Are you maxing out your social media signal?
18th February 2011 · 0 Comments
As a teenager, I grew up in central Illinois, listening to the 50,000 watt blow torch called WLS.
With great disc jockeys like Larry LuJack and music featuring the likes of Elton John, Styx and the Doobie Brothers, I listened to the station at every opportunity, even thugh their playlist aggravated my mother. Even now, when I return home to visit my parents in Decatur, I often tune the AM radio of my rental car to the 89.0 call sign.
Today, I find that social media can have the same broadcasting power of the famed AM station, but reaching the wattage of a radio station can take time and effort. If you understand the basic rules of AM radio station management, you can easily convert the concept to the likes of a blog or a radio podcast with these simple steps.
#1 – Content matters. On the WLS of my youth, the program managers played songs that people like me wanted to hear. While Lujack may not have wanted to play the “Monster Mash” in 1973, he did so because that is what his listeners wanted that summer. While social media content professionals have a better control over their material, they should remember that success in a blog comes from remembering that their content has to appeal to readers. In short, a compelling angle with simple language will result in a larger followership.
#2 – A larger reach comes from helping others promote their message. Social media power houses come from helping others spread their message. Content providers who understand this will increase their social media wattage if they help others, especially those with similar interests.
#3 – Don’t be afraid to promote your social media efforts by listing your channels on your business card and email signature. A lot of people add LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels, but they neglect to use them especially when they add content to their blog or a new video. With text shorteners like Budurl and others like them, it’s easy to convey the value of your message withn 140 characters by using these tools to link your blog and other content via Twitter and Facebook.
#4 Don’t be afraid to embrace new challenges. Successful social media content managers should not only share a blog or an article. They should embrace online radio interview platforms and video broadcasts to expand your message outreach. Those who embrace these channels will add more watts to your social media broadcast signal.
Matt Scherer, the founder of Scherer Communications, is a public relations and communications consultant who lives in the south central part of Austintonio.
