The explosion in social media over the past couple of years has resulted in a requirement for leading international brands and businesses to increasingly view themselves as publishers, as they clamour for the attention of their core demographics on social networks.
Whereas in the past, it was only the largest brands that had corporate publications or magazines, with the explosion and adoption of social networks like Facebook and Twitter, brands of all sizes have established platforms for broadcast and conversation. In other words, they have become publishers.
Whilst many of the larger and more pioneering brands have indeed established specific editorial teams or invested in online PR or social media agency expertise to manage the content that is broadcast to their fans and followers through social media channels, this remains the exception rather than the rule. Although brands have quickly recognised the value of social media marketing, few have yet fully embraced the crucial editorial requirements that can help elevate their social media marketing from a functional level, to a an effective and efficient method of communication and conversation with their fans and followers.
The editorial management of social media should not be viewed that differently to editing a magazine, newspaper or television programme. If you are a large brand with a million followers on Facebook for instance, there is an absolute requirement to keep those fans interested. Brands need to curate and provide interesting content. They need to find a consistent tone of voice. They need to engage effectively with their fans. As with more traditional publishing such as magazines or newspapers, if the content is not hitting the right notes, if it does not respond to what the readers ask for and engage or entertain, it risks losing those readers to a rival. The same is absolutely true in terms of brand's social media presences.
Just as the traditional publishing world has suffered audience decline through the increased competition offered by a fragmenting media market, the same is rapidly becoming true in the world of social media. If as a brand, you have converted a fan through Facebook for example, you have to nurture that fan and grow your relationship with them or risk losing them to a competitor brand.
With an increasing number of brands building their social media presences, there is an increasing level of choice for consumers. Realistically, consumers are not going to be-friend every brand they vaguely like. They are going to cherry pick the very best, so if as a brand, you want to ensure it is your status updates that are filling your user's news feeds, you need to quickly recognise that your role is one of publisher.