I have written an exclusive article for Social Media Sun depicting the relationship between radio and social media. Click here to read it and find out which nursery rhyme I think reflects the merge of old and new media. I would love to hear your thoughts after you read it! Leave me a comment here or there, or send me a tweet @StephanieWinans.
social media
Who Owns Your Morning Show’s Social Media Presence?
In early March I read an article about the social media battle many musicians are fighting with their record labels over who owns their social media accounts. I thought, “I hope radio never gets to this point”.
Weeks after I pondered that article, three high-profile morning show hosts contacted me– they are fighting the artist/record label battle with the companies they work for. After creating the accounts on their own, and after years of building their own relationships with listeners independent of station time and resources, stations have begun taking “ownership” of their talent’s accounts by requiring that they meet certain guidelines.
Air talent should always support the station online- by driving traffic to the website, and upholding the station’s brand essence in their own presence and interactions online. It is in their best interest that the station succeeds- both on-air and online.
However, the recent corporate requirements for morning shows are counter-productive. There is a disconnect in what Management really wants, and what they are going to get with these mandatory “guidelines”.
Social media is about personal relationships- between two people, between a person and a brand or business, between a Morning Show and a listener. These relationships, like any relationship in the “real” world, are based on trust. Listeners trust that the Morning Show is going to provide content relevant to the show and in line with the on-air brand. They trust that by liking the Facebook page or following the show’s Twitter account, they won’t get spammed.
One of the requirements recently placed on Morning Shows are rightfully upsetting this balance of trust. Stations are asking their Morning Shows to include a link to the station website in EVERY Facebook post or tweet. Posting irrelevant links that lead listeners on a goose chase for related content that doesn’t exist doesn’t build a good rapport with them. It can also be counter-productive in that they may not click through to the links that do matter after many times of clicking through for nothing.
For example, if a Morning Show uses social media to develop personal relationships with listeners, the host may share things that happen outside of the show or station. A picture of their child doing something funny, a picture with friends on the weekend, a video of their dog at the dog park. It doesn’t make sense to include a link to the station website in a mobile upload of a personal picture. Yet this is what stations are requiring.
Another unreasonable stipulation is that NO link may be posted or tweeted that isn’t a station website link. While Morning Shows should always strive to provide links to the content hosted on the station website, the content may not always be available there. Does that mean it’s not of interest to listeners? Should a Morning Show not post or tweet the news of Whitney Houston’s death because it’s over the weekend when webmasters are off work ( and the news is too new to be posted on the station website, anyway)?
Management is smart to take advantage of the relationship between a successful Morning Show and its listeners. So hold them accountable for a certain number of posts/tweets per week that contain links to the station website. Hold them accountable for a reasonable standard of website traffic. Ask them to include the streaming link when they use social media to ask for opinions on phone topics.
Just don’t create guidelines that violate the nature of social media. That doesn’t increase web traffic or ratings- it turns a P1 into a casual listener by damaging he trust relationship between air talent and listeners.
-written for Radio Ink Magazine
I am passionate about this topic! I would love to hear your thoughts. Do you think air talent (and I) have a right to be upset about these requirements? Or do you think they are realistic? Leave me a comment.
Arbitron’s Social Media Policy
Did you know you can’t discuss ratings on your social networks? If you don’t think it’s a big deal, ask Oprah, who was under fire from Nielsen for tweeting “Every 1 who can please turn to OWN especially if u have a Nielsen box” last month.
Arbitron’s updated policy Social Media Do’s & Dont’s lists ways you can preserve respondent anonymity, avoid rating distortion (any station activity that may affect the way diary keepers record listening) and rating bias (any activity that may prompt a station’s listeners to participate in Arbitron’s survey).
This would include thanking listeners for a successful ratings book. Arbitron thinks this may encourage listeners to reveal that they were part of the survey, compromising anonymity.
Arbitron monitors both station and air talent social media accounts, so check out the policy here to ensure you’re in compliance.
-written for The Randy Lane Company Content Ideas
Pinterest: What’s In It for Radio
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.
5 Tips for Online Success in 2012
January is an optimistic month that connotes a new beginning for business owners and managers. New budgets and new goals bring a clean slate full of opportunities to succeed.
Amidst these opportunities for success lies your station’s online presence. Make your online brand a priority in 2012 with these five tips:
1. Define your goals.
Do you want to increase your number of Twitter followers, Facebook likes or YouTube subscribers? Would you like more traffic on your station website? You can’t measure progress if you don’t know what your goals are.
Ask your staff for input. The people who implement your online strategy on a daily basis are likely the same people who know its weaknesses best. Ask your webmaster, social media manager, promotions team and air talent for their insights.
2. Assess your competition.
Take an objective look at other stations in your market. Is their website superior to yours? Do they have more participation from listeners on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube? Comparing their online brand to yours will help you create goals for 2012. If they have a competitive edge over you online, check in regularly to learn what they’re doing right.
If your station is sitting pretty compared to market competitors, compare your brand to successful stations outside your market. There is always room for improvement.
3. Develop frequency strategies.
How often will you be tweeting or posting on Facebook? How often would you like your air talent to post a blog on the website? Develop minimum frequency goals and stick to them. This will ensure your website and social networks don’t get stale. If social media participation isn’t an issue, consider a maximum frequency goal to ensure you aren’t over posting or tweeting.
Plan a meeting to discuss frequency parameters with your staff to ensure that the strategy is realistic. The goal is to increase participation, not to stifle it. Their input will generate attainable goals you can work toward as a team.
4. Make it easy for air talent to manage the station’s social networks.
Choose a social app to manage various social networks. Your air talent will be able to manage the station accounts and their personal accounts from one interface, increasing their participation. Because air talent participation humanizes your station accounts and showcases the personalities you have on staff, it’s important to get them involved.
Your social media manager can also schedule some of your promotional tweets and posts so your message reaches a larger percentage of your audience. Social Bro, Buffer, Hootsuite, and Market Me Suite are a few of my favorite apps.
Many apps will even tell you when your audience is “listening”, which helps you understand the best times to post important information about contests or promotions.
Make your air-talent page admins of the station Facebook page so they can post content without logging out of their personal account. (You can always revoke access later, if necessary.)
5. Follow up.
Don’t wait until 2013. Evaluate progress and re-evaluate your strategy quarterly. Because the Internet is an ever-changing entity, a winning strategy isn’t static. Regular evaluation of both your efforts and the changing online environment will ensure you’re celebrating with your staff at the end of 2012.
-written for Radio Ink Magazine