Stephanie Winans

Business & Marketing Strategy Consulting

promotions

Is Radio Above Facebook’s Promotion and Contest Guidelines? How We’re Breaking the Rules

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In May of 2011, Facebook released (quietly, of course) new guidelines for brands using the platform. Here at The Randy Lane Company, we notified our clients of the new rules, and tried to help you understand them.

Fast forward 15 months, and you’re still asking about it. Not only are you asking about it, but many of you are still violating the rules. Often.

Before I keep talking, know two things:

  1. I don’t make the rules. I just tell you about them.
  2. Personally, I’m a rule breaker. So when I tell you to follow the rules, it’s because the ramifications are serious and I want to protect you. (Wow, I sound like such a Mom right there. Let the record show I don’t wear “Mom jeans”.)

Now that you understand where I’m coming from, and what kind of jeans I’m not wearing right now, let’s take a look at some of the rules and how radio stations and shows are violating them.

Rule #1: Promotions on Facebook must be administered within Apps on Facebook.com, either on a Canvas Page or a Page App.

How We’re Breaking It: We’re running quick contests on our Timeline as often as we change underwear, without hiring a third-party app to build it legally.

For an example of a legal contest using an App, click here to check out the 102.9 K-Lite Match Game.

Rule #3: You must not condition registration or entry upon the user taking any action using any Facebook features or functionality other than liking a Page, checking in to a Place, or connecting to your app. For example, you must not condition registration or entry upon the user liking a Wall post, or commenting or uploading a photo on a Wall.

How We’re Breaking It: We break it with our fun “caption this picture to win” contests. We break it with our “comment on this post” contests. We break it with our “The first five people who like this post win” contests.

Rule #4: You must not use Facebook features or functionality as a promotion’s registration or entry mechanism. For example, the act of liking a Page or checking in to a Place cannot automatically register or enter a promotion participant.

How We’re Breaking It: We run on-air contests that tell listeners we’ll draw one Facebook fan as a winner. The only requirement for entry is that they like us on Facebook.

Rule #6: You must not notify winners through Facebook, such as through Facebook messages, chat, or posts on profiles (timelines) or Pages.

How We’re Breaking It: We post status updates to notify listeners that they’ve been chosen (probably for a promotion run illegally in the first place!) as the winner.

The rules can be found here in their entirety, under section “E”. But remember, don’t shoot the messenger! I just want to make sure you’re aware of what the rules entail.

Notice the simple threat below the rules: We reserve the right to reject or remove Pages for any reason. These terms are subject to change at any time.

That threat is the reason you should be wary of these rules. Should Facebook take notice, they have the right to shut your page down without a warning. That would mean that you lose everything you’ve worked so hard to gain- your fans.

Is it worth the risk?

Although “everyone’s doing it” might be your first reaction, remember that Facebook tends to make their changes without notice. So if they do decide to crack down on brands who are violating their TOS, you can guarantee you won’t know until it’s too late.

 

Do you post illegal promotions because everyone else is doing it? Or do you err on the side of caution? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

 

Photo credit: Screenshot taken from a radio station wall post

11 Digital Predictions for the Radio Industry

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Based on the digital landscape in radio today, here are 11 predictions for radio’s future in digital:

1. The fusion of on-air content and online platforms will be seamless.
As radio stations develop strong digital strategies for their on-air talent, the content and engagement of online platforms will be naturally integrated into the on-air show. As the request lines ring less and less, jocks will use texting, social media and website commenting platforms to add more listener interaction to their shows.

2. Air talent social media platforms will be owned by the radio companies who employ them.
Many of the major radio corporations are already enforcing company social media guidelines upon air talent for their individual and show accounts. While some may retain control based on a “grandfathered in” negotiation, many will lose control as they are required to follow specific rules and even give administrative access to corporate staff.

3. Air talent will be held accountable for their online results.
Website traffic and social media success will no longer be measured out of curiosity or used for bonuses only. Air talent will be required to meet quarterly goals set by management, for both the station website and their show’s digital platforms.

4. Stations will budget for social media third party apps.
To achieve results with social media, radio will invest in applications for scheduling, contesting, and analytics.

5. Podcasting will no longer be the redheaded stepchild of radio.
Radio will follow the model of television (think DVR, on-demand), super-serving the core listeners with on-demand listening. Instead of viewing podcasts as a threat to both radio’s ratings and budget, managers will innovate and restructure podcasts to create ROI, regardless of the minimal ratings return.

6. All stations will have mobile apps and websites.
As mobile website usage continues to rise, even the smallest companies will focus on the mobile optimization of their station websites, and will invest in reliable mobile listening apps.

7. Stations will own advanced video equipment.
As the pressure to incorporate video into digital strategies builds, stations will invest in video equipment for use in-studio, at promotional events, concerts, and client remotes.

8. Radio will invest in social gaming for branding and promotions.
As listeners become more savvy to standard online advertisements, digital strategists and sales managers will invest more money for better results, with creative branding campaigns and promotions using social gaming.

9. Radio sales executives will sell the entire brand, rather than just terrestrial radio.
As advertisers seek more creative, multi-platform ideas, radio’s sales superstars will view their station brand from a big picture perspective, creating unique solutions for clients that involve marketing from a variety of platforms.

10. The radio industry will become an early adopter to digital innovations.
We’ve watched the newspaper industry’s struggle to innovate, and we won’t be left behind. Radio companies will be exploring new innovations as they arise, mining them for revenue opportunities.

11. Social media strategists and content curators will be standard positions in the radio industry.  
As radio’s digital efforts continue, companies will hire content producers and social media strategists to create online content, design individual station strategies, and measure results.

 

Get our your Magic 8 Ball and make a prediction of your own in the comments. I’d love to hear it!

 

Photo courtesy of Sassy-Stock at deviantart.com.

The Seven Deadly Sins of Facebook

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Have you ever spoken at a conference or run a meeting and been surprised by the content your audience responds to?

When I spoke at a radio conference last month, it was the Facebook No-No’s that made the audience feverishly take notes. And I was happy to see it, since I see these “sins” committed regularly- from the smallest markets to the largest ones, from both U.S. and international clients.

These sins could incite penalties from Facebook or Arbitron, or may stunt your social media success by alienating listeners. Either way, these seven sins are deadly:

1. Illegal Contesting
What is a Facebook promotion, anyway? It’s any campaign in which you award a prize or select a winner. Facebook’s rules are restricting, spelling out the fact that they don’t want much to do with your contests or promotions. To make sure you aren’t putting your station’s social media efforts in jeopardy, don’t:

  • Use any of Facebook’s features as a requirement for entry. This includes those “Caption this picture”, “Like this” or “Comment on this” contests talent love to post during their air shifts. It also includes station contests that ask listeners to “like our Facebook page” to enter, or giveaways that select Facebook fans at random.
  • Run a Facebook contest without a third party app. To remove the liability from Facebook, you must use an app from Facebook.com ( for example, Involver, Vitrue, WildFire, BuddyMedia) to create a page tab for the contest. This means your contest or promotion will need a budget.
  • Notify winners on Facebook. You can’t contact them using messages, chat or comments.

2. Talking About Ratings
Don’t talk about ratings in any way. It’s against Arbitron’s social media policy. Mentioning your ratings could entice a listener to admit they submitted a panel or diary, which removes their anonymity. This means those sweet “Thanks for making us #1 in the market” posts to listeners aren’t allowed. Know, too, that Arbitron monitors air talent social media accounts in addition to the official station account. Share this policy with your staff to ensure you aren’t penalized for a harmless ratings post.

3. Sounding Desperate
Don’t sound desperate. Studies show that calls to action (asking for likes and comments) produce results, but getting carried away can ruin your brand image and turn listeners off. Vary the copy in your Facebook posts so you aren’t tagging every post with “like this if you…”.

4. Linking Twitter to Facebook
There’s a reason Facebook and Twitter are both independently successful- they’re different! The language is different for each platform, and so is the ideal frequency of posts. If you have your Twitter account linked to Facebook, you may be alienating listeners with hashtags and abbreviations they don’t understand (or welcome- After all, it’s Facebook, not Twitter). You may also be sharing too often on Facebook, as the daily target frequency is more for Twitter than Facebook.

5. Using it as a One-Way Medium
It’s called ‘social’ media because social platforms are designed for two-way interaction. Make sure your team is connecting with listeners and creating conversations around topics. Posting engaging content is only half the battle; you must use that content to establish relationships.

6. Making It All About Likes
Likes are important, but there are other ways to measure your social media success. Track your progress using more than one metric to get a clear picture of your strategy’s results.

7. Making It All About You
Be more interested in engaging with your listeners than selling the station or show to them. Be authentic and focus on the relationship with your listeners. It’s what you can provide them, and not the other way around. Keep your priorities straight and you’ll create appealing content to gain the attention of new listeners, and strengthen relationships with P1s.

 

Want to make it eight deadly sins? Tell me what I’ve missed in the comments and I’ll add it!

Can Radio Monetize Pinterest?

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Can You Sell It?


I haven’t seen a station sponsored pin or board yet, but I believe you can. Pinterest is all about visual content. Be picky about which clients you partner with and choose based on the custom content you can provide visually. If you’re weaving clients into a well-developed content strategy, listeners won’t care that some content is sponsored.

For example, weddings are a hot category on Pinterest. Partner with a local wedding boutique to share wedding and bridesmaids dresses. Pin their images (with the attached link to their site) over a period of time, mingled in with other wedding content like catering, music, decor, etc. You could include a pinned coupon, or a repin promotion to win one of the dresses pinned.

Create the content idea first with your demo in mind, then present it to the client. Be protective over your Pinterest account so it doesn’t become a dumping ground for client products and events.

Your followers on Pinterest will be paramount to any future success you have with clients. So create a content strategy and get pinning first to establish your station as a “pinner to follow”.

It’s Time for Timeline: Tips for Designing Your Cover Photo

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Facebook will make the new Timeline design mandatory for Pages March 30. This means you need to get busy this week setting up your Timeline before it goes public.

If you haven’t done your homework yet on the changes Timeline will bring to your Facebook Page, Scott Sands has a comprehensive list of the changes and what they mean for radio here.

The main focus of apprehension is the Cover Photo, which is the huge banner visible at the top of each Timeline. The rest of the Timeline changes involve Facebook taking the (hopefully brilliant) information you already have on your Page and displaying it in, you guessed it, a timeline.

 

COVER PHOTO EXAMPLES

While many stations and shows haven’t made the switch yet, there are some who have jumped the gun and made Timeline public.

The radio cover photos I’ve seen have a visual focus on one of the following themes:

  • The station’s core artists
  • The Morning Show air talent
  • The station or show logo
  • Promotional copy for either a station promotion or a current on-air contest
  • The city skyline

Before you design your cover photo, here are some examples you should check out to get your creative juices flowing. Click the links in each category to view live examples of what other stations and shows are doing with their Timeline design:

 

It’s All About the Morning Show

Both stations and Morning Shows themselves are using the cover photo to promote morning air talent.

 

We’re Focused on the Music

Stations are using the cover photo to promote the music, similar to station website mastheads. If you have the file used to create your station’s masthead, you can use some of the same images to design your cover photo.

 

Love for the Logo

Integrating your logo in the design is a great idea, but get creative instead of stretching the logo to fit the dimensions.

 

We’re Promoting Something

Use your cover photo to promote an on-air contest or to support the station’s branding efforts.

 

Unique Designs

Get creative! The sky is the limit. Spend some time brainstorming before you get started. Ask yourself, “what are we known for? what do we want to promote?” and let the answers guide your design.

 

Show Me the Money

These stations are using their cover photos to advertise a sponsor or sponsored promotions. Before you follow suit, read these guidelines to ensure you’re in compliance with Facebook’s rules! If you decide to go this route and include a sponsor in your cover photo, integrate the logo into your design so the cover photo still looks like one for YOUR station.

 

HOW TO DESIGN YOUR COVER PHOTO

Ideally, you should custom design your cover photo using a program like Adobe Photoshop. If someone on your team has graphic design skills, use these dimensions to ensure your cover photo looks great on your Timeline:

  • Cover Photo: 851 pixels wide x 315 pixels tall
  • Profile Picture: 180 pixels wide x 180 pixels tall (Make sure your logo fits within the square for a more professional look. Remember that this profile picture is the thumbnail that appears on each post you make, so it should be easy to identify.)

If graphic design isn’t in your skill set, don’t panic. Email me for a custom design quote or try one of these apps to create a sharp design for free:

 

Leave a comment below with a link to your Timeline so I can check it out. Learn anything when designing yours? Share your tips, too.

While you’re on Facebook, check out my cover photo and The Randy Lane Company’s, too.