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What We Learned About Radio and Social In 2016
December 13, 2016
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We all love lists.
From Facebook's, "2016 Year in Review," Twitter's "#ThisHappened in 2016," to YouTube's 2016 Rewind," it's interesting to look back.
Being in the trenches daily, we all know there's nothing easy about operating in this culture so addicted to distraction.
But as long as we're showing up every day and trying, we'll get closer to new successes and learn along the way.
The idea is to extract knowledge from those around us.
And hopefully "Merge," here on All Access, is a great resource.
The following are the Top 5 most read pieces of 2016.
Number 5:
There's A Way Around Instagram's New Algorithm
This piece dives into why people love Instagram and equally important what they are doing when using the app.
7 in 10 Instagram users said they are home while on the app. (Which means: probably not getting off the couch for that bar appearance you're promoting.)
47% are on it while watching TV
39% look at it just before they fall asleep
And a third, 33%, access the app when they wake up.
They are set somewhere and not moving around.
So when radio stations show up with photos of their prize wheels and remote setups, you can understand why the audience is left underwhelmed by us.
Number 4:
35 Things Everyone Should Know About Social And Radio
As I reflected back on five years of "Merge" headlines in February, I noticed the fundamentals I have passed along for half a decade aren't just about social media; they apply to life, too.
- Don't Stare At The Finish Line Without Starting The Race
- Size Doesn't Matter, It's The Caring That Counts
- Loose Tweets Sink Fleets
- Choose Words Wisely
- Don't Feed The Trolls
- Common Sense Isn't Always Common Practice
- Never Let Fans Go Thirsty
- The Amount Of Followers Doesn't Equate To Brand Impact
- Adult Supervision (is often) Required
- Strengthen The Assets You "Own" (On-Air, Web, etc...) With The Assets You "Rent" (Facebook, Twitter, etc...)
- Radio Fans Are Connecting With Or Without You
- We're Walking Around With The Internet In Our Pants
- Never Underestimate The Power Of The Personal Touch
- It's Not The Mistake - It's How We Behave In Recovery
- People Don't Want To Be Sold - They Want To Feel Welcomed
- No Matter How Good You Are, You Can't Coach Yourself
- Move People To Move Meters
- Fear Is The One Thing That Can Erode Your Brand The Fastest
- Social Is A Way Of Thinking, Not A Trick
- If You're Doing Your Job The Same Way You Were A Year Ago, You're Already Behind
- Be Flawsome
- Harness The Ego
- Don't Be A Like-Baiter
- Engagement Is About Reciprocation
- It Didn't Happen Unless There's A Selfie
- We Teach People How To Treat Us
- Even In The Social Space, You Reap What You Sow
- The World Is Unmoved By How Great Your Prize Wheel Is
- Showing Up Every Day Is More Important Than The 'Lightning Strike'
- Never Miss An Opportunity To Be Good To People
- Mediocre Social Posts Are As Brand Erosive As Bad On-Air Breaks
- We Operate In The Era of Earn
- Social Is Opportunity To Go Beyond The Ordinary & Create Memorable Moments
- Every Person Counts
- Radio's Relevancy Is In Your Hands
Number 3
What Your Audience Is Doing When They're Not Listening To You
Your audience is likely listening to your station every day.
We also know they are getting distracted by other platforms. And these sources aren't the typical stations up or down the dial.
They happen to be some of the most awesome time sucks.
As you study the infographic below created by Excelacom, ask yourself; with all of this happening - how can our radio stations best serve the audience's daily lives?
It's a serious traffic jam out there and it's only going to get noisier.
Number 2:
Facebook Wants To Replace Morning Shows
While this was a huge story (and ad agency, DigitasLBi, remains in the process of creating a mobile morning show to livestream on the social platform), the fact is there will always be something disrupting the social space.
Our job is to always assess how we are driving social in a way that develops value for the audience and our advertisers.
How can we create real tactical moments and even place real dollars towards social?
And the number one most read piece from 2016:
Facebook Just Announced They Will Start Removing Your Posts
April of this year, Facebook rolled out a "Branded Content Policy."
And Facebook gave brands plenty of time to learn how to comply. But five months later, they threw down the gauntlet with the following warning:
"Beginning September 1st, Page posts and ads that violate the branded content policy will be removed from Facebook."
Facebook has since upped the punishment as some brands have found their pages "unpublished" for violating the Branded Content Policy.
If we're going to use this space - or even monetize it - we need know all that we're dealing with.
Thank you for reading and sharing "Merge" here on All Access for nearly 6 years now.
When we modify our thinking about social and focus on serving the audience and advertisers, we'll start offering even more emotional benefits fans and partners simply cannot get elsewhere.
It's an ever changing space, that's for sure.
Reach out to me anytime on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter.
Please enjoy MERGE archives here.