6 Ideas That Will Improve Your Social Media Strategy
(by Loyd Ford) Ever had your mother or someone like her say, ?Get real!? We live in a fast-paced world where most companies are trying to figure out how to deliver something that looks like and feels like good old fashion whatever their product or service is?but with less cost. The end result is often an experience that doesn?t feel real because it often isn?t. When you dip over into social media for real brands and people, things often get even less real. But being real matters more than ever and communicating the realities about how much you care for your local listeners is more valuable than ever. That means communicating those values on-air and in social media along with appearances and even advertising or marketing about your brand.
As we approach 2015, now is a great time to think about what does create that feeling of realness. #1 on my list is authenticity. But how do you create that feeling in your social media? Isn?t social media fake? Not necessarily. In fact, as we take a look at the social media space you occupy, let?s focus in on authenticity and being real. How can you make sure you are communicating those values to your audience in social media like you do on-air.
1. Put yourself ?out there? by putting personal stories out there about you, your personalities and what makes you vulnerable (within reason). Don?t simply post national stories that can appear anywhere. When you do post national stories, give them an authentic local twist that makes your station and your audience a part of the story.
2. Engage your audience in responding directly to your social media content. Make it as much about them (or more) than it is about you and your reaction to what may be ?happening? out there in the world.
3. When you don?t know the answer to something, put it out there for listeners to answer. People love to see that you don?t have all the answers and they love to be helpful. This makes you very real and acceptable.
4. Talk about real world things that impact you and impact your listeners and make your social media conversations about real issues that are important to them (not just contesting and gossip).
5. Let it all hang out. Sometimes you can show a ?behind the scenes? without makeup or an event ?set up? so people can see the work that goes into doing radio. You will be surprised how far that can go to making you seem more approachable and engaged in real world things.
6. Admit to making mistakes. Show that you are just like listeners. If you do it right, you will draw more people to you because they will see you as very real and ?more like them.?
All of this is about humanizing your personalities and your work. The more human and approachable you seem, the more you will find people identifying with you. The pressure to be perfect is more present than you might think. Identifying yourself as someone who tries hard, is sometimes wrong, makes choices based on trying to serve others and believes in helping listeners on a very authentic level will create more attraction to you. That?s worth the work.
Loyd Ford is the digital revenue, direct marketing, ratings and social media strategist for Rainmaker Pathway and Americalist Direct Marketing. Loyd has programmed very successful radio brands in markets of all sizes, including KRMD AM & FM in Shreveport, and WSSL and WMYI in Greenville, WKKT in Charlotte and WBEE in Rochester, NY. Learn more about Loyd here: http://about.me/loydford. Get his radio-social media content sent directly to your smart phone or email for free here: www.rainmakerpathway.wordpress.com. Reach out to Loyd via e-mail HERE.
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Eric Rhoads, chairman and publisher at Radio Ink parent Streamline Publishing Inc., is a career entrepreneur, with 30 years of launching companies and media brands, creating startups, and building businesses, including over 40 years' experience in the radio broadcasting field. Rhoads also serves as a consultant and adviser to companies in media, technology, digital media, and art. Rhoads has hands-on experience in all functions of business turnarounds as a serial entrepreneur, building companies in radio broadcasting; radio syndication and programming; promotional products; publishing of magazines, books, videos, and websites; media brands and conferences; and launching of consumer products.
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Erica Farber is president and CEO of the RAB. She joined the organization in January of 2012 as EVP for membership, services, and professional development and rose to her current post later in the year. Before that she was CEO of radio consulting and Internet service provider the Farber Connection, founded in 2010. During her 15-year tenure at Radio & Records, she served as COO, president, publisher, and CEO. Earlier in her career Farber was VP/radio development Director at Interep.
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