To Facebook or not, I’ve had that conversation over and over again the past few weeks. My answer is definitely, but do it right! Just since September, the number of women on Facebook has increased by over 165% (Pew Research study). And over 45% of all Facebook users are now over the age of 26. Kids are not happy that mom has taken over Facebook. No more beer bong photos from college. Women prefer talking to their friends on Facebook over sharing emails. So Facebook can be a great connection tool for you and the best part, it’s free. It just requires some time and thought.
Tip One: Facebook is a female conversation tool. But the key to that is it is a conversation. If your radio station is going to get involved on Facebook, you need to have your personalities creating conversations. It is not just another place to post your latest positioning statement. My friend Paul Poteet from WZPL in Indianapolis does the best job of this I’ve seen. He has a running dialogue with listeners all day. And most of the time, it’s very funny.
Tip Two: A recent study by Participatory Marketing Network shows the top reasons people join a fan page are:
• Getting news or product updates (67%)
• Having access to promotions (64%)
• Viewing or downloading music or videos (41%)
• Submitting opinions (36%)
• Connecting with other fans (33%)
It’s all about new and exclusive content. They want to stay connected to you so give them a reason to check in.
Tip Three: Facebook is the new water cooler. People at work use Facebook as that little break-time fun. So make sure you are giving them something fun. Funny comments by an air personality, a fun video, funny photos, a way to win something only on Facebook, stay engaging so your listeners connect with you.
Tip Four: Facebook is not just another place to repurpose your website material. But it is a great way to drive website traffic. In other words, don’t just copy and paste your website material onto your Facebook page. But, do use it as a way to announce new additions or points of interest on your webpage with a link. For example, one of my clients found some great old photos from artists visiting the station in the 80s. They posted a couple on their Facebook page with some fun comments by the morning show, but included a link back to the website to see the whole photo album.
Tip Five: Get creative. The people who are on Facebook are active. A study by Netpop found the typical social network user addresses 110 people per week on average. Become part of that conversation. It is really easy to create apps, design fun Facebook events and start Notes about your city or station. Facebook is interactive, it makes people feel connected. But you have to create things to get listeners to participate.
I recently had a conversation with a client who said she wasn’t sure how Facebook created listening. And my answer is, it doesn’t. Not directly. Facebook is just one more tool you can use to make your station part of your listeners’ community. We have to get out of the mindset of looking at marketing as always directly correlating to listening. Promotion does that. Just like Coke putting a display up by the cash register at the grocery, appointment listening contests create direct tune in. That is promotion and it’s very important.
But we also have to remember that as a radio station, you have a brand to build. You have to become part of your listener’s community to really succeed long-term. Don’t stop promoting, but that is not the same as developing a brand marketing strategy. Promotion and marketing are not the same. They do different things. You need both to win.
Visit MStique Marketing’s Contagious Connections to see how you can develop your brand for long term success! And if you’d like help managing your Facebook strategy, give us a call. We’ll be glad to do a Facebook teleconference to make sure your efforts are Contagious!
