No one takes advice. And that can be your edge.
If you’re not passionately involved outside of your radio station with local listeners, you are probably making a mistake if you want to remain in a public-content profession such as broadcasting. So, in your social media, you have to think about what your company wants. You must make sure you meet the standards of the people who cut your paycheck. But you also have to think about your career if this is what you love. Doing this kind of work is more than it was 3, 5, 10, 15 years ago and you should think exactly that way.
- Blog on a passionate subject that you can become well-known for locally (and that matches the public image you want to build and the product or products you represent).
- Engage in physical public appearances (even when not assigned to do so by the broadcast company you work for today) and use video and social media to connect your image, those people, and your on-air personality to grow your image locally.
- Look for opportunities to host events in your market outside of your regular job and do as much as possible to be giving; and make that visual to promote their cause, their event in social media.
- Think traditional and untraditional when it comes to your career as a broadcaster. Work to get on TV if you feel you present well; look for opportunities to guest blog (and blog yourself consistently).
- Look for ways to help people in social media and become known for a certain type of help or a certain expertise in your market in social media (not necessarily with social media, but with something that has a practical application in the lives of your listeners).
Keep in mind: No one will do this. What does that mean? Do these things and you will be alone in your market. Do them consistently and you will be famous in your market and may end up making more money and sticking around longer than others you know in the radio business today.
Social media can be taken to the entirely next level – by you. It can have powerful impact. It all starts with a plan. Do you have a plan for your career? Are you simply allowing the broadcast company to figure it out for you? Don’t do that. Take your own steps. You can do this.
