Is Facebook An Effective Advertising Tool?

Does your station have a fan page on Facebook?  Looking to attract fans to your page?  Want to do it for a reasonable price?  Facebook offers targeted advertised, by region and demo, to reach out to your listeners.  You know, those ads on the right-hand column of every page.  You can buy ads by impressions or clicks--your choice.  I have a client who was looking to build up its Facebook presence and we decided to give it a try. 

The station that is testing this out is a Top 40--targeting young adult women. 

Here's how it's going:

We've been up and running for about three weeks, in that time we have increased our fan's by a whopping 260%!  We spent around $1,500.00.  About 2/3 of those who clicked the ad have became fans.  And we have had over 5 million impressions.  

Everyone involved is very happy with the results.  Not hard to imagine given how well it's worked for us. 

Next steps:  engage our new fans in meaningful ways. 

That will be the subject of a future blog. 

It's a Twofer Tuesday

And no, it's not what you are thinking.

Here's two quick hits:

#1 Facebook continues to grow. In the month of June it had a unique audience of more than 87 million according to the The Nielsen Company . That's huge. I am amazed at who I connect with there. Personally, I have a blast on FB and I am not alone. And of course for radio stations, Facebook continues to be a goldmine of opportunity for those who choose to take part and do it right.

Check out how it breaks out by gender and demo (interesting how males are laggards in every cell):

#2 According to this projection radio will uptick in 2010, 2011, and 2012 but still not regain 2007 levels. Nothing to just up and down about, but then again, maybe it is. It's no surprise that the internet is projected to be the top revenue producer in 2012. The one area that is projected to show huge growth is a sector I think radio can grab a piece of--branded entertainment/product placement. For radio it's kinda like back to the future, hearkening back to it's earliest days. Think: theater of the mind and specifically branded shows here and you will get where I am headed.

Facebook Figured Out Who Is Boss

The USERS (for us radio folks substitute LISTENERS) of course!

This appeared at the top of my FACEBOOK page today:

Now I know Facebook got smacked around pretty good after changing their content policies and had to do something. But very quickly they figured out that the rules that govern the use of the site could easily become their undoing and they swiftly took action to remedy the problem.

The users reacted, the media reported, and people in droves stated using their iPod and listening to Pandora more. Oooops....I mixed two stories together....you get it...so I will leave the "mistake" intact.

You can read Facebook's blog about what they are doing here.

Whether, in the end, Facebook policy is truly influenced by the users remain to be seen. At least for now they are paying some needed lip service to their BEST customers. They don't want to find out what happens if they cross them.

Free Pizza on Facebook?

How do you make friends and fans? Give away free pizza. Of course Papa Johns is trying to get pizza-eaters in the habit of ordering their pizza on line. Click on the photo to go to the Papa Johns page.

What could you give away on your Facebook page? What client partnerships could be developed by using on-line tools like Facebook? You have a facebook page right?

Traditional advertising is in a world of hurt right now. I certainly don't need to tell you that. I am wondering out loud whether it will ever come back to previous levels. I will only say maybe, with a hint of doubt thrown in.

Whether it's programming trying to connect with listeners in different ways, or sales trying to find solutions for clients looking for new ways to reach customers we must look past traditional spots and promos to compete in our tech-crazed 21st century world.

Z100 in New York has:

Your On-Line Brand

How's your on-line brand? You know, the one that's represented on LinkedIn, Facebook, or your blog. What does it say about you? What does it say if you don't have one?

Take a few minutes today to think about YOU. Here's a good thought starter:

You, the online brand

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: blogs networking)

My Network or Yours?

Many ambitious companies and radio stations have a social network vision. Excellent! Many will conceive and launch their own proprietary social network and bypass My Space, Facebook, and Twitter. Mistake!

Use "mass appeal" social networking to your full advantage.

Have a virtual place in which listeners and fans can interact with other listeners and fans, and directly with the radio station and its personalities. Additionally, through the "networking " piece of social networking, expand your friend/fan base by your (station) friends recommending YOUR space on My Space, etc. to their friends and so on.

Use the public social networking sites to stimulate interest and traffic to your content rich website. Go where the people are. Think of Twitter, Facebook, and the others as we used to think of the TV networks--and their ability to drive CUME. Your stations cume and the cume of your website.

If you are thinking this strategy is just for the kids. Think again. Time will show, they are for everyone.

Of course your website should be a community. Just don't forget that there are excellent options to help that community grow.

EZ Widget-making

Got good content on your website? Share it. Have your listeners include your station widget on their My Space, Twitter, or Facebook page. It's easy. I set up an account at Widgetbox, designed my widget, and the software produced the code in short order. There also a ton of already-created widgets that can be customized and placed on your website.



Here's a promotion idea:

Have a listener widget page on your site. Creativity counts. The more creative the better. Maybe encourage listeners to share their favorite songs, favorite club, new movie, or summer activity. Whatever. Put your listeners front and center and make them a part of your community. You could even run a contest to see who can create the best and most creative widget.

Do you already do this? Share it with me and I will feature your website here on this blog. Got a better idea? I will be glad to give you props in this space too.