(By Loyd Ford) Maybe you’ve seen the video on TV or in social media. Animals in places we never see them. Some of them on highways, on neighborhood streets or on city sidewalks because people have evaporated. What does this tell us about behavior? It changes when conditions change.
What does behavior change mean for your radio station? It can mean a lot in terms of losing audience or strengthening audience share against competitors. How does that work?
- High emotion, especially stress and disruption can shift public taste
- Disruption of habits may mean that returning habits look significantly different (this is expressed as new radio station choices)
- Listeners getting back in their cars and their drive times doesn’t mean they are guaranteed to come back to your radio station
What can you do to make certain that your product is fresh and ready for its’ closeup?
- Comb over the music with your latest research (if you don’t have research reach out to a resource because it is worth it to be on target now more than ever)
- Hit the refresh button on station imaging and consider airing positive images (because no matter what is about to happen, people want to feel positive now)
- Make certain that your promos are emotionally appropriate for welcoming back your loyal listeners and others potentially coming to your brand because of habit change
- Spend time with your morning show talking about how people feel, what it is like to have been camped out at home and to still have some fear about Coronavirus as listeners return to their drive times and work environments
- Don’t skimp on reviewing everything about your at work hours, especially if you are a music-based station
- Spend time with the person responsible for your middays and make sure they are really focused on the feel and energy of ‘returning to work’
If you don’t believe things are that much different as your listeners and advertisers are about to return to their new normal, you are ripe for a competitor to give you a market correction. Your product (and how you approach clients and potential clients on air and in person) has never been more important to your future revenue.
Nature finds a way. Advertisers have to reconnect with audience and they have a lot of options. Radio is the most immediate way to reach them and the smart broadcasters will focus on their product, the mood of listeners and timing as we recharge the local economy in your market.
Don’t get caught sleeping now. Nature is calling. Changes can be significant for audience and for advertisers. Let’s show America that local radio is the path because we care and connect with local listeners in their moment (whatever is happening with them).
Loyd Ford consults radio stations, coaches personalities, and provides behavioral and strategic programming to radio with RPC. Reach him anytime. 864.448.4169 or [email protected].
