Radio is no longer in the radio business. It’s in the content business and competes against other radio stations, the internet, TV, mobile phone applications…the list is endless! There are some key audience drivers to remind yourself of when you’re under attack from competitors that can help bullet proof your station.
By Mic Live & C.D. Case
The battle for audiences has never been so fierce; listeners have more choices than ever before. Radio is no longer in the radio business it’s in the content business and we compete against a whole range of competitors; other radio stations, the internet, TV, mobile phone applications… the list is endless!
There are some key audience drivers to remind yourself of when you’re under attack from competitors that can help bullet proof your station:
SELLING
Music – sell the music. They’re listening for the best music, it’s the primary driver to any music radio station; Are the personalities enthusiastic and knowledgeable about your music? Are the personalities really selling the music and creating a new experience for your listener every time they play a song – even if they’ve played it many times before? Sell the music.
Station – sell the station. To win the usage battle your personalities must be IDing the station and effectively cross promoting events, shows and content. Are your personalities giving listeners reasons to come back to your station at the same time tomorrow or later in the day or week? Are your personalities selling the benefits of the station? Are your personalities selling how to use your station to the listener?
Locality; sell your local area. Showcase pride in your market and find local content both geographically and content that is of interest and relevance to the listener living in your area.
CLUTTER
Focus! Too much personality waffle is a huge turn off for listeners. Are your personalities masters at having one clear focus in each break? Are your personalities spending quality time preparing WHAT they’re going to say in each break? Are your personalities crafting each break or just going through the motions?
Relevant. Is every break / content piece on your station relevant? Does the content ‘affect the listener in your market today?’ Is every piece of content relatable to your target audience?
ACTIVITY
You need to have something on the table… To make your station exciting it needs to do exciting things! You need to offer listeners a multitude of content and benefits. Ask yourself “What is my station doing today/tomorrow” that makes it more exciting than any competitor?
Morning Shows need to create ‘water cooler’ moments every day. Spend EVEN more time with your morning show on planning content rather than critiquing. Produce them. Work with them to create moments in their show each morning that will get your listeners talking about them – that’s the single goal! Also, make sure you have a plan for maximising that content across the rest of the day.
Fun and exciting promotions or events. Look at your annual planner; are you really doing truly fun and exciting promotions or throwing truly fun and exciting events? If you’re not, you’ll bore the listener. Invest time in brainstorming, trying new things and making your promotions and events bigger than they ever have been… And before you think we mean spend more money, we don’t… Push yourself to be more creative each day and invest time and you’ll create these promotions and events without having to invest more money.
If your station is under attack, spend some time reviewing those three areas and see how your station is doing? If you’re not under attack – why not review how you do in those areas anyway. Make your station bullet proof TODAY.
The Secret Consultants is a full service consultancy company with a difference… We don’t trade off our names and what we’ve done in the past; we trade off our ideas and what we can do for you right now and in the future. By keeping our identity a secret from everyone except our clients we arrive in markets completely under the radar; we conduct our work undetected and no competitor can try and second guess our tactics. Our approach provides clients with a unique opportunity to ‘gain ground’ against their competitors and build both ratings and revenue. Email us at results@secretconsultants.com or share with us on our blog www.secretconsultants.com
