The publishing industry is going through a tremendous transformation. The once traditional mediums used to obtain news and information are losing readers' attention to newer and faster mediums brought forward by technological innovation. Newspapers and magazines are being usurped by mobile devices such as laptops, netbooks, smartphones and e-readers. As internet connections and wi-fi become more easily available to the masses the accessibility of real-time information becomes the norm. The maturation of the internet has given us a new platform for creating and sharing real-time information at little to no cost. This launching pad is known as Social Media. No longer does one have to become versed in the studies of journalism to produce relevant and sought after communications. Large news agencies and publishers now face competition from bloggers and social media users. Publishers are left with the decision to join the race or get left behind. So, as a publisher, how do you take advantage of what social media has to offer? Publishers have two distinct advantages: a strong brand and lots of fresh content. These are two items both readers and search engines seek. Every new article created should be posted on a social media site. For example, this is extremely quick and simple to do on Twitter. Just tweet the title of the article and include the URL where the article resides on your website. This is a no brainer for both b-to-b and b-to-c publishers. Wondering how to find people to follow your tweets? Use Twitter Search. Search for the topics your publishing company writes about. You'll get results back of all the people that have tweeted about that topic. Start by following those people. Many of them will follow you back. Get interactive with the people you are following. If someone tweets about a topic you've written a great article about, send them an @reply to check out the article. Be sure to include the URL. Social Media is here and is becoming more powerful everyday. Take advantage and use it to expand your reach and readership.
