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If You're Doing Your Job The Same Way You Were A Year Ago, You're Already Behind
October 20, 2015
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Working with radio brands each day, I'm privileged to have a more global view about consumer habits and social trends. There's no doubt Facebook is the big dog and will likely remain so for some time. In Zuckerberg's latest quarterly earnings call, he noted Facebook has 1.49 billion monthly active users.
And while Facebook provides plenty of scale, consider what else is going on out there in the social space. Not every app is necessarily right for your audience, but for the ones that are, there are very cool and rewarding moments just waiting to happen for your station and its fans.
Twitter: A Powerful Companion During Live Events
The amount of people participating on Twitter continues to grow, especially during sporting, news or pop cultural moments that matter to them.
However the key to live tweeting isn't a play by play or word for word account of what's happening, but rather a highlight on the best moments.
Sandy Kovach, Dir. /Digital Content for Cumulus/Detroit knows just the right time (and the appropriate tone of voice) to weave her brands into big, live moments:
It's critical for brands to be consistently present and connected. It's opportunity to be a part of our audiences' lives when they're not listening. And also, our chance to "pinball" them back to the assets we own, such as the "mothership," the FM/AM stick.
Instagram: Seek To Resonate -- Not To Be Seen
Often times Instagram can feel like a wasteland of inspirational posters and pleads to join the next bar remote.
But you know that's not really what the 18-34 core love about the app, right?
Consider how Todd and Jayde of WPLJ/New York use it. They capitalize on the video feature - asking the audience to unscramble Jayde's young daughter, Stella, singing:
Facebook recently commissioned Crowd DNA to do their own study on the role Instagram plays in the everyday lives of their core users. And the results should help you connect even more with the app.
Millennials call Instagram a platform that "captures the immediacy of the moment," and where they document their lives.
So when radio stations show up with photos of their prize wheels and remote setups, now you can understand why the audience is left unimpressed and underwhelmed by us.
Snapchat: 4 Billion Video Views A Day
No longer is it the "sexting app," "snapping" is the primary mode of communication for 13 to 34 year olds.
Finding ways to weave your brand into this app isn't always easy.
Follow shows like The Elvis Duran Morning Show to see how they recap interviews, Snapchat style. It's one of the smartest ways to make sure you're seen by the younger audience.
Periscope: With Over 10 Million Accounts, How Can You Stand Out?
Recently when I peeked in on a lively meeting with syndicated radio show, Big D and Bubba, there was a serious debate about something that was said on-air. It was fascinating to be there, especially because they made it feel like I was witnessing something that was private.
And it ultimately ended on a lighter note with everyone (including me) chiming in:
The power of an app like Periscope is allowing those of us watching your live stream to influence the broadcast.
Show us something no one else can or will (all legal, of course).
There's no doubt the social space is very fluid and fast. And there's more to this arena than just Facebook.
Shake it up and focus on moving fans. Don't get caught doing your job the same way you did each year.
Catching up is just going to get harder.
Reach out to me anytime on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter.
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