| Using Social Media to Recruit Viewers- 6 Rules You Should Never Break |
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Using Social Media to Recruit Viewers- 6 Rules You Should Never Break by Graeme Newell This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it http://www.602communications.com Facebook: facebook.com/gnewell Twitter: gnewell 1) Present yourself as a human being, not a company. Escape the bonds of your corporate identity, loosen that tie, and get friendly. Remember, its called social media, not business media. Its purpose is to socialize and bond, not to exploit the patrons. If your sole intent is to build your business, odds are the audience will see right through your superficial agenda. Social media sites are not a place to blatantly hock your shows, and those who break this rule will be cast out by the communities they hope to friend. However, there are lots of people recruiting new audiences and making substantial amounts of money through social media. These pros understand social media is based on the very human principles of giving and listening. Think of social media as the local tavern, a place where you gather with friends to share the experiences of the day and to raise a pint or two. Now consider all the things you would never do to your friends in a bar. 2) Never advertise, instead, socialize You would never walk into your local tavern and yell “I’ve got shoes for sale for $39.00 a pair. Who would like to buy some from me?” Every person in the place would instantly avoid you. Doing this instantly tags you as a taker with a transparent, self-serving agenda. Treating your friends like a potential sales mark is strictly prohibited. I see TV station social media profiles that are exclusively populated with self-serving posts that are nothing more than free ads. “Watch Channel 9 tonight for an update on the storm.” “Channel 9 has the latest reports from Wall Street. We are your station for complete coverage.” Their egotistical agenda is obvious - all they want are followers to watch their news. It’s all about their own ratings for this station. They see other participants as a crop to be harvested, not a relationship to be nurtured. This station does not want friends, it wants prospects. If you want to advertise on Facebook, then buy an ad, but never jeopardize the tenuous friend relationship by showing your buddies such a selfish agenda. Don’t treat Facebook like it’s a radio promo or a billboard ad. 3) Speak like a human, not an advertising shill Don’t talk in ad speak. It just makes people distrust your motives. Take a look at these posts from a local station Facebook page: “Watch Carrie’s report on autism, tonight at 6 on Channel Nine - your local news source.” “Watch the Valley’s most complete coverage of the police shooting tonight at five.” People just don’t talk like this. You would never spout sales slogans at your local tavern and you should never do it on social media sites. Social media is a place where you inform and share. Never subject your online community to slogans, calls-to-action or sell lines. Remember, these are advertising tools and social media is not advertising. 4) Demonstrate your passion, not an agenda. Let your friends see the real you. Give them a taste of what excites you. Stop trying to sell them. If you love breaking news, then wear that love on your sleeve. You work in a newsroom and that means fascinating stuff comes across your desk throughout the day. Don’t try to recruit your friends to watch, instead, give them a taste of the best parts and they’ll come back for more. Look at these posts and notice how they wear their passion on their sleeve. I can’t help but click: “Busy day! Just posted Pittsburgh movie premiere video with Ving Rhames interview http://tinyurl.com/r5vy3w” “Kennywood is about to announce a new ride to its lineup and it sounds like it might be another coaster! http://tinyurl.com/mg7fr6” The genuine excitement of these posts is infectious. This reporter has shown her real passion, and that passion inspires others to click and join in the conversation. That’s how you win friends and followers. Had she tagged her post with “watch tonight at six for the Valley’s most complete coverage” this authentic sentiment would have been tarnished. Stop selling and just be yourself. It is a far more appealing and effective way to recruit a social media tribe. 5) Give, give, give Who are the most popular people at a local tavern? It’s the people with the best stories, who are the best listeners. Don’t just talk about yourself all the time. Join the conversation. Comment long and often about the observations of your friends. Take a look at your social media page. Do you post, then wait for others to comment on your genius, or do you let them take the lead too? The unexpected benefit is that this listening/sharing strategy takes less work. By encouraging others to add their own passions to the vibrant conversation, you enroll them. Scintillating conversations continues on your social media page even when you’re too busy to post. 6) Drive to your website, not your broadcast. The web and social media are all about instant gratification. If I can’t get it now, then I’m not waiting. Don’t push your friends to watch future newscasts. You have already done all the hard work of getting that friend to the web and your social media page. Make the next step easy. Link them to a story on your web site. It’s just a click away and it’s available NOW. If you promise content from your next broadcast, odds are they will forget or simply won’t bother. Using the web to build broadcast views is amazing inefficient. By pushing to your web site you create a seamless experience, making it more likely that friends will return to your social media page for more good content suggestions. Graeme Newell is a broadcast and web marketing specialist. He guarantees that his teasing seminar will immediately increase your news ratings or his workshop is free. Find out more here. |