by Loyd Ford
If you are in radio today, especially as a personality or programmer, your value in social media is in your content. It?s the same as your value on-air. In fact, in today?s changing environment, your content will be the only thing that keeps you employed and protects your employer from internet radio and other distractions that can interrupt revenue. Don?t kid yourself.
The day is coming soon when content availability options for listeners will be as mobile as traditional radio is now with internet radio and wide variety of choice for content in the car, at work and at home. Content will be the only thing that will keep radio stations highly relevant in that wider choice environment in any market in the U.S.
Protect yourself now. Here are 5 Ways To Make Sure Your Social Media Content Value (and your on-air value) Stay True:
1. Recognize that your boss does not always see the value in your content so make your content valuable on his/her own terms: Look for revenue opportunities and share them with your team. Be direct about how to utilize social media content for non-traditional revenue generation. You are responsible for profit because the content you develop is valuable. The old days are gone! We are in the broadcast business. Revenue can be discovered by anyone on the team and you know radio companies are looking to create and increase profit. Turn yourself into a profit center and show them how they can continue to invest in you because of your social media, on-air content and creativity.
2.Care first about causes, passions and content your listeners identify with in everything you do in social media (and on-air). People generally care about themselves and what is important to them right now. Sorry. That?s the only truth. If your content is not focused on this and you are trying to put your radio station first, you will die.
3. Seek real connection thru personal recognition whenever possible. People seek recognition and connection in spaces such as Facebook and Twitter to belong. The true outgrowth of social media is developing out of a desire individuals have to be recognized. Sit back and watch and you will see it in individual posts. When a listener comments on something you?ve posted, don?t allow the moment to simply pass. Shoot them a comment back, validate them and email them if you can. Your own philosophy should be if you can?t do that, you?ve failed. This gives a sense of urgency to relationship with individuals in your market identifying with your personality and radio brand. This creates a loyalty value.
4. Get attention with creativity focused only on sparking listener interest by passion for what they care about. Attention spans are nonexistent. To get attention, you must create it by generating written, shared and video content that stands out. This requires you to put thought to each of the points above and use your creativity to appear different in social media space for attention.
5. You must have an overall plan for your social media content. This should include what kind of content you post, how regularly you post specific types of content, what individual team members are responsible for posting and when they post regularly along with the purpose of each piece of content. Finally, only a well-defined overall plan will keep you focused to deliver the right variety of content to the listeners you desire to influence with their passions at heart. Get their heart and you?ve got them. The best part is of this is that you now have essentially free social media opportunities that can deliver loyalty back to your radio brand. Use it.
We can all bring up problems for radio or any business these days. The truth is the ground is shifting right now from the old guard to a new world of listener-first content delivered on air and in social spaces that lead back to a radio station near you that has always been social. If you do execute these five points consistently, your content will stay true and valuable to your employers in the only way the radio world will grow consistent and protected revenue in the future.
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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