circles

By now you have heard the talk about circles, +1s and hangouts. Maybe you’ve checked out Google+, or maybe you’re overwhelmed by so many social media options.

Should you, your talent, your morning show, your station be on Google+?

Google+ for Managers and Talent
People who are social media savvy will love being one of the firsts on Google+. You can network both personally and professionally from a single account, while using circles to keep fans separate from friends and family. You can talk radio to people in your “radio” circle or have conversations with your listeners without your niece’s two cents about Justin Bieber’s new girlfriend. You control who sees each post.

If you have a hard time keeping up with Facebook and Twitter already, wait until the initial launch of Google+ and dive in when everybody’s doing it.

Google+ for Morning Shows and Stations
Google+ is still in its testing phase and will not roll out business profiles until the initial public launch. Stations and morning shows should wait until business profiles are available so that their accounts are launched on the appropriate platform.

Once the business profiles are launched, have your social media manager jump on the opportunity to be one of the first stations to sign up. Google has shut down businesses that have signed up under “consumer” Google+ accounts. Mashable and All Access were among the many companies whose profiles were deleted.

Plan Ahead for Google+:

1. Develop a strategy for circles.
The Google+ model is similar to Twitter in that there is no reciprocity. A listener can add you to their circle without you having to reciprocate. Plan your strategy now; decide if you’ll return the favor when listeners add you to their circle. While there is controversy in social media land over whether you have to follow or circle back, It is in radio’s best interest to circle back. Social media is about engaging with your listeners in a two-way conversation. Not adding a listener who interacts with you online sends the message that it’s all about you, and not about your relationship with them.
Adding listeners to your circles also gives you the chance to super serve them with promotions or special offers. Imagine separating your listeners into gender, geographic location, or age. Because you can add someone to more than one circle, the options are endless.

In a conversation with my own radio circle, +Erika Ewald suggested using music preference to promote upcoming station concerts and +Drew Bennett thought location would be great to promote sales remotes or offers from advertisers. +Jim O’Brien got me thinking about conducting a cyber listener panel using Google+ circles or hangouts. Google+ is brand new, and opportunity is knocking.

2. Use circles for show prep and tracking competitors.
You can use circles to separate profiles into groups. Create a “content” circle to use for show prep. Add people (and soon businesses) who post interesting links, videos, and stories. This circle could include news and entertainment outlets, as well as that girl with all of the relationship drama. You decide who does and doesn’t give you on-air material. Create a circle for other stations or competitors to quickly track what they’re up to online.

When you are searching for specific content, you can choose to view a stream from only that circle so you aren’t distracted by the comments on how much your best friend hates his job or how your mother wants another grandchild. This is similar to the way many people use Twitter lists.

3. Wanna hangout? On Google+, that is?
Google+ hangouts is a video platform that allows ten users to hangout together in one video conference. Hangouts have potential for radio. Imagine an intern at a station event setting up a hangout for disappointed listeners who couldn’t make it. Better yet, imagine giving ten listeners the chance to hangout with a core artist through your station’s Google+ account. Now THAT’S a way to start out right on Google+.

-written for Radio Ink

We’re not cell phone companies, we’re radio. So why are we concentrating so hard on getting likes, followers, and circles with no focus on how to keep them happy once we get them?

With social media, it’s easy to get allured by the numbers. We compare our Facebook likes and Twitter followers (and perhaps YouTube subscribers or Google+ circles) to those of other stations, other morning shows, other media brands. When we talk social media, we are primarily sharing stories on our status in likes, and how to grow that number.

Are we losing focus? It’s what we do with those likes and followers AFTER we get them that counts. It’s the interpersonal connection, the listener engagement that translates a like to a loyal listener.

You don’t really want a like, or a follower, or a subscriber, or a circle. You want a person who is or will be a listener who LISTENS to your station. You want a listener who won’t change the station because he or she feels connected to your brand, and the shows and DJs within it. You want ratings.

While it is nice to have large numbers online with social media, the focus should be not on the numbers themselves. Planning social media growth in numbers without a content strategy is like planning a wedding with no thought to the marriage itself.

Instead of concentrating solely on the number, share your focus to concentrate on your content strategy. How can you convert likes to loyalty? It’s all about the content.

➢ Let listeners get to know your brand.
Show some personality. Let your brand shine by sharing what makes you special- your talent. Give your jocks and promotions staff access to your accounts (under your guidance and the eyes of the social media manager). Encourage them to make posts relevant to your demo, in your brand voice. Share contests, promotions, station events, opinions on hot topics, and what’s going on behind the scenes. Have them end their posts with a name signoff. This will humanize your account and listeners will feel like they are connecting with the person behind the brand.

➢ Extend on-air content online with social media.
During show prep meetings, ask your team “What online element can we add to this feature?” You don’t have to create new material, but add a visual to what’s been said on-air. Post a picture or quick video of what’s going on in the studio during on-air stunts. For listener topics, solicit for responses online and include them in your on-air conversation.

➢ Treat social media like a cocktail party.
The most important and overlooked rule of thumb is to be social. Make sure your social media manager and jocks respond to listener comments and questions. Treat social media like a cocktail party, where the focus is on conversation.

For example, don’t post content asking listeners for their opinion and fail to respond once they give it. That is the equivalent to meeting someone at a party, asking them a question, and walking away after they answer without a word. It’s rude! Make sure your staff are facilitating the conversation- it only takes a second to respond.

Focus on the content and the value you are providing to your listeners online, and the numbers will come. When listeners feel connected to your brand, they will share their excitement over the entertainment you’re providing online AND on-air.

-written for Radio Ink Magazine

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