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Five Most Read Social Media Pieces On Merge In 2018
December 11, 2018
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We all love lists.
From Facebook's "2018 Year In Review", Twitter's 2018 data, or YouTube's "2018 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, paying attention to audience signals - what content moves people (and the content they ignore), 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 2018.
Number 5
40 Truths On Radio Success And Why Talent Matter
This is a recap of Worldwide Radio Summit 2018 that played out in Los Angeles in May.
Really interesting thoughts and perspective from industry pros - for example:
Stop following rules that don't exist within listener expectations and behaviors like 'don't put two women back to back on-air.'
Disrupt your own wisdom.
Everyone has access to the same songs - it's what you do with them. We're in the business of making moments.
Or my favorite:
Don't put sh*t on the air.
See the entire list here.
Number 4
Stay Humble And Work Your A** Off - Lessons From #Conclave43
"Content, Camaraderie and Candor!" is how someone summed up Conclave 43; radio's storied Learning Conference that played out in Minneapolis in July.
Conclave happens to be my favorite conference (because I have the honor of serving as Chair).
And there was again, a ton of insight and perspective all around us:
In this voice-first device culture, brands need to be important enough for people to ask for it vocally.
Education is key; the audience needs to know how to ask for you; how to find and listen to your station or your podcast.
With Gen Z and Millennials wanting to feel a part of community and cause, "cause contesting" allows the audience to win cash for them and for their favorite charity.
Hire "A" players because "B" players create stress, especially the unconscious incompetents.
Read the entire list here.
Number 3
Three Steps To Take Right Now In Light Of Facebook's News Feed Overhaul
So Facebook changed again. If there's one constant in life it's the ever-changing algorithm, right?
Honestly - if your content makes people feel involved/included, confident and/or relatable - you should be just fine regardless of any tweaks.
Number 2
25 Social Media Fundamentals That Stand The Test Of Time (And Algorithms)
2018 marked ten years for me studying the social space.
And while social media has changed so much in the past decade - there are lessons observed along the way that have stood the test of time (regardless of the ever altering algorithms).
A few favorites:
Focus on what is valuable; people want to feel a part of something (mostly because they are walking around with the Internet in their pants.)
Never underestimate the power of 'Holy Crap' moments
Choose words wisely; loose tweets sink fleets
We define our image every day by how we behave in this space
See the entire list here.
And by a (thousands of pages) landslide, the Number One most read "Merge" of 2018 is:
2018 Update: What Happens In An Internet Minute
As a follow-up to the 2017 version of "What Happens in an Internet Minute" Chadd Callahan and I created, this is an update of what's going on right now.
Clearly a battle for bandwidth every 60 seconds.
Thank you for reading and sharing "Merge" here on All Access.
Feb. 2019 will mark 8 years of writing this column.
And it means so much when you let me know how "Merge" has been helpful. That's the whole goal - to be useful - for us to grow together.
When we modify our thinking about social and focus on serving the audience and advertisers, we'll start offering even more emotional benefits people cannot get elsewhere.
Reach out to me anytime on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter.
Please enjoy MERGE archives here.