7-17-2013
If you have read my columns on radio and social media, you know that I am a firm believer that you need to be constantly visual to gain access to the attention of a lot of eyes across all social media platforms. Today we focus on video. After all, radio has so many video-based opportunities. There is absolutely no reason that your morning shows should not be very pro-video in their social media content and no personality on the radio should be left behind when it comes to being social media active with local listeners. So, let?s talk about how to develop a pro-video social media strategy.
1. Recognize that people are much more engaged visually than with the spoken word. Why do you think Google purchased YouTube? It was because of fear that people would stop using words (yes,that is for real) and they wanted to have a search engine that was not based upon words. That bet has paid off for Google. If the recognition of the visual over words in content is good enough for Google, it should be good enough for your local radio station and personalities.
2. Let go of your fear over putting video up-front in much of your social media engagement. While I hope you will recognize my strong recommendation that you balance content and content delivery in social media (that comes from having an actual well-defined social media strategy with goals for the radio station), many broadcasters (this includes morning show talents and other personalities) have fear of using video regularly with listeners. What if it doesn?t look professional? What if I do it wrong? You must learn that letting go of this fear is the actual path to really having fun in social media and engaging your audience with easy-to-make video that will work in attracting the people in your market you want to have listening to your station and engaging you in social media. That?s that job here and it doesn?t have to be perfect or professional. People respond to imperfect people (like themselves).
3. People read content or watch video to be entertained or to learn something or to be a part of something. They also share things that make them look smart or ?in the know.? Recognize this and build your video content around these things and you will be successful.
4. Regularly seek information on what is trending in online searches in your market. After all, knowing the "hot buttons" will help you better create content that puts you at the top of what your audience is looking for in the first place. This should be done continuously.
5. Your morning show and other high-profile personalities should link their videos to their blogs (they have a blog, right?), to your website, and to your social media assets (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). After all, you want to create a larger and larger local audience for your videos. Promoting the content is the key to driving your participation numbers higher.
6. Use Twitter to post your link for your content. If it is more evergreen content, you should think about posting the link 10 to 12 times in the first 48 hours over a variety of hours to maximize the ?pull.?
7. I do also recommend that you include a call to action on or inside your videos to join your ?(radio station) loyal listener email to get more fun and free benefits.? You may not always get huge sign-up, but you will build traction over time and participation builds real familiarity and that builds real value if you focus especially on number 1, 4, 5, and 6 and above. After all, if this is a part of your overall content plan on social media, you will create a path to build real value regularly for these listeners. That?s real engagement.
8. Include your best videos in your monthly loyal listener email. This allows maximum coverage with high-participators who are likely to send your content to others.
Local ?listeners? on Facebook or Twitter or another social media platform are not just going to experience a video or your other social media content and immediately react to you by becoming a loyal listener of your brand. This is not advertising. It is targeting listeners that best match up with your brand in social media and giving them content that entertains, educates, and creates community they want to be a part of over time. That?s the real key. Social media offers you opportunity to engage and then influence them to become a part of the ?culture? you are encouraging at your brand.
Finally, here is a message for every morning show personality or other high-profile personality on radio today: We?re halfway through 2013. This is the time for all personalities on radio to really develop deep, penetrating engagement in local social media within your market (no matter who you are). If your radio station doesn?t have a plan, you certainly should. This is the path to developing your own future so that you will have real career growth and value to other employers. Learn to excel with social media content and you will be learning to be more successful to meet the challenges of the future, connectivity, and loyalty with local listeners. That makes you a winner.
Good luck!
Loyd Ford is the direct marketing, ratings and social media strategist for Americalist and has programmed very successful radio brands in markets of all sizes, 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. 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. Visit his Facebook radio social media page HERE.
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