You’re Only Radio on the Radio

When I first mentioned that phrase to a friend he looked at me like I was standing on my head. But the Internet has turned every communication medium on its ear and more than a decade after “the Web” entered our homes and daily conversations we still struggle to figure out the new business model. The process of reinvention is made more frustrating because new technologies and communication channels seem to pop up every day making yesterday’s Cinderella today’s Ugly Stepsister.

One thing should be crystal clear: You are no longer the business you were ten years ago. And the first step is to stop thinking of your business as “Radio” and start thinking of it as a “multimedia content and marketing company that uses music, news, information and entertainment to connect targeted, local communities with businesses and products that improve their lives.”

Notice the absence of the words Radio, TV, Newspaper and Magazine. You see, when you put your business online you become medium agnostic. The goal is to provide your audience what they want from their online experience, when they want it. What they want is information pertinent to their daily lives and connections to their various communities. And they want it in a variety of formats including text, audio and video.

You are not Radio online. You are only Radio on the Radio.

“But wait,” you say, “I have these studios and towers and transmitters. Surely they are important.”

And the answer is yes assuming you have a strong on-air brand and your Radio stations (and their companion websites) are the center of your audience’s various communities.

So here are ten things to consider as you develop your online strategies.

1) You are much more than Radio online. Online is where you can (finally) service your audiences’ many interests beyond music, news, general entertainment and celebrity gossip.

2) Use the tools your audience expects from a top-notch website – text news and information, audio from your Radio station, entertaining video and the ability to connect with you and one another.

3) Make your brand the center of your listeners’ on-air, online and physical communities. If you have a four-station cluster consisting of Classic Rock, Country, AC and CHR, you should have four on-air and online communities.

4) Use your transmitter and tower to turn your on-air community into online communities. Do this by producing or acquiring targeted content and weaving it into a seamless brand experience on-air and online.

5) Connect everything on-air to a corresponding online element.

6) Integrate your website promotion into your content rather than making it sound like the latest sales promotion.

7) Put your brand on your online content. Yes, it is important to be on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. But you must brand those channels with text, video and audio identification.

8) In sales, “A-B-C” means “Always Be Closing.” In content, it means “Always Be Current.” A Twitter account, YouTube channel or Facebook page that isn’t up to date does you more harm
than good. If you can’t stay current, don’t use it.

9) Put your logo on your homegrown video. Most home editing programs allow you to do this easily. Better yet, get a video partner that will add real value to your website.

10) Be sure your e-mails contain a benefit the audience perceives as valuable. Don’t just drop in a client graphic and send it out thinking the contest or discount offer is enough. That’s not how to treat the P1 listeners who signed up for your database.

Local Radio stations have a great opportunity to bigger than ever by being the center of their listeners’ lives. The trick is to have in-depth knowledge of your audience (beyond the usual music and entertainment) and connect with them emotionally on-air and online.