What is social media?

Social media encompasses a number of online platforms where people talk, participate, share and network 24/7. With more than 62%* of Australian internet users using a variety of social media platforms it has changed the way organisations, communities and people talk to each other. It has also changed the way businesses and community organisations connect with their customers or members.

What is social media all about?

• Creating relationships: Social media is a great way to build and maintain ongoing relationships. It is no longer about a one way marketing approach.
• Adding value: Share relevant information and quality content that is of interest to your audience. Don’t just push out your marketing message.
• Authenticity and transparency: Social media is all about being real. Don’t ever make things up or pretend to be someone else online. When the public find out, it can come back to cause much more harm later.
• Citizen marketing: Turn your audience into raving fans who will talk about you online and lead you to more people like them.
• Return customers: Social media provides an opportunity for ongoing engagement which means people will come back to you again and again if they like your message or service.
• Aggregation: You don’t need to create all of your social media content yourself. Be an aggregator of great content and you’ll soon be seen as a leader in your industry that people trust for quality information.

Social media is far reaching. In the case of community broadcasting, not only are you communicating with your immediate audience that are listening to your radio station in your local area, but you have the potential to reach people you may not ever have reached just via the radio. Social media means that your audience can be anywhere and interacting at any time, and like community broadcasting, it provides great potential for participation and forming communities of interest.

Social media is an efficient way to quickly share information and easily collaborate with organisations and individuals in your community.  You can coordinate with other groups to raise awareness of causes, events or campaigns and you can grow your fan base through your listeners, who are having a public conversation with your station as their friends watch and follow it.

Watch the video below to learn more about the link between social media and community broadcasting. This video has been produced by the Community Media Training Organisation and includes some good case studies to demonstrate the possibilities that social media have for a community radio station.

You can also watch this video in Vimeo at CMTO Talks: Social Networking & Community Broadcasting

Top tips

• Get onboard with social media where your audience is – start to progressively engage with your audience bit by bit. Make it all about them and ‘show’ don’t ‘shout’.
• If features of social media platforms aren’t immediately obvious, or people are using terminology you don’t understand, do a simple web search to find out what is going on.  You don’t need to stay up to date with every social media option but a little self education will make the time you spend on social media more effective and less confusing.
• You don’t need to be on every social media platform. You will find much more success if you participate fully on one or two platforms rather than trying to be everywhere and not keeping up with quality content.

Learn more

Here are some articles and websites which provide more information about social media and its benefits:

• The Psychology of Social Media for Business: Social Mediology
• Organisations Missing Out on Connecting Via Social Media: Pro Bono Australia
• Social Media and Why Non Profit Organisations Should be Using It - Jeff Bullas
• Getting Started With Social Media: A Resource Guide: Social Media Examiner

* Sensis and AIMIA – Social Media Report 2011

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