(By Paige Nienaber) Summer is almost over and with Halloween looming on the horizon, you should most definitely be planning on content for late October. It could be an event. A digital contest. Maybe a seance hosted by the talent. Pet costumes at a client. But something. To miss Halloween would be pretty sad.
So, I have fifteen pages of Halloween ideas just for the asking. All you have to do is email me at [email protected], the answer to this question: “What song did the Russian defector ‘sing’ to Bailey Quarters on WKRP?”
Today, let’s talk about Bit Marketing – which is nothing more than ensuring that you have promotional content on the air, always. TR: something to talk about in addition to begging for app downloads.
A bit doesn’t have to be a contest. It could be talking about the morning shows competing mustaches. It could be a Back-to-School supply drive. It could be a partnership with a casino to host a poker run. It could be a Register To Vote campaign. Just… something. With so many stations doing, well, nothing, content will always win.
Two stations to look at? 93Q in Syracuse where they just pulled their highest numbers since 1999. They always have at least two things going on. Ditto with Y94 in Fargo. Look at their promotions. It’s amazing,
Bit marketing: one bit into the next, into the next, into the next, into the next.
And now on with the Dumpage.
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Cakes For The Cause
I was Googling “breasts” yesterday and one of the elements that has really emerged with the cause of breast cancer awareness… cupcakes.
So, you could possibly do some kind of gallery promotion and have listeners post tribute cakes to family and friends. Like what people will do with decorating bras for a stringing/hanging event.
Or you could do an event in a plaza, like a food truck event. But with tables for people to bring down their ‘cakes and sell them for donations to the charity. Think like a TV cameraman/woman. How can you NOT film a public square with hundreds of people eating cupcakes? It’s not text-a-code-to-the-Red Cross but what is?
This… Is Great
Any time you can give listeners easy time-killing stuff to do at work, that’s fantastic. Mix 94.9 in Cincy has been doing #worksearch on Facebook every day. They lob out a different item/thing every day and you snap and post. Like “Cincinnati Bengals.”
Cans For The Cure
WJBQ in Portland, Maine does this annually and it’s basically a giant can/bottle recycling drive. All of the money from the recycled glass and aluminum goes to Komen and this year’s goal is one million of them.
Yet Another New Contest For Middays
Patti Marshall at Q-102 in Cincy had a client who does catering and wants to build up business for company holiday parties.
I don’t think there’s a workplace that doesn’t have a refrigerator in the break room that is filled with old and abandoned lunches. (And who books the food for staff parties? Usually, the same person who sticks the angry note on the door twice a year reminding people to throw their crap out or she will.)
Any time you stick “Let’s Make A” in front of an item/object and the word “Deal”, you generally have a great promotion. Kennedy from Q-107.5 in Memphis did “Let’s Make A Glove Compartment Deal” at remotes. She’d name an item like “A pen from a hotel” and have people dash to their cars to find one. The first one back wins.
So, as a mid-day promotion, you do “Let’s Make A Lunchroom Fridge Deal.” The announcer has a Chinese takeout carton with lots of pieces of paper in it. (The carton was in the fridge from 1986 to 2007 when it finally was un-earthed by the great power outage thaw of Christmas ’07.) The announcer shakes it up, plucks out a piece of paper, and reads what’s on it. “Chicken noodle alphabet soup in a Tupperware container.” The first listener to rush to their company breakroom fridge, find it, take a cellphone pic, and email it in, wins.
Things Every Morning Show Should Have Access To
- A truck. Like a semi. Because there will be mornings when you will need one and you’ll need it in the parking lot at Target and you’ll need it right away.
- A handwriting expert. Seriously. I worked with a jock who was trained by the army as a graphologist. Whenever a celeb would come through he’d get an autograph for “a listener” and the next day would analyze it. Fun to listen to but GREAT digital content. Have listeners submit samples from fiancees, future in-laws, employers…
- A lip reader. Doubt me? Chet in Vegas had one this morning to dissect this clip.
Dog Gone Swimming
If you take a minute and look at social media you will note that approximately 1/3 of the posts are seemingly involving pets. Another third are kids. And the rest are life-affirming messages and memes.
Any station that has done a pet-focused event hits Gold. Imagine a client with a pool, a charitable tie-in, a pet food client sponsorship, food, and beverages. And you would have this.
There’s a park called Lakeview in Nampa, ID. They set up an off-leash dog area, booths with vendors and there is a 1-mile walk, swim time at the pool, and competitions for people who like to do things like dress up their dogs.. The whole thing is a fundraiser for the Nampa Dog Park.
Tickets @ Two
One of the myriad of ticket promotions out there, this is done every weekday at K-Earth in LA. They announce a song at 10a and when that song plays during the 2 o’clock hour, call and win tickets.
“Howdy Folks!”
106.1 Kiss-FM in Dallas had tickets to the Texas State Fair last weekend and “Big Tex” is the animatronic mascot, so they buried his iconic “Howdy, folks!” in stopsets and between songs. And that was the cue to call and win. And he creeps me out.
Paige Nienaber insults/consults more than 100 radio stations on Fun ‘N Games (Marketing & Promotions). Find him at CPR Promotions. Read Paige’s Radio Ink archives here.
