In my last blog post I talked about the challenge of building a community of engaged users who would contribute to and support the relaunch of the Woking News and Mail. Called in to help with the relaunch, I had just under 5 weeks to get a buzz going on Twitter and Facebook, build a following and get them to contribute articles for the paper. Launch date was set in stone – Thursday May 12th.
So how did it go?
When I got involved on 10th April there was a twitter account (@WokingNewsmail) with 52 followers and a Facebook Fan Page with just 4 Likes.
Using Twellow and Twittergrader to find the top local tweeps, and with copious use of Advanced Twitter Search we arrived at 1,000 Twitter followers the day before the paper hit the streets – and by Saturday 14th May we were on 1,111 Twitter followers and 156 Facebook Likes.
More importantly, we were inundated with news articles, photos and features and the paper was greeted with enthusiasm by the people of Woking who had been deprived of their community newspaper for 2 months. Feedback on both platforms was unanimously good – except for those who complained that they couldn’t get a copy of the paper because demand was so high that it sold out.
Having got the ship safely down the slipway and cracked a metaphorical bottle of champagne, my Social Media work with the paper is now over, and the editorial team will be picking up the reins and making sure that the readers, advertisers and contributors all continue to feel fully engaged. For myself, I’ll be writing my column on Social Media – named T’witter by my wife – and wishing the paper every success as it moves forward and changes from a monthly to a fortnightly and eventually a weekly fixture in the newsagents of Woking.
Congratulations to you and the Woking News and Mail!