A term coined by David Meerman Scott, newsjacking describes a process to align your brand message with breaking news events so you ride a wave of traditional media coverage. A few years ago, when the Catholic Church was about to name a new pope, Notre Dame University informed all the major news outlets that it would have expert commentators standing by when the news broke. When white smoke emerged from the Sistine Chapel, the Notre Dame experts showed up on every major new channel.
Real time marketing can drive conversions and sales, says Scott. When MultiCare Health System identified a trending topic, eclampsia, during an emotional episode of the hit TV series “Downton Abbey,” the healthcare network published a blog post about the condition within hours of the episode’s airdate. MultiCare Health saw over 1,000 page views, with people spending an average of five minutes on the page. They also received 30 click-throughs to their online appointment system.
– from “The Content Code” by Mark Schaefer
