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Radio Fans Are Connecting Socially, With or Without You
January 15, 2013
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One of the many advantages that come from the social space is giving brands like yours the ability to be in the moment with fans. Whether they are life's real and raw moments or times in sports or pop culture, being social can help you stand apart from your competition by creating those unexpected, cool, and memorable moments with fans on the platforms they prefer.
For example, while it's a smaller portion of your audience using Twitter on a daily basis, your fans flock there to be part of "hashtagged" conversations around events such as the NFL playoffs or the Golden Globes this past weekend.
To define hashtag - they are topics, people, concepts that are preceded with a # symbol to organize conversations for Twitter users. While you own your Twitter handle that starts with an "@" (mine is @lorilewis) you don't own a hashtag, even if you start one. They're common property.
For a visual – here are a few tweets from the hashtag "#GoldenGlobes" chatter:
As you see, just really funny, everyday people using the hashtag to direct their thoughts towards a specific conversation.
Here's why this matters to you:
Things are different today.
It's no longer what we want to talk about or what we deem worthy of participation.
It's what your fans are talking about (and they are talking with or without you.)
When today's moments happen, it is critical for brands to monitor online chatter and then find ways to fit into the fans' conversation with content, thoughts, and quips that add to the occasion.
Being present and connected is your brand's opportunity to be part of the moment and part of your fans' memories when they think back on it a month from now.
Just to show you some interesting Twitter activity, I looked at a few of the more popular hashtags this past weekend.
Starting with that incredible Baltimore Ravens/Denver Broncos game, you will see the chatter over at the hashtag #BalvsDen got loudest near the second overtime:
And the following night – fans were tweeting like crazy at the start of the #GoldenGlobes:
Fans are connecting socially – with you or without you. As radio scrambles to find new ways to stand out in today's distracted landscape, look for these moments that matter to your fans.
This is how you strengthen the relationship with them and build on brand impact.
As trite as "being in the moment" sounds, it's one of the most important tactics you can execute in this open and connected world.
But it doesn't just end there.
Don't jump on Twitter and behave the same way you do on-air in regards to talking at the audience. Don't tweet at them. Devise a plan to socially spend time with your fans.
Build a social fan base. Even if it's only 10 fans at the start – tweet with these fans. Find ways to capitalize on these social hang outs. If you're just tweeting for tweets sake – you're wasting time.
It's about creating opportunities to pull people back to the mothership – the FM stick.
This is hard work – social media is as tough as many think it's easy.
Not everybody wants to interact with you. You'll need to know how to identify an entirely new fan base and spend more time thinking about their moments – not how many status updates/tweets per day you should post, the "peak times," or even how many people are "Talking About You."
Look at this space strategically - identify fans that will actually participate with you socially. By doing so, you can build a whole new social fan base that will be there for you when you need it most.
Let me know if you're on Twitter. I'm @lorilewis.
Reach out to me anytime on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter.
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