In its news coverage, the Economist takes a step back from the grind of the 24 hour cycle to survey the landscape and reflect. So too with digital strategy. Resisting the temptation to jump on the latest bandwagon, the Economist has thought carefully how online communities and social media can support and enhance its famously high brow and international flavour. Whereas many companies are slaves and followers of the latest fad, the Economist is clearly in control of its online presence.
Unsurprisingly, Mark Johnson, their Community Editor, is discrete, relentlessly well informed and ahead of the curve.
Talking to the Interactive Journalism MA students on Thursday 28th February, Mark explained how the Economist is (successfully, it seems) navigating the murky interface between traditional news organisations and social media.
Images work well
Informative graphics, about national alcohol consumption for instance, play well online. Even better is a witty front cover. ‘The man who screwed an entire country’ went viral, with more than one hundred thousand facebook likes in just a few days.
The core brand
As powerful and popular as twitter and facebook are, the home website remains the main platform. The Economist may have towards one and a half millions facebook likes and have the third most well supported Google Plus page in Europe but the statistic Mark is most interested in the number of referrals to the site.
There are three reasons for this. First, visitors to the main site are more loyal and more likely to subscribe compared with transitory facebook users. Second, it promotes the brand. This is particularly important for the Economist whose reputation and brand are so well known and highly regarded. Third party platforms ultimately operate under their own logo. Finally, you are in charge. Changes on other sites (which you are subject to but have no control over) can have enormous effects. As the Guardian found to its detriment at the end of last year, “Facebook can give you traffic and it can take it away.”
Conference
The Economist aims to become more than a publication. Mark aspires to create something akin to a ‘conference’ (one area of the media that is flourishing). Eventually, he hopes people will subscribe not only for the written articles but for the quality of discussion and the surrounding networks and contacts.
High brow debate
The key to realising this, of course, is to cultivate serious commenting. Social media can sometimes seem like “a race to the bottom” but Mark believes there is real scope for more serious and thoughtful interaction too, like the lengthy Economist debates.
The way to achieve this is by making it as easy to leave comments by stripping away as many technological barriers as possible. The assumption that the serious commenters will take time to subscribe or log in is wrong. Many of the best informed commenters are experts from a particular field who don’t normally contribute. As for trolling and weak comments, there are ways of making them less visible. Besides, Mark says “we should be pleased that we’ve written something that people are interested in.”
Interacting with readers
Monitoring and stimulating debate around an article requires effort by the author. This needn’t be a problem though. If they’ve spent a long time on an article, most writers want to respond to comments anyway, both good and bad. With few bylines, Economist journalists have an additional incentive to promote themselves as individual journalists or columnists.
Use the readers carefully
The Economist doesn’t need readers to verify breaking stories or provide basic information like a daily paper. It still manages to engage and get use from its readers though by asking specific, simple questions. These range from the light hearted caption competition to the slightly more serious and questionably representative what the world thinks. Occasionally it will invite suggestions on specific issues, like an alternative to the Big Mac exchange rate measure. The (best) results are published.
If it’s not working, change strategy or simply cut your losses
Until recently, Economist writers were not allowed to interact with readers’ comments. Now it is crucial. There has been a strategic retreat from pinterest.
Think again about Tumblr
Surprisingly, Tumblr is Mark’s favourite platform. Big in USA and growing here, there is a place for serious content and it’s a good way of connecting with younger readers.
Full time banana enthusiast. Part time subversive