By Allan Maurer

If you’re still working on your business social media strategy, you’re not alone. “Everyone is figuring this out,” says Alexandra Nicholson, manager, Social Media Strategist for USA TODAY’s Digital Marketing team. “Don’t be afraid to talk to peers,” she suggests.

USA Today recently announced it was shifting resources to place more emphasis on its digital properties, and while it’s too early to comment much on what that means for the national daily, Nicholson says, “It will be nice to have additional people join the team.

USA Today is far from a stranger to the digital world. It was the first newspaper to allow reader comments on stories online, Nicholson says.

USA Today also allows online readers to connect with each other, “So we have a lot of deep connections,” she says.

Twitter validated as news source

The newspaper also manages a Facebook page and more than 100 Twitter accounts, including various sections of the paper and individual reporter accounts.

The increasing use of Twitter showed during the recent Winter Olympics, where every USA Today reporter covering the events tweeted, compared to the Beijing Olympics, where only one used Twitter, Nicholson says.

Two events helped put Twitter on the leading edge of journalistic reporting, she notes. The first was the “Miracle on the Hudson,” where some of the first images from the downed jet aircraft appeared via Twitter. Then, the “Green Revolution” in Iran further validated the social networking site as a news source.

Journalists still necessary

Nicholson points out that we still need professional reporters to validate and report the whole story beyond Twitter’s 140 character tidbits.

“You need a critical eye pulling the elements together,” she says. Despite the troubles in the traditional news industry, Nicholson says, I don”t think changes in journalism will be “as drastic as people think. The media may change, but journalism is a very powerful thing and it isn’t going away.”

Looking ahead Nicholson says “I don’t know what’s next” in social media, but says, “It’s up to consumers and marketers and media to be nimble. You don’t want to be left behind.”

Nicholson says the current increase in dedicated social media positions is a temporary thing. “Right now a lot of companies need a dedicated person to think about these things and educate the rest of the company. So we’re seeing a lot of people in marketing, editorial and IT taken out of those roles and put into social media roles. But I think we’ll see it integrated naturally back into marketing, IT and communications.”

Her advice to how to use social media for business:

“Do what makes sense for you. It may not be for you. Talk to your peers. You don’t have to do this blindly. Everyone is figuring this out. Experiment a little. If something didn’t work, it didn’t work.”

She says the worst scenario she sees is when a company executes a large, expensive media campaign that doesn’t make sense for the brand, then never goes back.

Finally, she adds, “Mistakes happen. Just make sure they’re not big ones.”

Nicholson is also a longtime food blogger for the BrightestYoungThings.com site, where she is food editor. So we asked her where a good place is to take clients in DC.

“I’m a traditionalist,” she says, “So I’d say Old Ebbitt Grill near the White House, where she recommends the oysters. The place is very reasonable for a metro restaurant in such a prominent location. “You can get a grilled strip steak lunch for $17,” she says.

She also loves East European food and is a big fan of Vietnamese cuisine. She says there is a large Vietnamese population in the DC area, so it’s not too hard to find a Vietnamese restaurant serving her favored avocado shakes. “I know that sounds terrible, but they’re the best ever,” she says.

Nicholson also offers a daily reading list at USA Today’s Social Media Lounge.

Nicholson is one of more than 50 top Internet experts, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and executives participating in the first Digital East event at Tysons Corner, VA, Oct. 18.

She plans to talk about the connection between social media, communications, marketing and branding and how they’re important.

 

Join hundreds of Marketing Professionals and Internet Execs at Atlanta’s premier Digital event – Digital Summit 2012
www.digitalsummit.com

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