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The Spirit of Your Brand Lives in the Consumers' Hands
March 29, 2011
Lori Lewis gets spiritual about her brand.
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It's evident that radio stations and record labels are feeling the pressure to incorporate digital and social to their playbook today, but with all these tools and rules, it's easy to get overwhelmed and put it off.
What if it was actually easier than realized?
Sometimes we put the latest social sites, trends and technology before basic human behavior. We're stressing more about increasing 'Likes' on Facebook and avoiding the most important fundamentals:
How can we be social?
What will motivate people to use what we have created?
What are the behaviors behind the channels we will use to optimize the campaign?
It's been said, radio is the original social network. We've always known how hard it can be to affect/change habits, so we always focused on human behavior and what it would take to motivate people to join us/remember us/create more occasions of listening.
Let's merge those skills with what's needed today. Observe and focus more on behavior behind the social channels we chose to use and put people first. The more we place emphasis on what people are saying to us or behind us, the closer we are to creating something socially that consumers will value.
You could start today by gauging your products perceived value. Search out the top terms mentioned when you come up in conversation, (ex: Tweets, Facebook updates, etc...) What words are people using when they discuss you?
I did a quick cloud computing to see the top terms mentioned about my new bosses at Jacobs Media.
The words that stand out are the words most often used online next to Jacobs Media:
"Leaders," "Passionate," "Relationships." Funny, the same words I use in face-to-face conversation about Fred and Paul Jacobs are the same words people use in random tweets and status updates online. It's a pretty cool time to now see firsthand (like it or not) how people are now defining our products. They are creating our brands - the experience with our products.
So the next time you may feel in a race for most "likes" and "followers," what if we take a step back to the basic fundamentals and focus on the quality, not quantity of connections?
I'd rather have only 600 "Likes" (people) on Facebook who will invest their time in spreading the word of my brand than 6,000 people on Facebook who have found me forgettable and do nothing.
Now, I do believe in maintaining the integrity of the database and giving consumers reminders of why they have liked us, opted in, followed us, etc. but I'm not sure it's really necessary to contest and regurgitate what we already do on-air, online and socially. Perhaps design an approach that develops a more authentic relationship -- less noise, more substance.
Next time you're on one of your products digital and/or social sites such as your own website, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc. refrain from "I now have a promotion device" and think "Fans First." Use tactics that build sustainable relationships that get consumers reminding us every day why we are their brand.
Reach out to me anytime on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter.
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