Stephanie Winans

Business & Marketing Strategy Consulting

rules

Why Morning Shows Deserve Their Own Facebook Page

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Three clients have approached me in the last few months, all worried because the station they work for is threatening to cancel their Morning Show Facebook page. Not because their behavior on Facebook is out of line with the station brand, or because it is distracting them from the on-air product, but because they view it as a threat to the growth of the station’s Facebook presence.

While I understand the need to streamline the on-air message regarding social media, I believe morning shows deserve their ownMorning Shows-Facebook social media accounts. Here are five reasons why:

1. A radio station is only as strong as its shows, its music, and its promotions. A show that is using social media to engage P1s and attract new listeners is serving more than itself- but the station as a whole.

2. A smart radio station Facebook or Twitter account represents all aspects of the station brand. This includes new music, artist news, promotions and contests, and shows. Because there are only so many posts that should be made in one day, the morning show has limited opportunity to promote their show and its content on the station page (typically within the time the show airs).

Having their own Facebook and Twitter presence allows them to be a source of entertainment for listeners 24/7, creating brand loyalty and increasing tune-ins.

3. Fans “like” and “follow” radio stations for different reasons than they do shows or air talent. They expect the station to keep them updated with concerts, music news, contests and promotions. They like or follow a show or air talent accounts to find out more about what they’ve heard on the show, and to personally connect with the specific jock they love. Following a person and a brand are different, and they both have a place in social media.

4. Morning show talent almost always ensure their online presence is in line with the on-air brand. If they are growing a fan base online, it’s because they care about their brand and the show’s success. They want to give listeners what they expect, and would not post any content that doesn’t reflect the show’s branding.

It’s unlikely they will behave badly… Facebook isn’t Vegas, so they know what happens there will always make it back to Management.

5. Facebook is a great place to test on-air topics. Many shows use Facebook as a gauge by posting phone topics the night before. Often a topic they thought would be huge has “no legs,” evident by the lack of engagement on Facebook. And sometimes a small topic turns into a huge segment, as the show sees different angles in Facebook comments. Using Facebook to “test topics” makes the on-air product stronger, as it weeds out the topics that don’t resonate with listeners.

And why not let the show keep their page?

If you’re worried that the show’s on-air promotion of their Facebook page is hurting the growth of the station page, set parameters.

If your station Facebook page lacks morning show presence because they only post on their own, set guidelines for when they must post on the station page.

Just don’t cancel their account.

This is a controversial topic by nature. I welcome your opinions, as they may help guide compromise for Management and Morning Show talent.

 

Photo credit: Modified from a photo from clotho98 on Flickr via Creative Commons

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

Social Media Policy: Drawing The Line

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When it comes to social media, it should be common sense for employees to act in the best interest of the brand.  The fact that many company brands have been damaged by the online musings of their employees says otherwise.  It’s not just the disgruntled employee whose online mistakes affect the station or show brand.  It could be the social media or blogging novice, the young and inexperienced intern, or the employee with a bizarre sense of humor.  Or it could be your smartest employee with a momentary lapse in judgment.

Most stations have a corporate social media policy in place by now.  But when it comes to the internet, businesses have more than just the management of company accounts to worry about.  With 750 million users on Facebook, 200 million on Twitter, hundreds of millions on YouTube, 25 million on Google+ and countless other social media sites gaining in popularity, it’s certain that most of your employees are active online.

Does your social media policy address the management of your staff’s personal online activity?  It should.

While you can’t control the tone or content of your employees’ accounts, you can control what is said about your brand.  Ensure that your confidentiality agreement covers online activity on both company and personal accounts.  Your employees should know they cannot state or imply any proprietary or competitive information during or following employment to anyone, any way, anywhere (cyberspace is a place).

It’s not enough to require talent or other station employees to add the clause “The views expressed are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of (station name)” to personal accounts.  Their posts about your brand can be damaging, regardless of whether listeners know it is not an official station account.

Developing A Personal Account Policy
Invite your social media savvy employees to a meeting (don’t be cheap; buy them lunch).  Facilitate a brainstorming session to come up with ideas for both your “don’ts” and “do’s” lists.  This is especially helpful for managers who aren’t confident with their knowledge of popular online media.

Remember to keep your company social media policy separate from your company’s policy on employee accounts.  Your company social media policy will give you extensive control over your station’s official sites.  Have respect for your employee’s personal (cyber)space by understanding that you can only control the content relevant to your company.  Outline the big picture of how their accounts can affect your station’s brand image.

Include the confidentiality agreement information, and a short, specific list of topics that are off limits.  Give them examples of what they are not allowed to discuss online with regards to the station, and examples of the types of conversation you encourage.

Make the policy clear, and post the most important points in a place employees can easily find without asking- on the wall, or in an email reminder.

Don’t Panic!
While all of this talk about damaging brand reputation sounds scary, the benefits outweigh the risks.  Your employees are your station’s #1 brand ambassadors.  In media, your employees are the face of the brand.  Listeners develop an opinion on your brand based on their interaction with your talent.

Don’t give them so many restrictions that they are scared to engage listeners.  Talent who are active online increase reach and build brand loyalty, for both their personal brands and the station brand.  Encourage them by giving them more than just a “don’t” list.  Give them positive guidelines to inspire engagement that will build your brand image.

Controlling the Chatter
Your social media manager (SMM) should be able to keep an online eye on employees without much effort.  If your SMM sees an employee online flirting with danger (and I don’t mean a hot man on a motorcycle), he or she should report to your Human Resources Manager immediately, after taking a screen shot of the offense.  The HR Manager can decide what action to take.

Your SMM should also be available as a resource for other employees.  Make “when in doubt, ask” your social media motto to avoid unintended online injuries.

Before you get started, watch this video from the Department of Justice, Victoria inspiration.  You’ll be glad you did.  They have done a fabulous job at creatively exhibiting the importance of social media policy.  It wouldn’t hurt to pass this along to your employees, either.

Are Your Station’s Content Rules a Roadblock to Quality Content?

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You can’t do this.  You have to do that.  With so many stipulations on content, jocks are afraid to get involved online for fear of doing something wrong.   Companies are trying to emphasize the importance of digital… but are they going about it the wrong way?

I have heard many jocks say they are so focused on quantity of content to satisfy a company checklist that they don’t have time to focus on the quality of the content posted.

Wouldn’t it be better to have one video go viral than have ten videos no one wants to watch?  If the focus is on satisfying a checklist that mandates the type and quantity of content, the quality of content becomes secondary.

Online content is important.  The internet offers air talent the chance to strengthen personality brands by using content to showcase characters and expand show content.  It also gives jocks the chance to engage with listeners on a personal level, which increases listener loyalty.

It’s no wonder that companies are pushing their air talent to spend some time online.   With so much controversy and pressure for radio to succeed with the internet, radio managers are searching for answers.

The focus should be on engaging listeners, and posting content that showcases character and expands show content… not on the number of blogs, pictures and videos that are posted weekly.  When too many restrictions are placed, creativity is robbed and digital becomes another duty instead of an opportunity to succeed by building strong content and connecting with listeners.

Rules that specify how many blogs, videos, photos, and social media posts are added per week guarantee that jocks don’t get a case of internet laziness.  However, is the frequency of posts more important than the actual content?

If a listener visits your station website, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube account to find content lacking real substance, he probably won’t visit the station website again, follow you on Twitter, or like your Facebook page.  While the frequency is important to keep your station looking fresh and active online, quantity should not be the sole focus of your company’s measurement of talent’s success online.  To engage listeners and keep them coming back again and again, the focus should be on quality content.

Here are five ideas to help you build a solution to create air talent focus on quality content:

1.    Show them how.  Many DJs aren’t active online because they don’t know what to post, how to create and edit video, or how to write a solid blog.  Consider a weekly meeting, highlighting a different online “how-to” each week.  Keep them simple; the point is to show them how easy it is, not to overwhelm!

2.    Create a 30-Day Online Challenge for your station.  Challenge each DJ to do one thing each day to extend their brand online.  Don’t mandate whether the content must be in the form of a video, blog, photo, or social media post.  Let the jock use his own brain to determine what channel sparks his creativity!

3.    Get them some help.  Many jocks are wearing so many hats; with PD, APD, Music Director, Production, or Promotions Assistant duties, they genuinely may not have the time it takes to create strong content.  Consider hiring an assistant or intern to help with the technical aspects of online content.  Have him edit the video or upload the photo.  If your Webmaster looks bored, add this to his list.

4.    Add online content to their daily show prep.  The easiest way to create organic content is to have jocks ask themselves “What online element can I add to this feature?” in the early stages of planning.

5.    Tell your Webmaster or Social Media Manager to speak up.  Because their natural focus is on the internet, they often think of radio in terms of how it translates to the internet.  Involve them in show prep or promotions meetings, and you may be surprised at the result of unleashing their digital creativity.

-written for Radio Ink