits-all strategy when it comes to using social media to grow your digital magazine. As long as you’re continuing to refine your social strategy, with periodic reviews and updates, you will eventually start to see the growth that you’re looking for.
