The Art of Social Media
We talk a lot about the science of social media — the strategy and the measurement of our efforts.
What we don’t talk about enough is the art — the philosophy of social media that drives our presence.
Strategy is important. The functions of social media within your company or show… how often and when to post on each platform…which types of content receive the highest reach and engagement… those are all key pieces to an effective strategy.
But without a philosophy of social media, none of that matters.
So what’s a philosophy? Your philosophy is the answer to the question, “Why are you on social media?” When you develop an answer to that question, your strategy becomes more focused with every post, tweet, upload and comment. It will become the ‘spirit’ of your social media presence.
Regardless of your philosophy, your strategy should be driven by it. Your philosophy determines which goals your strategy should measure. Here are a few examples:
If your philosophy is to engage and super serve your social listeners, your focus will be on giving fans what they want. You’ll measure the engagement on each post to determine fan favorites, and you’ll post content based on what you think the audience wants. Before you create and publish content, you’ll ask yourself “Will the listener love this and be moved to action?”
If your philosophy is to use social media to drive website traffic and revenue, your focus will be on writing inciting teases and creating strong website, blog, video and podcast content to drive listeners to your website. You’ll measure website traffic to determine how much is referred from social media platforms. You’ll develop opportunities for advertisers to get involved.
If your philosophy is to use social media to increase tune-ins, you’ll plan posts around on-air content and teasing.
If your philosophy is to gain new listeners through social media and increase cume, you’ll be mindful to create content that is universal for your demographic, and not entertaining exclusively for the P1 listener.
When thinking about your own philosophy, consider your company and management team. What are the company’s overall social media goals? If you like your job (or just want to keep it!), this is key. If your beliefs are different than those of the company, you will need to compromise enough to ensure you meet company goals with the station’s platforms.
Photo credit: George M. Groutas/Flickr via Creative Commons
What’s your philosophy? Leave a comment below.
