(By Buzz Knight) I recently had the good fortune to interview Country Music Singer-Songwriter Drew Baldridge on my Takin A Walk podcast. Drew has worked hard to organically build a fan base from not only traditional methods such as touring and playing venues across the country but also from a grassroots method.
When he lost his label deal a few years ago when the pandemic hit, he approached the challenge with a simple and clever way of audience engagement. Drew embarked on a methodical campaign to traverse the country, offering to play backyard barbecues, fire pit gatherings, and graduation parties throughout America.
That process has led him to this current moment where his music is rising up the charts, his concerts are selling out, and his future looks bright. Mind you, he still self-manages his career and is not on a major label.
Drew’s case study got me thinking about how radio stations can learn from Drew Baldridge.
Are you approaching the community building and audience engagement of your radio station as if you are campaigning for office or building a fan base like Drew?
Are you only showing up in places you are asked to show up at or are you strategically targeting where and when to connect with your existing audience and new audiences? Many towns and cities have days celebrating their community and this would be a perfect opportunity to make new friends and engage with fans.
Drew set out to touch as many people as possible with his music and his great personality. He told me that at every show he plays someone comes up and recalls with joy how they saw him at a local gathering in years past. It created an indelible memory in each instance that clearly yields great word of mouth.
Are you using your talent to create that similar magic? We know word of mouth is vital to brand building and it is clearly a key to success.
This can be your most powerful form of marketing and will yield something more than likely that your competitors can’t.
Check out our conversation here and see what Drew can do for you.
Buzz Knight can be reached by e-mail at [email protected]. Read Buzz’ Radio Ink archives here.
