(By John Shomby) Several years back, I wrote about a “regular” in my current neighborhood while on my morning jog. He enthusiastically waves at every car during his daily morning speed walk… and I mean every car! Since then, Jim Harris and I have gotten to know each other well and, religiously, join for a weekly run/walk every Saturday morning.
Drivers still honk at him and wave back so much that it sounds like a busy city street with all the horns blasting in this quaint Nashville suburb! When I wave with him, my arm is usually sore for about an hour afterward.
Cars stop, drivers and passengers greet him with a huge smile, and kids stop to give him drawings of him. Four years and he’s still going strong – EVERY DAY! Not only does he keep a spreadsheet at home that attaches names to cars so that he knows the drivers by more than just their wave (building a database), but he has also now added “market research” to his repertoire. He keeps track of the “passion” behind each wave and calls it his “morale index” noting that, some days, waves are more “positive” than others.
There is a lot to be learned from Jim, who found a very simple and personal way to connect with others and sustain it. This genuinely heartfelt wave, frankly, has come to be expected by commuters every morning. He’s as regular as a radio morning show (see what I did there?). When people find out I am acquainted with him, it’s as if I know a genuine celebrity! The fact that I know some big recording stars personally pales in comparison to me knowing Jim as far as they are concerned. One neighborhood made him the Grand Marshall of their annual festival! Recently, the local Nashville CBS TV affiliate even did a feature on Jim. (Check it out here.)
Jim Harris has made a lasting connection and he’s just as enthusiastic about it now as he was four years ago plus he is now figuring out ways to get to know his audience better.
Whether you’re on-air, a Program Director, or in Promotion, what Jim has done is a classic example of what happens when you create a strong, personal bond with just one simple, personal, heartfelt act. Not only that, but it creates an expectation with those involved which, in ratings terms, means another possible listening (“waving”) occasion. In addition, building and sustaining that relationship is the key to the growth of your audience as evidenced by Jim’s newly discovered form of audience “research.”
Think of what YOUR radio station or show “wave” is or could be. Maybe it’s a daily show benchmark focusing on something positive in your community or on a specific listener; maybe a special music feature that conjures a memory or something topical or you find a way to give listeners special access to artists or your music. Whatever it is, we are in the business of creating lasting, positive relationships with our listeners. Now, more than ever, radio needs to be that genuine, HUMAN connector to the listener. The recent response to the hurricanes has been a huge example.
As difficult as it has been to bond with individuals on a personal level due to technology, my friend Jim found a simple way with a wave and he’s relentless when it comes to learning about his “audience.” Find that connection and keep learning as much as you can about your listeners. Good chance they’ll “wave” back!
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.
