Every other day you’ll read about how blogs are dead and social is over. That may be true as we know it.
On the other hand, it might just be that digital communications are leaving the crawling stage and beginning to toddle.
Growing up is hard to do, with stops and starts, but it’s progress.
I have been a skeptic at times, because I could not see how the time investment would pay off for most working people. However, with the new tools available, it’s reached the tipping point for me – in favor of maintaining blogs and social connections.
As most of you know, I am the editor of a new magazine, SW Montana Magazine. It’s a multimedia digital magazine with an upbeat point of view and a hunger for news that includes stories that often don’t get into print.
This is a giant experiment, taking what I’ve learned from the last several years of intense research and study of digital marketing, and applying it to test the theory.
The theory is that today’s marketing focuses on GIVING before you start asking. PROVIDING VALUE first. This fits with my personal beliefs and I’m hoping it proves true.
Traditionally, magazines and newspapers have had to line up advertisers first, and with enough advertisers, they had room for editorial or articles. Few advertisers? Few articles. Print is expensive. However, just like in the ebook debate, there is still a place for print, but it’s not always the best SINGLE channel for news distribution.
To expand their reach, traditional publications added ONLINE versions, often with little success.
WHY?
It’s like strapping an engine on your bicycle. You might get it to work, but it’s going to be ugly, awkward and inefficient.
SW Montana Magazine is different, as it’s built from the ground up as a digital publication, incorporating all the newest channels for promotion and connection into its very design.
No retro-fits to try to be current. We are current.
How does this tie into social and blogs not being dead? Well – reporters, editors and writers like myself are looking for STORIES! I am passionate about promoting good news in Montana.
My time, like yours, is limited. So I look for material people are talking about, rather than going door-to-door trying to solicit information – I don’t have the time to do that (although I bet I’d find some great stories!).
Where do I look? I subscribe to RSS feeds from blogs and updates, I follow people on Twitter. I even publish a daily digest of Tweets from people I follow.
What if you are the person who gave up on Twitter, never “got it” or only blogs once a month about your weekend party, or worse, has a static website that never updates?
You
won’t
be
included.
Don’t blame me – what’s true for me is true for every writer/reporter/blogger out there.
Think about it this way – if your business, profession, invention, creations are NOT IMPORTANT ENOUGH for you to talk about, why would I be interested?
I am sitting on a GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY for the people who are ready. I am offering FREE COVERAGE – all you have to be is interesting to our readers, willing to share and consistent with our content guidelines. Not everything submitted will be published (we do have standards) but WHO ELSE IS GIVING YOU THIS CHANCE for just a bit of effort on your part?
Someone else out there may be looking for a story to write about, a story you can tell, but how will they ever know? They’ll only know if YOU do your part.
And if you have a story, want to write an article, or think you might be newsworthy, contact me at the magazine. I really, really want to hear from you!
Don’t bury your message just because when you tried to blog or tweet last year nothing happened. Social isn’t a one-shot deal, but it’s certainly not dead.
