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Lost In Doing
September 18, 2012
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. Sammy Simpson is "Lost In Doing."
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What a moment! Here I was at the ripe age of 18 years old, fresh off my high school graduation, and getting to audition as a personality on the radio station that was my dream job. I had listened to 98.7 KISS FM growing up and imagined that someday, believing that maybe when I was around 30 or so, and after many years of being in the business, it may become a possibility to work there. But now, this was it, here I was in the studio about to take control of the board and open the microphone for the first time. To say it was a significant moment in my life would be an understatement.
I would audition at 2a with Beth Ann McBride, the late-night personality and station MD. She was a great talent coach and what I didn't realize at the time is that my preparation with her for that very first shift would not only give me a valuable lesson for my KISS-FM experience and throughout my radio career, but a solid foundation for persuasive communication and a customer-centric focus that most people and companies miss completely in social media (and with everything) today.
Beth Ann wrote out these key points on a piece of paper for the Top 40 music station.
- The music is the most important part.
- You're job is to play that for your listeners. You are to be entertaining and informative.
- You're goal every time you open up the microphone is to keep your listeners for five more minutes, after those five minutes, you need to keep them five more, etc. **In other words you deal with NOW and are always going forward. Always think forward.
- Before you open the microphone, ask yourself these questions:
- Why am I going to open up the microphone?
- Will it be said in such a way as to keep my listeners for five more minutes?
- Am I prepared?
If you can say yes honestly to all of the above ... go for it! If not, keep on playing the music because the music is what matters.
Here is how this relates to social media today.
Most businesses and people do not follow any kind of value proposition or mission when deciding what to post or share with others. Just pull up a browser and take a moment to look at your Facebook wall or Twitter feed, or someone else's. Most of the action is placed around "what needs to be," meaning we have a page and need to do something because most of the "experts" say the key is a frequency of (x) amount of posts a day, or you post to be active but there is nothing truly original about it. Most simply curate videos, photos and articles from others under a "we have a lifestyle focus," or I can get the post checked off my list approach and end up sending people everywhere else for great content, which only teaches people that you are a follower, offer no social currency, and the real experts and value lives elsewhere.
Most are so lost in doing and focused on the wrong things. They simply play a role and neglect the real function of their uniqueness and value. It's no wonder the research shows that almost 70% of people who like a Facebook page never return a second time.
I've said before that the secret sauce of social media, persuasive communication, customer-centric focus ... and everything is building anticipation. When you focus on sharing a mission and messages that are firmly centered on what is about you that gives others a benefit to be better because of the association in each moment. They will return again and again in fear of missing what you may do next.
Doing will never be enough if you are not being fully and authentically who YOU are. The fake it till you make it days are done.
Your actions should be disciplined around what is vs. what needs to be for real presence and the ability to honestly answer YES each time before posting, tweeting, speaking, sharing, and more.
If you can do it, the excitement for your content and personality will be more alive than my first night at 98.7 KISS FM ... and others will get something valuable, as I did, for being fully present around something they love.
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