by
Marsha Friedman
EMSI Public Relations
You
don’t have to do a lot of research to see that the mainstream
media uses social media every day.
Every major news anchor has a Twitter
account and many of them have Facebook fan pages with thousands
of followers who receive regular updates on that anchor’s
activities and interests.
CNN’s Anderson Cooper spends several minutes every night asking
viewers to connect with him on Twitter and Facebook. Ed Schulz
of MSNBC’s The Ed Show runs interactive polls on a nightly basis
connecting those using social media back to his evening show.
Every major host or anchor has a social media presence in which
they not only promote their appearances, but also seek feedback
from their audiences.
In radio, one of the largest chains of terrestrial radio
stations mandates that their hosts push social media on a
regular basis. In fact, on-air personalities are not only judged
by their ratings on the air, but they are equally judged by the
number of followers and Web hits to their online blogs. Not only
that, they put their money where their microphones are by
handing out cash bonuses for hosts that overachieve in the
social media arena.
The stations understand that the easiest way to get listeners to
their Web sites is through their hosts’ social media
connections. They also understand the culture of social media
that you can’t be too commercial or sound like you’re trying to
sell them too hard on going to the Web site, so they post daily
news updates, more information about topics they discuss on the
shows, celebrity news and even funny viral videos – any kind of
content that adds value to the consumer’s online experience.
Many stations require their hosts to post something on their
blogs at least three times a day, so it’s not something they do
of their own discretion – it’s a job requirement!
The host just needs to do shows that are fun and informative,
keep listeners tuned in so that the listeners will want to
connect with them on Twitter or Facebook, which leaves the train
of breadcrumbs back to the station's Web site.
Stations can then use this online funnel as a way to directly
affect their bottom lines, because consumers don’t have to buy a
thing once they get there. All they have to do is visit early
and often and the advertising dollars can justifiably be
multiplied.
Finally, newspapers and magazines are beginning to understand
the same paradigm, because they are producing online-only
content to drive more Web site visitors. It’s not enough anymore
that they simply repurpose their print content for the online
visitors. They are now investing in content that is available
only online to continue to monetize their Web traffic through
advertising. It’s a simple formula, like the radio station
model. The more Web site visitors you get, the more you can
charge advertisers to reach them.
But if it were about the ad dollars alone, it wouldn’t be worth
it to devote so much effort into social media. The media gets
far more than that. Let me try to put it into perspective.
The main reason the mass media does social media is exactly the
same reason you should. They use social media to build a
RELATIONSHIP with their audience. In any business-to-consumer
interaction, there is no interaction that is more valuable than
the establishment of a relationship with your potential
customers.
That’s why I’m such a firm believer in investing the time and
energy in social media marketing to develop RELATIONSHIPS (I
can’t emphasize the word strongly enough) and build a strong
following. Yes, it takes time and energy, but the payoff is that
you are building relationships with people, who may one day turn
into a client or refer clients. Through this exchange of
communication, people learn about your expertise and you get
their feedback so everyone benefits in some manner. This
interchange takes the relationship to a higher level. The
highest level, of course, is that handshake (virtual or
face-to-face) that takes place when they become a customer or
client.
So, if you want to drive your marketing to a much higher level,
do like the big boys do in TV, radio and print – use social
media to build relationships with your potential customers and
then watch as that potential is realized.
Marsha Friedman is a 21-year veteran of the
public relations industry. She is the CEO of
EMSI
Public Relations, a national firm that provides PR strategy
and publicity services to corporations, entertainers, authors
and professional firms.
marsha@marshafriedman.com
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