These days most people are on some kind of social media platform like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat. Notice as well that big companies are jumping on the bandwagon too, after all it would be far more easier to market where people already are as well as easier to reach them. With this in mind, one needs to have an account in social media to reach out to potentially new listeners while simultaneously keeping in touch with current listeners and fans of your service.
Your social media presence should be in tune to what you are as a brand and must have its owns personality. Embedding your webplayer in your Facebook Fanpage shows not only that you are a radio station but that you are providing an avenue for your fans to engage with you, meaning you care. You can even go one step further and create a Facebook group, to give your fans a community to meet people with similar taste and opinion. Having a Twitter account and availing of our Twittercast lets you easily be in touch with your fans by blasting promos and schedule of programs in one tweet.
While social media has been decried by some naysayers, one cannot deny its usefulness in marketing and given how easy it is for things to go viral with the Share and Retweet button. If you are creating a brand then having a social media account and keeping it active is a must. There is no easier and cheaper way to market one’s brand than through Facebook or Twitter. Keeping it running, maintaining it with posts or tweets means your fans and listeners are kept not only up to date but more importantly interacting with you. Make sure your posts are always relevant not just to your radio station but to your target audience as well.
Always treat social media as though you were speaking to a large crowd over a megaphone while standing on top of a pedestal and whatever you say or do will have its effects. Remember, brands live and die not just by revenue but also by their reputation and public perception of a brand (in your case, a radio station) can spread like wildfire. Everything posted on the internet lives forever after all and a single post, a single tweet can have affect your brand for as long as people remember.
That being said (and it is quite a handful) there really isn’t much to be afraid of. Think about what you post or what you want to share before posting, take care of it and it will serve your radio station well. Post anything and watch people crucify your brand. Some brands can survive the fallout over a gaff but not everyone does and generally those that survive a hiccup are the bigger brands as they already have the name recognition and the base. However, for those who are just starting out, take care of your image on Facebook and Twitter, you want to be the cool and sweet new kid on the block that everyone wants to hangout with. So treat it with care. Always.
