Sharpen Your Tools

"I refer to my hands, feet and body as the tools of the trade. The hands and feet must be sharpened and improved daily to be efficient..."
--Bruce Lee

When I first read this line, I loved it. It's a reminder to use what tools you have available and to maintain them at the highest level every day. In radio however, when it comes to social media -- regardless if it is Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest or another platform -- there are many stations who are not diligently "sharpening their tools." Regardless of your social media strategy, here are five basic techniques that will "sharpen your tools" and result in a larger, more engaged community.

1) Respond. Respond with sincerity. "Respond!" used to be my mantra. My belief was that if someone took the time to seek out your social media platform, the very least you could do is respond. Lately, though, I have revised that to: Respond with sincerity. That means going beyond just tweeting, "Coming up soon!" in response to a question about a contest, or liking posts for the sake of the Like.

Your social media community includes your most loyal listeners and you should reward them every chance you get. Let them know that no one in the world matters more than they do and as far as you are concerned they ARE the "cool kids," "the in-group," "the lucky ones" ... you get the idea.

You should also be prepared for people to use any of your social media channels as a customer-service platform and know how to respond. When your station is responsive to an individual listener's issue, you are not only taking care of that person but also affirming every other listener's loyalty. People know that how you treat that concerned listener is indicative of how you'd also treat them.

2) Use the "You-Voice." Most docial media platforms are a written-word medium, so it's important to learn and use the "You-Voice." The book Understanding the Principles of Business Correspondence explains that the "you-voice" puts "the reader's needs and interest first by writing from the reader's point of view." The "You-Voice" doesn't mean you can't talk about your company, but rather talk about it from the interests of the community.

So, rather than: "I have tickets! Call in now!"

Try: "Wouldn't you love to attend the Adele concert? You will! If you are the right texter/tweeter/poster/caller!!" (Whatever the case may be...)

Notice how the focus has now shifted from the station having tickets to the listener attending the concert.

Starbucks is an excellent example of a brand that uses the You-Voice on a regular basis. While their Facebook page is dedicated to talking about their product, they do it in such a manner that you feel as if they are talking only to you. Words that Starbucks uses often are: you and your while rarely using: I and We.

3) Know the result. Stations understand the on-air tactics they use to build listening, such as highway billboard campaigns to increase cume, and on-air "appointment listening" can drive TSL. It's equally important to understand how social media works.

• Do you know answers to social media tactic-focused questions such as:
  
• What type of post is more likely to generate a comment vs. a share?
  
• How do you get a Pinterest follower to become text club member?
  
• Do electronic RSVPs translate into higher on-site attendances?

Understanding the likely results of the content you post can only be learned through relentless chronicling and analyzing of results. This effort is a key step toward being able to leverage social media results that will benefit your brand and station.

4) Know your brand. Ron Howard, the famous movie producer (you know, "Richie" from Happy Days) has announced his plans to move from movies to brand storytelling. He finds it fascinating that brands are now "wide open" in how they approach media for telling their brand stories. "Wide open" is the perfect description of the possibilities radio stations now have in telling their story. Your brand is no longer limited to only audio, but can now include so much more, such as video (YouTube), pictures (Pinterest), Google+ hangouts, etc. Use whatever platform(s) make the most sense to your community.

Study your social media data just as you pore through your Arbitron data. Analyze the data and learn the topics that make your listeners "respond" to you. This will tell you where (and thus how) you fit in their lives. Pay careful attention to what works and what doesn't. Start to isolate what your community turns to your station for. It might be sports information, local events or a quick chuckle. Whatever it is, give them what they want.

5) Don't sell out your community. Just as it's not acceptable to stand up in the middle of church and start shouting out the local pizzeria's phone number, it doesn't work on social media, either. That doesn't necessarily mean that there is NO opportunity to work with your advertisers in the social media space, but live-reads typed up as a post are definitely bad.

While I am sure some of your listeners may really want those pizza coupons, does it really enhance your brand? The answer is probably not. A coupon is neither interesting nor noteworthy and it can probably be found in the local paper, the pizza website, etc. You have sold your social media community for a quick buck. And they know it. If you aren't careful you can end up sounding like that Carnie referenced above, angering your community.

Some of your advertisers may have a viable place in your social media community, so there may be some wiggle-room. That advertiser should act as a partner (preferably a paying partner) rather than an advertiser, and you must be sure it improves your community's experience and aligns with your station's overall brand. If you should decide to try this approach there must be great vigilance, young grasshopper, to ensure you are enhancing your brand and not abusing your community. (And, yes, I know "young grasshopper" is David Carradine, not Bruce Lee, but I just couldn't resist.)

I realize many of these tactics are almost intuitive and, while reading you may think "Of course we do that!" But a critical review of your platform may surprise you. It's shocking just how inconsistent many stations are at applying these simple concepts.

Social media has the capability to be a great gift to radio by expanding a station's ability to tell their brand-story beyond the transmitter and speakers. So I encourage you to print this article (yep, actually print it), go to your social media platforms and look to see if you are regularly (key word there) using these five suggestions, and to start "sharpening your tools" on a daily basis.