5-17-2013
Radio, in some corners of our industry, seems to be confused about social media. However, radio is the original modern social media and you can prove this to yourself in only a few seconds. If you think it, radio has always connected local groups and brought communities together by helping local listeners and local advertisers. We haven?t just broadcast to local communities. We?ve done remotes, events, concerts, promotions, after-work parties, nightclub events, and much more. Facebook and Twitter are still the new kid on the block in this regard. However, they offer radio transformational tools that can help us extend what we do if we work smart and not just hard.
So, how do we move into social media as the originators of social media so that our influence actually grows in local radio markets? The same way we approach the building, launching, and growth of a local radio station. Here are five ways to use social media as if you were local radio:
1. Determine the audience you most want to attract. Focus on what is most important and actionable to these people.
2. Decide not to just broadcast messages (spam) to them; engage them with valuable content that helps them, validates them, includes their opinion, and allows them influence.
3. Have fun with this audience by engaging them with what is fun about your radio station, format, product content, and how it relates to them. This can be done easily with videos shot at concerts or backstage or inside radio station events or special promotions. Again, focus on the listener experience and what this important life-group wants and finds entertaining.
4. Trail them back to their Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, and even email if you can access it so you can validate them by compliment (on comments they have made on your website, Facebook page or comments, Twitter, et al). Then, develop relationship influence with them so that they feel they can influence your radio brand and what they hear.
5. Develop transformational relationship ties with the local listeners you find in social media that are most active and cheerlead for your media brands or others.
Now, go have fun out there with local listeners. Give ?em some love from local radio and care about their busy lives. Give them benefits for getting closer to you. You?ll look like a guru, but you and I will know you are just the same cool radio personality you were before Facebook thought they invented being social.
Good luck!
Loyd Ford is the direct marketing, ratings and social media strategist for Americalist and programmed very successful radio brands in markets of all sizes for years, including KRMD AM & FM in Shreveport, WSSL and WMYI in Greenville, WKKT in Charlotte and WBEE in Rochester, NY. Learn more about Loyd here: http://about.me/loydford. Reach out to Loyd via e-mail HERE Visit his Facebook radio social media page HERE
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