Why Your Blog Is More Important Than Facebook

There's a lot to be covered here, much of which you've seen if you're a brand marketer or someone who likes seeing your personal Facebook updates read by most of your followers.  I'm not going to repeat things that have been posted all over the Interwebz in the last couple of months, you can see some of those stories at the bottom of this post.  But I am going to give you some solutions to a problem you MUST address is you've been using Facebook as one of your prime online outreach methods.

Here's the problem.  Facebook is now a public company with lots of shareholders who want a big ROI.  How can they increase revenue?  By charging for things they used to give away.  That means Facebook (and soon Instagram) is decreasing reach on free posts from brands and even personal accounts in hopes you'll pay them to promote your posts and get them seen by lots more people.  Want proof?  Just look at this graph, courtesy of the 4129 Agency.  It clearly shows engagement dropping in a big way between 2012 and 2013, and we're seeing the organic (read: free) engagement continue to nosedive in 2014.

Facebook is throttling engagement in the name of selling advertising, and that's not a good thing for all the brands and small businesses who have started saying "Find Us On Facebook" instead of "Visit Our Website".  Here's why.

There used to be three kinds of online media in the minds of most marketers, Owned (like websites and apps), Earned (like news or blog coverage), and Bought (like search engine or Facebook ads).  Now, I argue there's a FOURTH kind of online media, BORROWED.  That's the media you put your great content on and hope the owners will share it with their users, also known as your customers and prospects.

Many marketers have relied far too heavily on Borrowed Media in the last few years because, well, it was free and lots of people went there.  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, the list goes on and on.  And now most of those companies have had their IPO's and suddenly realize they need to make money at the hands of the users who have been, rightly or wrongly, taking advantage of the "free ride" for so long.  Facebook is clearly leading the pack in this, making it next to impossible for some posts to be seen without the advertiser coughing up some money.

Let's go back to the chart above and dig deeper into the findings the 4129 Agency published. These are statistics for September, 2013, and most people agree the situation is not getting better, it's getting worse for reach.

• Organic reach of photos starts to decline after the page gains 10,000 fans

• Beyond 1 million likes organic reach of photos drops below four percent

• Organic reach of video posts drops below 4.5 percent after 150,000 fans

• Status updates have high organic reach. Status updates from pages with 300,000 to half a million fans are seen by 41 percent of the fans

• Organic reach of links for pages with one million fans or more has organic reach below 3.5 percent

• The company also found that page engagement does not affect the organic reach of posts on Facebook.

If you were using an agency to give you results like that, you'd fire them in a heartbeat.  But Facebook is doing this to you if you're not paying them to feature your content.  And all the "Find Us On Facebook" mentions in the world mean little if people will hardly ever, maybe NEVER, see your posts once they like you.

So what do you do as a brand, business, or individual?  Concentrate on the media you OWN, like your blog.  Don't completely blow off Facebook and Twitter, but use them to move people to your own media like your website and blog so you can control what they see, give them reasons to come back, and grow a valuable e-mail database of your fans and followers that YOU own, not the highly leveraged companies you're borrowing space from.  You remember your blog, it's either your entire website or part of your website and chances are you haven't updated it in months or longer because you're putting pithy comments and photos on all those networks that aren't letting your fans see them.

Almost everything you have been doing on Facebook can be done on your website.  Updates on your blog, contests, trapping information about your visitors, coupons and deals, and much more.   And it's YOUR real estate, so YOU own the data you gather, YOU decide what you want to know from your visitors, YOU have supreme analytic power to slice it and dice it any way you want, and with a little work, you can turn ALL of that into an effective e-mail database that will speak to your audience directly, know what they do and don't want to hear about, and can be tested a dozen different ways to see what works.  Nothing you can own, earn, buy, or even borrow is more valuable to your brand than a well curated e mail list, and you need to have one to make up for not being able to borrow other people's platforms without paying.

We'll talk about using e mail in excruciating detail in a future blog post, but in the meantime, think of this. Would you rather spend your time posting things to social networks that won't pass them along to your fans or would you rather hire a good Digital Manager or agency and let them grow your website, bring people back to it often, and keep in touch with those people through a coordinated e mail campaign that may be 40 times more effective at making sales than social media posts?

Thinking time is up.  Being taken advantage of time is up.  It's time to reinvest in your website, blog, and e-mail so you can satisfy your current customers and attract new ones.

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Radio Continues To Have A "Missing Link" To Listeners

I spend a lot of time listening to the radio. All kinds of radio, from AM and FM

stations to Pandora, Stitcher, Beats Audio, and a plethora of other streaming services.  And to be clear, if it's sound coming our of a speaker, it's radio.  Period. After having spent more than three decades programming radio stations, it's hard not to have sound in the background.  I also spend a lot of time on the Internet, sometimes looking at stations' websites and Social Media outposts.  What I see online frightens me because most of the terrestrial radio stations, and even some of the streaming services, have a disconnect between their audio product and their online presence, what I call THE MISSING LINK.

In other words, most audio content providers don't think about how people USE their product, what else they're doing when they're listening, or most importantly, how they can take the product that comes out of the speakers to a computer or smartphone screen.  Because every day there are less audio delivery devices like the one above and more like this.

Of course, there are still a lot of audio delivery devices that aren't smartphones, but mobile is becoming king and smartphones are the King of Mobile, so let's think of the smartphone as the new radio.  And that includes phones with the FM chip that many broadcasters think is their ticket to mobile parity.  Which it isn't.  Not because having an FM radio in a phone isn't good for free listening or emergencies, but because if there's THE MISSING LINK between the audio and the online component of the radio station, there a decent chance listeners will figure out that the radio station, any radio station, isn't talking to them and doesn't know what their life is all about.

I'm not going to share some of the most glaring examples of THE MISSING LINK, but I've got some great ones saved. There is no shortage of posts that are meaningless, wacky DJ jokes online that don't work if you're reading them and not hearing them, or tweets that are too long, posted by some kind of automation, and either cut off in the middle or edited to being unreadable without a secret decoder ring.

So what's a content creator to do?  First, stop thinking that the only way people can hear your content other from your bone crushing transmitter is with one of these in an office.  It isn't 2003. Yes, there is still listening on computers, but remember, the world is going mobile and the smartphone is the King of Mobile. Second, start thinking about how your online activities can compliment, contribute to, and complete whatever comes out of the speakers. Have talent and promos send listeners to someplace online and get more information about an important local event. Use your online assets to drive listeners to the station at a certain time for something really special, not just the "Top 9 At 9". Talk to the people who aren't in the programming or marketing departments and find out how they use the audio you put out.  You'd be surprised.  And probably a little sickened, because in the world of the Millennials and younger people, you're not doing it the way they want it.

And here's the one thing you can do that will improve your online reputation, and therefore your "cred" with your listeners, no matter what format you are, terrestrial or online, and what market size you're in. Look like you care about your online presence.  That means update your Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest pages regularly, use only good pictures, not some bad, blurry phone photo just to slap something up online, and write different posts for different platforms. Anyone with a shred of knowledge about Social Media knows when they're seeing a tweet with lots of @'s and #'s simply reposted on Facebook and they know the person who posted is either unaware of how to tailor posts for each platform, letting automation run wild, or just plain ignorant.  Each platform online now demands a unique voice, and you need to take the time to create posts in all the right voices and post them when people might actually see them, not when it's convenient for the intern to put them up.

There's one last thing to think about when it comes to relating to your listeners.  Your website is the only piece of the Interwebz you completely control.

Don't force your listeners to look at something like this, it only makes you look foolish.  Listeners know what today's great websites look like, and far too many radio station websites are mired in the past because of benign neglect, not enough updates in the onerous barter contract you signed for "website development" or the fact that someone thinks neon colors and DJ pictures are what people come to your site to see. Guess what, that's not the case.  You can fix the ugly, uninformative website, and sometimes it's the biggest MISSING LINK.

If you're creating content, any content for that matter, are you providing the full 360 degree experience to your users or is there a MISSING LINK?

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The New Website Is Here! The New Website Is Here!

With all due respect, copyright acknowledgement, and thanks to Steve Martin from "The Jerk", this is kind of how I feel today.  The All New Mark Edwards Worldwide Website is here!  Not right HERE, but HERE at http://markedwardsworldwide.com.

After helping get clients' websites and online presence all set up, I decided to design a new website from the ground up.  You'll find information about Mark Edwards Worldwide's services, links to many wondrous things on the Interwebz, multiple ways to contact me, and much more.

Please drop on by, leave a comment if you like, and let your friends and associates know that if they want to shine online, Mark Edwards Worldwide is ready to help them!

My whole family thanks you.

A New Chapter For Mark Edwards Worldwide

I wanted you to know about a decision I've made. As I see the digital media landscape unfolding and the opportunities to create a myriad of highly effective content growing, I'm returning to working with selected clients at the consultancy I've run since 2007, Mark Edwards Worldwide. This move will allow me to maximize my time and efficiency while sharing the things I've learned about the digital, social media, and new technology spaces with clients who really want to succeed in those worlds. It gives me great pleasure to say that TeshMedia is on the client list so I'll be able to continue to work with John and his team going forward.

After working for a year and a half as Senior Vice President of Content Development with John Tesh and the TeshMedia Group, we've accomplished a lot, more than doubling our online audience, growing website visits and conversions, and starting a video version of John's Intelligence For Your Life brand.

I've had the chance to implement countless online and social media programs, develop and fine tune best practices, learn an astonishing amount about online video and TV production, and help contribute to the continued success of the John Tesh Radio Show. It's been the most rewarding professional experience of my career, and I know the things I've learned working with John and his gifted team will help me immensely. You can see many of the fruits of our labors at the new IntelligenceForYourLife.com and in our new mobile apps.

I'm always on the lookout for the next opportunity, whether it be in a consulting, project, or full time capacity, so please keep me in mind for anything you might know about and feel free to share my contact information with your network.

I'd like to thank John and the TeshMedia family for a wonderful experience and thank you for your friendship and support. Let's stay in touch and do great things together. You can find me here and get all my contact info at http://about.me/markedwards.

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Leading Social Media Blogger Says "Hire Mark Edwards"

One of the most listened to voices in the Social Media world belongs to Sarah Evans and her blog Sarah's Faves.  Sarah has become a leading Social Media thinker and has just joined the company Trackly as Chief Evangelist.  She's well known in Public Relations and Social Media circles as an innovator, big thinker, and one of the best and brightest in the online world. Sarah handpicked three people who should be working in Social Media or Public Relations and posted their stories on her blog.  I was honored to be one of the three people she thinks should be hired, and here's what she had to say about me and my work.

Name: Mark Edwards

How to Create Real Relationships With Social Marketing http://t.co/4DfHaWst

June 19, 2012 7:57 pm via iftttReplyRetweetFavorite

@markedwards

Mark Edwards

Twitter: @MarkEdwards Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/markedwardscubfan Blog: Markedwardsuncensored.com, Markedwardsworldwide.blogspot.com

Dream job title: Employee. I’m able to help in so many ways that I’ll let you, the employer, decide how I can help you best and what to call me. Three adjectives that describe you: experienced, innovative, connectedIf I’m hired by your organization I will: bring unmatched experience, knowledge, enthusiasm, and new levels of success to you.

What kind of  culture are you looking for? An environment that has energy, teamwork, and a culture of cooperation. I’ve worked in small offices, huge offices, and alone. The culture of the organization I join should foster creativity, no matter how many people are in the office.

What’s your most impressive professional accomplishment?  What about personal? Almost singlehandedly and secretly building and launching a brand new radio station, including a full suite of social media outposts and a marketing plan, in 18 days last year in Kansas City. Personally, I’m most proud of my three incredible sons. You can’t do anything more important than being a parent.

How many years experience do you have? 27 as a content creator, brand manager, and marketer using a score of traditional and new media resources.

Where should your ideal job be based? St. Louis, MO because it’s the best place I’ve ever lived to raise a family.

Are you willing to relocate? YES, Chicagoland would be my first choice, but I’ll go anywhere for the right job. I can also use the miracle of the Interwebz to work from World Headquarters in St. Louis.

Want to hire Mark? Email him at edwardsmark@gmail[.]com.

It's truly an honor to be recognized by a heavy hitter like Sarah, and yes, I'm available now for full time employment or project work through Mark Edwards Worldwide.   If you'd like to talk about how I can help your organization, please use any of the methods in Sarah's post to contact me.  You'll be glad you did!

Jacobs Media Techsurvey 8 Infographic Of Doom

Highly regarded radio consultant Jacobs Media released their annual Techsurvey over the weekend, this one being the eighth installment in the series and looking at over 57,000 radio listeners listening to 170 stations in 12 different radio formats.  That's a LOT of data to wade through.

In order to get the "top line" information out quickly, they prepared an infographic with some very interesting results highlighted.  You can see it to the left, click on it for a larger version, or go here to see some more top line findings and a big giant version of the infographic on their site.

Some important takeaways that I saw from this early release of the data:

• Nearly 6 in 10 people start their day with a media other than radio, and TV continues to narrow radio's lead as the first thing people listen to in the morning.
• Make no mistake, Pandora Radio is for real and is a huge competitor to broadcasters.  So is Social Media.
• The future is mobile, and in many ways the future is here.  There are numerous data points showing the penetration of mobile devices into people's everyday lives and that they are consuming audio and other entertainment on those devices.

There's a lot more in the infographic, and Jacobs Media will be releasing more data as time goes on.  Watch their site or subscribe to their very informative blog to keep up on the releases of data.  Of course, the big news will be mentioned in this space as well.

Here's the bottom line.  The future is mobile, personal, and on the listeners' time schedule, not the station's.  If you run a radio or TV station, you need to know that, embrace that, and plan your future based on that reality, like it or not. 

Social Media Is Not The Savior

This is kind of a follow up to the post I put up Sunday about how badly radio handled the death of Whitney Houston.  Since then, there's been a lot of chatter among those who regularly drink the Social Media Kool-Aid that Social Media actually broke the story of Whitney Houston's death and therefore it is more important than "real news".

I occasionally drink the Social Media Kool-Aid, although I prefer Monster Energy Drink (no compensation for that mention) but I TOTALLY disagree with that assessment, especially because some people have been looking at the timeline of the alleged first tweet and finding faults in it.  Now the very bright Jason Falls, who runs a "must read" site called Social Media Explorer, has some thoughts on this whole situation in his newsletter, which I get nothing to highly endorse but still suggest you sign up for it if you have any interest in social media and want to learn from a really smart guy.

 

The world of social media patted itself on the back again this weekend, claiming it broke the news of Whitney Houston's death. A Twitter user named Big Chorizo ( @chilemasgrande) who had 14 followers at the time, tweeted his "sources" said the pop diva was found dead in a Beverly Hills hotel. This was sent at 7:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 11. The Associated Press was the first media outlet to report the death, citing publicist Kristen Foster with the confirmation, some 27 minutes later.

 

Here's the problem with the social media zealots getting all worked up over how the media landscape has changed, journalism is dead and social media is the new, democratized stream of information: No one in their right mind would trust Big Chorizo for such information. The AP, however, is a reliable source. There was no news broken until the story was vetted and verified. Twitter didn't scoop the media. Twitter shot first and hoped it hit something. Even a blind soldier gets lucky once and a while.

 

Remember the early December hoax that Jon Bon Jovi died? Twitter and Facebook got all worked up, ready to claim another media victory. When the alive and well singer posted a dated photo of himself on Facebook, the death-to-media hipsters sulked away and awaited another victory dance.

 

We can agree that social media has plugged more people into the here-and-now world of news and information and that the media landscape has changed. But our society, U.S. or otherwise, will never trust random users over trusted resources. That, my friends, is why journalism is not dead, nor dying. Until those we trust report the news, it's just a rumor. Even on Twitter. 

I appreciate all the comments on the post below, and am glad it started a discussion.  But I have to dismiss all the claims that social media was single-handedly responsible for breaking the Whitney Houston story.  The media mix now is different than when Elvis died (also in the bathroom) or even when Michael Jackson died.  And it will change every day.

My hope is that "traditional media" like radio will wake up and not let itself be left in dust of "new media".  Don't give up, don't concede stories to social media, CNN, and TMZ.  Every medium should do what it does best and learn how to do it even better in this new media world we live in.  I believe the term that applies here is "Innovate Or Die".

Related articles

• Twitter Breaks News of Whitney Houston Death 27 Minutes Before Press (mashable.com)
• How News Orgs Used Social Media to Pay Tribute to Whitney Houston (mediabistro.com)
• Jennifer Hudson Delivers Emotional Whitney Houston Tribute at the Grammys (popsugar.com)
• Howard Kurtz Asks If Whitney Houston's Death 'Is Worth' Intense News Coverage (mediaite.com)

Greetings And Salutations!

I really thought I'd never start another blog.  I've got blogs everywhere.  There's Mark Edwards Uncensored, Mark Edwards Rants, Mark Edwards 3.0, Mark Edwards Unlimited even Mark's Cubs Worship Pulpit.  To a lesser or greater extent, those blogs are sort of general interest, with the exception of the blog dedicated to the Chicago Cubs.

This blog will be different.  The focus here is the focus of Mark Edwards Worldwide. The Media.  Old media, New Media, Social Media, and perhaps most importantly, the future of media.  You'll hear my opinions on some of the issues facing content creators, I'll share some particularly noteworthy things I find around the Interwebz (which I do a lot at the Mark Edwards Worldwide Newsfeed) and hopefully I'll rile up the folks who stumble onto this blog to get a good conversation going every once in a while.

So welcome, please bookmark, tell your friends, and feel free to subscribe to the e mail or RSS feeds of the blog.  I promise to never spam you.

Stay tuned for semi-regular updates!

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