radioinfo | October 29, 2012
By Chris Miller
Chris Miller Digital
SHAKER HEIGHTS — Over here on the digital side, it’s a common belief that Facebook has drastically cut back on how many people see our branded posts, so that we have to buy more advertising. That may well be the case! However, the Facebook folks are not only concerned about money, they’re also concerned about their version of time spent listening. They want you to visit more often; and they want you to scroll further down your news feed than you do now. They may limiting how much stuff people see from us commercial enterprises, so that it doesn’t crowd out what they see from their friends and family.
In any event, you’re lucky if 15% of your followers see any given post of yours. REAL lucky.
So, here are the state-of-the-art techniques that will help you get seen more, and engaged with more often. If you’re doing it right, that will then lead to more on-air and online usage of your radio station, which is the ultimate goal.
POST PHOTOS WITH EVERYTHING YOU CAN. Posts with photos get dramatically more likes, shares and comments than other posts. Second best? Just a clean status update. Links and videos get less interaction than a good status update. If you want to give them a link, post a photo and include the link in your description. I like to use link shorteners, especially bit.ly.
PAY ATTENTION TO HOW OFTEN YOU POST EACH DAY. Three or four times a day is pretty safe. More than six? I’d start getting worried. The more you post, the less interaction you get … and you also increase the chances of just getting hidden by your frustrated fans1. I would rather see you post once a day than a dozen times a day.
QUALITY COUNTS. You wouldn’t let someone play a bad song on your radio station. You wouldn’t let someone play Toby Keith on your hip hop station. Apply the same thinking to what you post on Facebook. Make sense? The best posts are interesting, timely and feel like they’re related to your brand.
WATCH YOUR STATS. If you’re one of the admins of your station’s page, click on the little graph above the cover photo. Instead of looking at “likes,” look at “People Talking About.” Likes are Facebook cume; People Talking About is Facebook AQH persons, so to speak. Poke around and start learning what is really working for you. Do more of what’s working.
GET THE RIGHT LIKES. First, think about what good your Facebook page is. Why would I want to follow you? Specifically? Then, communicate that to your biggest fans on the radio. It’s not enough to say, “Follow us on Facebook.” There has to be something in it for them. Likes will naturally slowly drop off if you don’t work to keep them up. Don’t manipulate just anyone into Liking you, because those people will drop away the fastest.
CONSIDER PAYING A BIT. You may find that if you occasionally pay to promote a post or two, your overall rate of visibility and engagement will go up. It’s pretty reasonably priced, all things considered, and you can target very precisely by interest, as well as by age, sex and location.
Chris Miller, owner of Chris Miller Digital, is a leading radio consultant specializing in research-based strategic planning and smart use of digital media. He can be phoned at 216-236-3955 or e-mailed atchris@chrismillerdigital.com.
Start Doing THIS Right NOW
on Facebook – Part 2
radioinfo | November 5, 2012
By Chris Miller
Chris Miller Digital
SHAKER HEIGHTS, OH — I was amazed by the high level of interest in my previous RadioInfo piece, “Start Doing THIS Right NOW on Facebook.” So here are a few more tips to help you get your radio station’s pages and posts right!
A lot of us radio folks see the value in social media. Still, many could use some help working it in a way so you’re building your brand, instead of just spinning your wheels. Many of the mistakes businesses make on Facebook have to do with how you write what you post. We tend to speak in marketing-ese or like we’re scripting a promo. That’s a huge error that may have people consistently hiding your content. Here’s how to write a post that works for you.
Remember: Nobody reads online
Everyone scans. Their eyes dart around, unconsciously judging what you have to say. They’re tuning out everything but what might interest them. Thus, attracting their attention in social media is very different from doing so on the air.
Speak from one person to one person
You’re picturing all your adoring fans as you post in social media. Your followers, meanwhile, are seeing your posts in among what their friends and family have written. Facebook is an intensely personal place. Write like you’re talking to one person. Speak for yourself, too; you may feel awkward writing “I” instead of “we.” The more you can say “I,” the more you’re likely to attract those wandering eyeballs. If it makes you feel weird to say “I,” sign your name at the end of it, like so: “—Chris”
Get on and get gone
The less you write, the more likely you are to get noticed. Social media is like radio; it tends to be consumed in small bits multiple times per day. The look of a long post says, “Skip this one.” Ruthlessly edit yourself to increase the chances of your fans stopping to see what you have to say.
Zero jargon and clichés
If you want to disrupt your competitor’s social media, you should get yourself hired to do their Facebook content … and then start every post with, “Hey, Facebook friends!” Here comes somebody who wants something! Almost nobody continues reading a post that starts that way. Keep it short and punchy. Write so well that they look forward to hearing from you again.
No hype, all truth
Being disarmingly honest and personal will go a long way for you. People know when they’re being hyped. Talk to them like they’re backstage with you. They’ll be much more likely to respond if you sound like a normal human being.
In addition, be specific instead of vague. “Coming up at 3:20” is meaningful. “Coming up later this afternoon” or “Listen right now” …. not so much.
Tweet stay on Twitter
Finally, if you’re sending your Twitter feed to your Facebook page, stop reading this and go disable that. Seriously, right this very minute. Twitter and Facebook are not interchangeable. Tweets look ridiculous on Facebook, and with all the #’s and @’s, they drive people away.
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