(By Buzz Knight) This Thanksgiving week, it’s important to take a step back and give thanks yous to those, internally and externally, who make your success. Take a close look, as it’s likely you are moving too fast and you haven’t expressed the necessary gratitude to all who deserve it.
Internally, many people are the unsung heroes who quietly toil away asking for no recognition. These are not your high-profile people who are the face of your organization, but they matter largely. Go out of your way to recognize these individuals.
Often the people who go overlooked are the backroom types, in traffic generating commercial logs, the always-on-call engineers, and the producers behind the board. Of course, the list is much deeper and you should make sure to include everyone. Find a reason to highlight those who toil away quietly and always show up to do the needed job.
Externally, consider unique ways to acknowledge your listeners and customers. How can you recognize them and show appreciation? Some considerations for you:
- On Air Shoutouts. Create personalized shoutouts for listeners and clients over the air thanking both for their continued support. This is a no-brainer because it is so easy and so effective.
- Special Listener Appreciation Days or Client Appreciation Days. Designate specific days to celebrate your listeners or clients. Create special programming or giveaways as a means to engage with both.
- Handwritten Notes. Send handwritten notes to customers and listeners to show your appreciation for their support. In a sea of forgotten opportunities, nothing stands out more than this personal touch.
- Exclusive Content. Offer exclusive behind-the-scenes content to listeners or customers to make them feel special and appreciated. This can be a special interview, exclusive access to new music, or unique radio shows.
- Social Media Recognition. Utilize your social media accounts to acknowledge and thank listeners and customers for their support publicly. Share their feedback, reviews, and stories and acknowledge them with consistent gratitude.
- Customer Appreciation Events. For businesses, create live or virtual gatherings that go out of your way to express thanks for their support and business.
- Feedback and Input. You’ve heard me talk about the importance of the feedback loop and nothing shows your thanks and appreciation more than creating that bond and trust.
In conclusion, it is a sound strategy all year to express thanks and gratitude to your employees, your customers, and your listeners. This clearly sets you apart from the competition to listeners and creates a stronger, more meaningful bond with clients that can pay off when it’s renewal time.
Buzz Knight can be reached by e-mail at [email protected]. Read Buzz’ Radio Ink archives here.
