(By Mike McVay) Somewhere in Radioland, a PD, Promotions Director, or Sales Manager is waking up to this column with the realization that they have nothing special planned for tomorrow’s holiday.
Sadly, this doesn’t happen only around July 4th. It happens around every holiday, special month, or annual event. What’s surprising to me is that more people don’t plan ahead knowing that there are annual holidays that are exactly what they’re described as being. Annual holidays.
The truth about promotion can be summed up by remembering the six P’s: Prior Preparation Prevents P**s Poor Performance.
There is no excuse to not be prepared. A slew of holidays are locked in on specific dates. You know that Christmas is December 25th, New Year’s Eve is December 31st, Valentine’s Day is February 14th, St. Patrick’s Day is March 17th … and so on. There’s no reason to not plan six months in advance for whatever the event is and take advantage of it to build revenue and audience.
McVay Media issues a calendar of events in November of every year for the next year. This calendar is broken out by weeks and months and averages 30-35 pages. It contains ideas and suggestions for stations to use to tie into a holiday to generate revenue and attract an audience. The purpose of the promotional calendar is so that Programming, Promotion, and Sales can prepare far in advance for every event or holiday for the year.
The creation of a promotions plan for such annual events should begin by answering the question “What’s the importance of this holiday or event to my audience?” The follow-up question is “What’s the benefit to my audience and to the station to celebrate or magnify the meaning of this holiday?” Continuing with “How do we make our radio station sound connected to the holiday in such a way that shows we’re embracing and enhancing the spirit of the holiday?” Concluding with “Will my audience and advertisers care about this event?”
The Fourth of July, for example, is one of those special summer holidays that put one right smack dab in the middle of the North American summer. It’s a time for family, carnivals, picnics, swimming, boating, fireworks, and turning off the work in your life. It’s a part of many families’ traditions. On-air the connection to a community may start with announcing where and when you can see fireworks. Perhaps an outdoor concert is taking place in your community. You may be contesting, supported by a sponsor, to giveaway a grill.
This is just the tip of the iceberg. Prior planning, having an ideation session (brainstorming) well in advance of the holiday, puts you and your station in a position to create a reason to listen. It has the potential of making your station a destination. Given the increased competition from so many non-radio entertainment sources, it’s not enough to play music and sound like every other day of the year. You need more. You need to look for reasons and ways to be special. That starts with long-term foresight and planning of promotions. Strive to be different in the approach you take to a holiday or an event. Be creative. Do something unique.
Better get busy. Labor Day is next. That planning should have happened in early April. You should be thinking of options for Christmas 2023 now. Be prepared.
Mike McVay is President of McVay Media and can be reached at [email protected]. Read Mike’s Radio Ink archives here.
