(By John Shomby) Let’s say, for a moment, you’re a fan of hockey’s Pittsburgh Penguins. (I’m from Philly, so indulge me. No “homerism” here!) You have purchased season tickets for the upcoming season, and you find out they will be hand-delivered by one of the players. That player turns out to be future hall-of-famer Sidney Crosby!
How awesome would that experience be? It’s something the Penguins have now done for 17 years.
Think of your favorite team sending one of their star players to your house to deliver a premium of some sort to you. Or how about your favorite movie personality stopping by to give you tickets to his/her next movie premiere? What a feeling!! The ultimate personal touch.
In this world of technological, somewhat impersonal, communication, think of the effect you could have on your listeners, even more so than you do now, with a personal connection they will never forget.
I see some stations doing this on a very large scale with major prize winners but why not make this a major part of your overall marketing effort? It’s great to have that email database and all those social media followers but the concentration should be on building station FANS. Big follower numbers are great to brag about but how about those who really will engage with the station? I’ll take 100 fans over 10,000 followers any day. They are your outside “promotion” team. They are your outside “staff”. Just check out the Merriam-Webster definition of being a “fan” – an enthusiastic devotee or an ardent admirer or enthusiast. That’s who you want!
How do you grow fans for your station?
- Personal Listener Interactions – This is where your personalities are doing the “Penguin” thing delivering prizes and other surprises.
- Personal Community Interactions – Organize regular events where personalities visit local schools, businesses, and community organizations to hand out station swag, prizes, etc., and just have some one-on-one time.
- Community Engagement – This is something radio already does well with local charities connecting with the air staff at events, fundraisers, and volunteer opportunities.
- Listener Appreciation Events – This would include invite-only listener parties where they can interact with the air staff and would include special money-can’t-buy prizes, etc.
- Personality Interactions – We are always looking for attractive prizes for listeners. Why not offer a meal with a personality, sit in on a show, or tour the station? Give them a peak behind the proverbial curtain.
- Customized Listener Content – I know birthdays and anniversaries may be “yesterday’s news” to most of us, but they are not to someone who gets to hear their name on the radio. Give them advance notice and watch how many friends they tell to listen. Make the listeners feel valued and appreciated and you’ll get it back.
- Provide Avenues for Feedback – This would include the tried-and-true Listener Advisory Board with periodic, consistent meetings and Q&A with management so they can feel heard and feel as if they have a say in the station’s future. Better than socials, give them special email access. I had my own “boss” email at one station, and I wound up building some strong listener bonds and got more than a few ideas along the way. Of course, do pay attention to your socials and respond to anyone who has a specific question/comment.
Hopefully, these are good thought-starters for you. We always talk about the air personality connection with the listeners but not much about the OFF-AIR link to them. In my mind, it may be just a tad more important than on the radio. Remember we are building fans. One more thing that a digital provider cannot do. Be like a Penguin.
Based in Nashville, TN, John Shomby is the owner and CEO of Country’s Radio Coach. He is focused on coaching and mentoring artists, radio programmers, and on-air talent to help them grow and develop inside the radio station and the industry. Reach John at [email protected] and 757-323-1460. Read John’s Radio Ink archives here.
