by Loyd Ford
If you?ve read any of my thoughts on social media, you know I am a big believer in using personalities from radio to connect with individuals in social media and always working to bring them back to the station. But how do you make sure your social media connects with the right people who will matter to your brand and how to you get them to be more loyal to your station?
Here are 5 ways to get active and important ?listeners? engaged in radio brand loyalty with social media:
1) Target your audience in advance with your content. Think about who you want to attract and think about heavy users. I know that may go an additional step ahead of what most people think in this business and when posting on social media, but you should really focus on behavior types you want to attract. This is ?starting with the end goal in mind.? Think about what causes ?tune in? and use that indirectly in your social media posts. In other words, don?t go straight for your pitch.
2) Include tune in opportunities with the focused content your audience wants (tell them where and when to get more of the content you are posting on the radio). Be specific and tell them when to expect content that relates to what you are posting on the air. Think about what they want. And give it to them while you include a tune in opportunity when appropriate in your posts.
3) Give listeners a little push. Get listeners to take action. In sales they say this is ?asking for the order.? People sometimes need a push to action. The ?order? can be joining a cause that is important to your target and giving them a link (it does not always have to be about you). Listeners respect it when you show you have heart and soul about something they care about. It proves to them that they listen to a station that cares about what they care about. That can be critically important in loyalty influence. Have your personalities publicly identify with a cause important to them and your audience in your overall plan so this happens regularly. It really will connect them to your brand and help loyalty.
4) Focus on active community issues that matter, but don?t be boring. Think heart, health, safety, money and children (if attracting parents/adults is critical for your brand). In real estate, it is ?location, location, location.? In social media, it is ?focus on their interests, focus on their interests, focus on their interests.? If you don?t know what that is, start digging and find out.
5) When someone comments on your posts, take these two actions. Comment back in ?public.? And, if you can, send the person a personal email either on Facebook, Twitter or their personal email if that is available to you. Connect, connect, connect. Make it personal.
It all starts with having a plan. Do you have a ?Facebook page,? or do you really have a strategic social media plan for connecting and engaging the audience in your market that is critical for your station brand and are you brave enough to actively nudge them to take action? Social media can be an important tool if you put effort into it. If you don?t, it will be like that old saying about computers. Crap in, crap out.
Loyd Ford has been in radio all his life. Loyd pent time programming KRMD in Shreveport, WSSL and WMYI in Greenville, WKKT in Charlotte and WBEE in Rochester, NY. Ford's latest strategy is social networking for radio via his Facebook page. Reach out to Loyd via e-mail HERE Visit his new Facebook page HERE
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