Local stations are looking more and more to reaching out to viewers however they can find them - who are sometimes not viewers at all, but mobile phone users and Facebook fans. In Station Summit’s session, “Out-Promote, Out-Market & Outsmart, Online,” four representatives from local stations will present successful strategies and promotions they’ve used online to drive viewers on air.

Kathy Haley, publisher of NewsCheckMedia, sat down with Brief this week before her session at Station Summit to address the biggest trends and strategies in online marketing for local stations today. One of which, she said, is breaking news to viewers wherever they already are. “It’s a mistake to save breaking news for on air,” Haley said.

Using the 24-hour web for breaking news and pushing viewers for more in-depth content on TV is lesson number one. Local stations’ websites, Twitter accounts, Facebook pages and mobile phone push alerts should be used to keep people updated on important news, according to Haley. The trick is getting them to tune in later that night for the full report. “They should be there for you on your phone, desktop, then TV set - in that order,” she said. “Serve your audience however they want to find you.”

She also noted that it’s only natural for people to look into news on phones and online - if something comes up down the street and people want to know about it, they tend to automatically go to their phone in their pocket. If local stations aren’t there, promoting that night’s newscast to learn more, they’re missing the boat.

More than anything else, this trend gives stations more platforms to reach out to for loyal viewer engagement. “Mobile is a huge opportunity for local stations,” she said. “It’s turning news reporting into an interactive process.” And this, in turn, gives creative services and promotions teams a whole new opportunity as well. It’s becoming all about making sure viewers know that your station is where they go for news - however that might be.

And in the end, it’s about making sure that everyone in the newsroom is tweeting, Facebook posting and updating news online. On-air is no longer a focus for local newsrooms, and if they want to keep viewers coming back, it can’t be.

Tags:


  Save as PDF