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Stephanie Winans

Business & Marketing Strategy Consulting

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In The Music Business? Join Me in Houston!

November 27, 2012 by Stephanie Winans Leave a Comment

I spoke last year at this conference, and am honored to accept the invitation to speak again. If you are an artist (or aspiring artist), songwriter, producer, or manager, I recommend that you join me in Houston January 30. Register here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And I can’t forget to thank Lori Lewis for the referral last year. Thanks, Lori!

Filed Under: Artists Tagged With: artists, conference, music

Pinterest: What’s In It for Radio

February 9, 2012 by Stephanie Winans Leave a Comment

With new social networks popping up daily, it’s easy to tune them out. However, there is one newbie you can’t ignore, and that’s Pinterest.

What is Pinterest?
It’s a virtual pinboard that allows you to organize and share (or “pin”) things you find on the web. Common uses for Pinterest include wedding planning, home decorating, fashion, and cooking. It’s social because other pinners can comment, like, or repin your pins.

What’s in it for Radio?
A recent article in Radio Ink by Mike Stiles stated that because Pinterest is a visual medium, there isn’t much opportunity for an audio medium like radio. While I agree that Pinterest shouldn’t be a station’s first priority for online presence, it does offer some creative opportunities for both radio stations and personalities.

According to Tech Crunch, Pinterest just hit 11.7 million unique monthly U.S. visitors, crossing the 10 million mark faster than any other standalone site in history. Only Facebook and Tumblr have more social media time on site than Pinterest. 18-34 year old upper income American women are propelling the success and popularity of Pinterest.

If 18-34 women are within your target demo and you are looking to expand your online presence, Pinterest may be worth your effort. As Mike Stiles pointed out in his article, it is a visual medium. Be prepared that translating your station brand or personality brand to a visual-only medium may take some creativity.

Pinterest for Personalities
Your Randy Lane Company consultants work with you to define your personality brand. Remember those passion topics you listed? Remember asking yourself what makes me unique? Use those on-air character definition exercises to determine what makes you pinteresting (I’ve been dying to say that!). Here are some ideas to jumpstart your brainstorming:

  • Use Pinterest to share your interests with listeners (and friends). Do you love cooking? Motorcycles? Fashion? Hi-tech gadgets? Sloths? (You never know- Kristen Bell may read this.) Create a pinboard for each of your passion topics. For an example, check out JohnJay and Rich on Pinterest. They’re sharing fitness and diet plans, as well as another show player’s wedding ideas.
  • Pin pictures of you with different artists or artists you’ve met in radio.
  • Create a pinboard for pictures with listeners, and open your settings so that listeners can pin their own pics with you on the board.
  • Create some drama by creating a pinboard for weird (I said weird, not horrible) pictures of your co-host.
  • Create a pinboard for your entertainment feature, stupid news, or a general one for heard on the show. Post pictures for the stories you share on-air.

Pinterest for Radio Stations
While it is admittedly easier for personalities to pin, there are endless opportunities for stations, as well. Here are a few to get you started:

  • Create a music pinboard. Add the album cover of songs you add weekly so listeners can keep up with new music.
  • Tie-in Pinterest to your Street Team promotions. Pin pictures of the locations for a scavenger hunt. Let Pinterest be the exclusive source of hints for where the Street Team is headed next.
  • Create an Events pinboard where you pin pictures of the locations. Include the date, time and event description in the caption.
  • Integrate Pinterest into on-air features. For example, post pictures for your “Pump It or Dump It” songs and tell listeners they can also vote by commenting on Pinterest.
  • Use Pinterest to create visual clues for an on-air trivia contest.
  • Pin pictures from your station website of concerts and events.
  • Create a visual lineup of your on-air talent. Post pictures of both live and syndicated shows. Include the time it airs in the photo description.

Are you on Pinterest? Follow me at Pinterest.com/StephanieWinans. I would love to see how you’re pinning.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: contests, feature, music, pinterest, promotions, social media, social media strategy, talent

8 Tips for Good Social Media Service

November 12, 2011 by Stephanie Winans 2 Comments

The term “customer service” conjures thoughts of restaurants, cell phone companies, and probably a few brands that you’ve sworn to never do business with again.

Think about your worst customer service experience. What was it that disappointed or upset you? A faulty product, a question that went unanswered after repeated attempts, the feeling that the business didn’t value you? Or worse– speaking to a representative with a sour attitude?

We’re in the customer service business, too, and our listeners are our customers. With social media, listeners are more likely to Facebook or tweet a question than call or email the station. Are you using this opportunity to answer questions, make a personal connection, encourage on-air listening and drive web traffic?

Is your staff social media service savvy? Here are tips to ensure that both you and your listeners are getting the most out of your station’s social media efforts:

 

  • Appoint a social media manager. Many stations leave air talent responsible for checking comments on posts or tweets made during their shift. While this allows talent to personally connect with listeners on a topic they’ve started, it doesn’t account for the numerous organic posts made by listeners, or the comments on popular posts or tweets from days past. Have one person who is responsible for ensuring that all questions and comments have been addressed.

 

  • Don’t overlook any avenues. On Facebook, view your wall using the Everyone tab so you see comments on your posts as well as organic posts from listeners. On Twitter, check @mentions and DMs. Use Twitter search daily to monitor and respond to other conversations about your station.

 

  • Respond in real time to reinforce the on-air brand. Often listener questions refer to an of-the-moment topic, such as a show topic or on-air contest that is happening right then. When possible, respond quickly so your answer is relevant.

 

  • Your station’s social media accounts often provide first-encounter experiences for listeners. Behave online the way you would at a remote or station event. Be thankful your listeners are there. Make them feel valued, and be friendly. While the latter sounds like common sense, two real examples I have seen this week say otherwise. One station made a post on Facebook asking for “NO COMMENTS”. Another responded to a listener question about a song that was played with “Ughhhhhh. Are you serious? That show is syndicated. I don’t know”.

 

  • Answer questions by providing additional information that drives website traffic. For example, if a listener asks “Is there another chance to win Maroon 5 tickets today”, reply with “Yes, you can win again at 11:20 and 3:20. Here’s a link to more information on our website. Good Luck!”

 

  • Answer questions with information that drives on-air listening. In the example above, you could respond with “What’s your favorite Maroon 5 song? We’ll play it for you before the contest at 11:20.”

 

  • Use comments to create conversation. Part of social media service is connecting with listeners who reach out to you. Many comments are not clear-cut questions, but that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve a response. If a listener writes about their love for a song you just added, respond with information that reinforces their passion for the music you’re playing. Send them a link to the video, or background information on the artist.

 

  • Respond to complaints. According to September 2011 research from Maritz and Evolve124: of 1,298 Twitter complaints reviewed, only 29 percent received a response from the company mentioned. The other 71 percent went completely ignored by the brand. 86 percent of the tweeters who were ignored said they wanted a response from the company. Your listeners want to know you’re listening. Address their concerns, have empathy, and try to solve the problem. Use social media to convert a frustrated listener into a P1.

 

written for Radio Ink Magazine

 

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: customer service, facebook, music, social media, social media manager, social media service, twitter, website traffic

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