likes

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

After launching a Facebook page for 97.5 WABB/Mobile in 2008, we currently have over 22,000 fans- 15,000 more than any radio competitor in our market. Our success is based on a guided team effort that involves constant participation and respect for what our listeners want.

Getting it Launched the Right Way
Whether you’re starting from scratch or evaluating your existing Facebook presence, don’t overlook the basics.

Your page should be a fan page and not a personal page. Personal pages are made for people, not businesses. Facebook will cap personal pages at 5,000 friends, and will sometimes shut down personal pages set up for business use. Listeners are also more likely to “like” a business page than “friend” a personal page, because their information remains private.

All business pages must be linked to a personal Facebook account. I suggest linking your station’s account to a non-searchable dummy account, not an employee’s account. The original account is forever tied to the station account, and you don’t want to set your page up for failure in the case of termination or a disgruntled employee.

You should also have an assigned page name, your station’s logo as the profile picture, and all info fields completed. Include a linked Facebook graphic on your station website, and you’re ready to roll.

Successful Maintenance: It’s a Guided Team Effort

Assign one employee as the social media manager. This person, usually the Webmaster or Promotions Director, should check the Facebook account several times each day, including weekends. He or she will make compelling posts, track progress, and respond to listeners in the “voice” of the station brand. Choose someone who writes well, is witty or fun, and understands how to “speak” to the demo.

Have your social media manager assign trusted talent and promotions staff as page editors of the station account. This will allow them to make posts to the station page while logged into their personal accounts, but will not give them password access to the main account. If you need to revoke access at any time, you can do so with the click of a button.

This guided team effort ensures that both programming and promotional content are represented, and that no listener question goes unnoticed. Facebook is a social network, so be social. Interact with your listeners, answer their questions, laugh at their jokes, ask their opinions. As the manager of the WABB Facebook account, I am constantly entertained and enlightened by what our listeners have to say. I share their input with management, and our DJs use their comments to reflect on their own show content. If you want to know what your P1s think, take a glance at Facebook for their input on show benchmarks, music, and more.

Getting “Likes”

Take care of the fans you already have, and the growth will come. Use a filter when making posts by asking yourself if your demo cares about what you have to say. Post organic content; too many apps that do the work for you take the personality out of the posts. Don’t sell your Facebook page to clients- your listeners are smart and can tell the difference between a sponsored station promotion and commercial copy.

If you don’t see the numbers you’re looking for, consider launching a promotion that focuses on Facebook. Get creative. Have a scavenger hunt for tickets and post clues on your page. Announce that the winners of your next promotion will be chosen from your Facebook fan base. Do simple promotions for smaller giveaways on Facebook frequently; you would be surprised how many people would love to win that old (fill in the blank) from your prize closet.

If you give your listeners the content they are looking for, respond to their questions, and make them feel like their opinions matter, you will succeed with social media.

-written for the April 18 issue of Radio Ink

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