Stephanie Winans

Business & Marketing Strategy Consulting

sales

#Instavideo: How Radio Can Take Advantage of Video for Instagram

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Right when you get the hang of Instagram, the Facebook-owned social network comes out with an update to compete with social video powerhouse, Vine (owned by Twitter). You can still add photos to Instagram, but now you can also share 15-second videos.

Much like Vine, Instagram allows you to stitch together video clips into a 15-second montage. You can apply one of 13 Angela Perelli and Stephanie Winansfilters and use the Cinema feature to stabilize your video, too. Don’t forget to choose your thumbnail so users who don’t press play still get a sense of what the video is about.

So what kind of videos should you share? Here are some ideas to jumpstart your brainstorming:

 

  • What’s happening in the studio between commercial breaks?
  • Record one Q&A from your next in-studio guest. Consider captioning the video with your question and leaving the 15-second video for your guest’s answer.
  • Video your next musical guests singing the hook to their latest song live.
  • Share intriguing clips of morning show stunts, driving viewers to the website for longer video.
  • Get creative with promotion announcements. Shoot video of yourself announcing the latest contest or promotion, or of the studio while the promo plays. Giving away a flyaway? Head to the airport to record a plane taking off.
  • Develop a street promotion with a specific hashtag. For example, give away t-shirts or concert tickets on the street and shoot video at different locations. Get client sponsorship to monetize the promotion.
  • Ask your Sales department which clients play the station in their businesses. Shoot the staff dancing to the music.  Better yet, create a promotion and ask local businesses to upload their own videos.
  • See someone jamming in her car to your station? Shoot a quick video (and get her permission to post).
  • Record a ride in the station vehicle.
  • Record hints to trivia contests and post with the time the contest airs. Be sure and comment with the answer after the contest is over, as listeners will comment and guess just for fun.
  • Develop a character for Instagram, or make an on-air character come to life. Shoot regular video and create a hashtag for this feature.
  • Share video of an artist meet-&-greet.
  • Create a feature just for Instagram video. For example, “Ask Steve.” Have listeners email questions and post a video every Monday of Steve answering a listener question. Using the hashtag #AskSteve would allow users to watch any “Ask Steve” videos they’ve missed.
  • Create testimonials. Ask P1 fans at events if you can post video of them sharing why they love the station or show.

 

Whatever you do, just do it. Radio’s only disadvantage is that it’s an audio medium in a visual world. With Instagram video (and other video platforms, too), you have the opportunity to bridge that gap.

Note: If you don’t see the upload video option in your app, check for an Instagram update and make sure your phone’s operating system is up-to-date.

 

Also published on The Randy Lane Company blog.

Why A Competitive Analysis Can Help You Succeed With Digital

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Whether you’re developing a strategy for social media, planning to update the station website, creating a business model for streaming, or wondering why you aren’t getting advertisers’ digital dollars, conducting an analysis of the competition is key.

Why? An online analysis of the competitive landscape yields information you may not hear by monitoring the on-air product. You can capitalize on their weaknesses, or reveal your own by finding out what they’re doing better. You can also determine whether competitors are generating revenue from advertisers.

Program Directors spend time listening to the competition. It’s time to start listening online, too.

What To Review

  • Their website for design and content. Is the design modern and easy to navigate? Is the content updated frequently? Is the air talent posting blogs, videos and audio regularly? Is the station providing any content you aren’t? From a listener standpoint, is their website more interesting, and does the content give you more reason to visit often?
  • Advertisements on their website. Make notes for your Sales Manager. Who are their sponsors for promotions and contests? Is there a video pre-roll advertisement? And don’t forget to listen to the stream.
  • Engagement on social media platforms. In addition to the vanity metrics (Facebook likes and Twitter followers), review how many comments and likes each post receives. Is your station getting similar engagement from listeners?
  • Social media content. What categories do competitors include in their social media strategy? Are they posting about music and promotions? Do air talent post during their shows? Or is their engagement empty, a product of off-brand internet meme updates?
  • Their social media sponsors. Is there any indication that advertisers are spending money on social media? Look at promotional banners or timeline photos, and read posts for mention of sponsors. Look for a contest tab for an advertiser-sponsored contest.

Who To Look At3249473645_0c81fab970

  • Competitors in your market. Go beyond stations with similar formats. Do an online analysis of all radio stations in your market that share your target demographic, as well as all stations that boast strong ratings.
  • Similar stations outside of your market. Review the online presence of stations in your format that are successful in similar size markets across the country.
  • The best [your format] station in the country. While many ideas you glean from market #1 may not be practical in your market, you can tweak some and execute on a smaller scale. If you’re going to learn from competitors, you may as well learn from the best.
  • Non-radio brands in your market. Review the websites and social media strategies of local TV stations and companies who do digital well. It is likely that advertisers aren’t giving your piece of their digital budget to other radio stations, but other non-radio brands.

What Next?

  • Use what you’ve learned to improve your digital presence. If you’re missing content categories on your website, add them. If other stations’ talent are more involved online, work with your jocks to increase post frequency. If your website looks like it was built in 1999 and your competitors are rocking a 2015 design, it’s time to push hard for a design update.
  • Help your Sales Team target digital advertisers. Give them a list of companies who advertise on both the radio and non-radio brands you reviewed. Explain the different types of sponsorships, ads and contests you saw to begin brainstorming for ideas. It’s easier for Account Executives to sell a great idea than to sell a generic banner ad.
  • Set up a Google Alert to monitor your competitors (and your station, too). Add keywords for station and show names, and Google will email you once daily with any news or blogs posted.
  • If you haven’t ever run a Google or Facebook ad for the station, do it now. Not only will it improve your website traffic and increase Facebook likes, respectively, but it will show you another realm of competition. It’s important to understand the way Google and Facebook ads work, so you know what potential advertisers are getting from these ads (and what they’re paying for).

Photo credit: Harald Hoyer/Flickr via Creative Commons

What metrics or entities do you include when analyzing competitors? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Social Media vs. The Station Website: Who Wins Biggest Priority?

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I spoke at the Ontario Broadcasters Association Fall Conference and one of the questions for our panel was “Where does social media fit against where your website sits?”

This question comes up often, as managers and talent alike try to prioritize and determine the relationship between the station website and social media.

So, what is the answer? In the short term, the answer depends on your goals. If your goal is to beat your competitor in Facebook likes, then social media may be your current priority.

In the long term, your goal should be to use social media to support the station website, and to create website content that can be shared on social platforms- by you and by your fans.

Fish Where The Fish Are

You’ve likely heard the statement “fish where the fish are” in support of making social media a priority. This phrase is powerful- it is a visual reminder of the marketing power of social platforms like Facebook, which boasts over 800 billion users.

And the phrase makes a strong argument. We cannot afford to ignore any touch point where we can reach listeners, market to them, and build relationships with them.

Don’t Put Your Eggs In A Basket You Don’t Own

While the engagement we see on mainstream social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube (and even SoundCloud, Instagram and Pinterest!) may encourage us to make social media our first priority, it’s important to remember that we can’t control these social networks.

We’re just one irritating change, privacy mishap, or trend away from a shift in social media. Popularity can change at any time- just ask MySpace. Because we don’t own (and don’t we wish we did!) Facebook or Twitter, it is smart to use social media to support the products we do own.

What I mean by “support” breaks down into two arguments:

1. The Content Marketing Argument

Where do you find the content to post on your social media platforms? If you have strong website content that is frequently updated, the first answer is the station website.

Without a robust content strategy, it is difficult for social media managers (or Promotions Directors, or whoever runs your social media presence) to find quality content that supports both the station brand, and the social media strategy in place.

For example, having frequently updated jock blogs and show podcasts, music news and videos, gives you a stable cornerstone in which to build your social media strategy. If your website is static, you are forced to seek out relevant content 100% of the time.

Social media management is easier when you’re website is something worthy of sharing.

2. The Digital ROI Argument

Using social media to drive listeners back to the website should be your second goal. (What’s the first? Using social media to drive ratings by nurturing listener-station relationships and sharing content that promotes the on-air product.)

Why do we care about driving listeners to the station website? Because we like our jobs and our stations are supported by advertisers, many of which are shifting to an interest in digital ads, interactive online promotions, or website feature sponsorships.

Racking up likes and comments on Facebook serves whom? Facebook (unless a client of the station sponsors that post). Using a Facebook post to drive traffic to the website serves both the station and its advertisers.

When listeners click a link you post, they (you!) are increasing traffic to the station website. Whether the specific page you linked to is sponsored or not, the overall traffic statistics are the numbers our Account Executives use to sell digital.
Because I believe driving website traffic is a goal for social media presence (and not the other way around), and because we should never put too much focus on a product we don’t own, I believe social media is secondary to the station website. What are your thoughts? Share by adding a comment below.

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”.

Selling Social: Are Social Media Endorsements a Good Idea?

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Social media savvy radio clients are inquiring about online endorsements, creating revenue opportunities for both radio stations and air talent. However, with opportunity comes responsibility.

Stations and talent have built online communities based on trust. Listeners trust that your social media content will be a reflection of what they hear on air- an extension of your station brand or your on-air personality. They also trust that you won’t spam them.

A friend (and high profile morning show talent) recently approached me with questions about social media endorsements. He is hesitant to accept sales offers for social media endorsements, rightfully afraid to taint the delicate relationships he has built with his 20,000 Twitter followers and 35,000 Facebook fans. Our discussion had me thinking of ways to get online endorsement revenue without upsetting the balance of trust you have with your online community of listeners.

Here are some guidelines to help you if you’re considering social media endorsements:

Be Transparent

Make it clear that it’s a sponsored post or tweet. Your social relationships are based on trust, so don’t try to trick your followers or fans into thinking the tweet or post isn’t an ad. They’ll know you’re lying. Michael Brandvold, Music marketing consultant, speaker, author, expert and Klout Star, shares his experience on endorsements with the music industry:

“Endorsements are fine, but you need to be clear that the post is a paid endorsement. You should also only endorse items that you do believe in. So if a discussions starts you can talk intelligently and with passion.

I always tell a story of how [the band] KISS has never been afraid to say they are doing something for money, complete transparency and honesty. But other artists I have worked with would say they want to earn the money that someone like KISS would make, but can they do it in a way so their fans won’t think they are in it for the money. You can’t fool your fans or listeners today. When they find out you were trying to fool them you will have much bigger problems to deal with.”

On Twitter, you can use a hashtag like #Sponsored or #Promoted to let listeners know the tweet is a paid endorsement. On Facebook, you can use parentheses in your status update to indicate an advertisement.

Follow Your On-Air Rules

Michael Brandvold also mentions that it’s important to accept endorsements you believe in, and this is an essential tip for air talent. Follow your own guidelines on whether to accept a social media endorsement; be picky in the same way you are when choosing to accept an on-air endorsement. Your reputation is important, and you are the one responsible for protecting it- not the station, and not the client.

Consider Sponsored Online Content

Think about an on-air Traffic sponsorship, where the content already provided is tagged with a sponsor ad. Offer to create a similar social media sponsorship in lieu of an online endorsement. Provide your own content, along with a note that it is sponsored by [your client]. You can use content you already provide regularly, or create something tailor made for the client (for the right price, of course).

Don’t Do it Often

If you accept endorsements as a station or an air talent, don’t do them often. Your goal is to gain followers, not to lose them. Posting endorsement ads often won’t help anyone. Your listeners will be annoyed, and that’s not good for your brand or the client’s.

Do It Once, Naturally

One last endorsement option: If there’s a client you truly stand behind, share honestly online one time. Not disclosing that it’s an ad will only work once. Choose the time you tweet or post carefully to maximize exposure for the client, and write the copy yourself so it really is just you sharing information about a brand or product you support.

If you have any endorsement stories or tips of your own to share, I would love to hear them. Leave a comment or send me a tweet @StephanieWinans.

You can check out the genius of Michael Brandvold on his website or on Twitter.

This article was written for Radio Ink.