Getting to the Bot-tom of Central Ohio’s News Leader!

Craig Friedman, WBNS-10TV@Craig10TV

The Birth of a Bot• Born: July 3, 2008• No managerial approval. Just an “experiment.”• Give Central Ohio’s News Leader a social media

presence.

The 10TV Brand

The Bot’s Brand Family10TV personalities are brands in and of themselves, but they also belong to the 10TV brand family.

Connecting the Dots

Web

MobileSocial

Bringing the Brand to LifeThrough Social Media• Mandatory meetings with every news anchor and

reporter about 10TV social media policy.

• Dos and don’ts of Twitter discussed, along with lessons about lists, @-replies, re-tweets, follows, etc.

• Facebook Personality of the Days given to each person, promoting that person’s fan page.

Reinforcing the Brand

• Leverage 10TV Facebook Page. Pivot point for cross-promoting all other 10TV social presences.

• Talk up the talent. Behind-the-scenes information and pictures.

• Ask for feedback and respond to concerns. Why we’re Central Ohio’s News Leader.

Bots Have Feelings, Too…Everyone wants to feel connected – engagement with the brand fosters a sense of community, identity and general warm fuzzies.

Beyond the News

• We talk about ourselves. Focus on breaking down the wall between a television camera and a TV screen.

• We talk about sports, hobbies, interests away from work. We are real people, too.

• We talk about food, food, food. Who doesn’t love food?!

Lessons Learned

• Listen, listen, listen.

• Your postings are read. Be fun, yet safe and weigh the consequences.

• Each person can help promote the 10TV brand, whether they follow/“like” one person/10TV franchise or all of them.

• Man, having 80+ Facebook and Twitter pages is a challenge!

Advice from The Bot

1) Have a clear, precise image

2) Keep it simple

3) Be authentic

4) Have fun!