A New Year Brings New Opportunities For Radio

One of my favorite quotes from Albert Einstein… “The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education”. For decades we’ve all earned our degree in radio; How to sell it, how to program it, how to maximize our efforts. However, as our economy has contracted and new “shiny” digital options have captured the attention of our potential advertisers – we’ve discovered that the degree we’ve earned and have hanging on the wall is not enough to overcome declining revenues. Cutting staff and programs is not the answer… only a temporary fix to a much larger problem that will need to be addressed sooner rather than later.

It’s no secret that radio is an effective and affordable marketing vehicle – we can each point to research, studies, and articles to support such claims. However, that doesn’t address the issue of a ho-hum “perception” from advertiser’s smitten by the seemingly endless options for marketing in the digital universe. To overcome such obstacles - we need fresh ideas, fresh thinking, and fresh energy – not just from trade publications and articles, but from within our own buildings.

Digital offerings coupled with a solid radio marketing campaign can be a powerful, measurable and ‘sexy’ solution to discuss with potential advertisers. We’ve had clients tell us repeatedly that by using the “web idea” as the lead (with radio schedules playing a supporting role) – they’ve been able to get in front of prospects that, in the past, would not give them the time of day.

With that in mind, here are some ideas to consider for adding some of that “spark” to your station in 2010.

Pre-qualify a New Sales Person’s Digital Knowledge.
Have new sellers apply or contact you through Facebook. I’m not suggesting this as the only means by which you recruit new sellers, but it certainly can be used as part of an overall strategy. By having new candidates apply through Facebook, the prospective seller will demonstrate that they at least have some working knowledge of using and interacting with online sites and tools. That’s a foundation to build on, rather than hiring yet another seller that fears new media because they don’t understand it.

Even if you decide not to go the Facebook route – there are still ways to determine the level of interest a candidate has in a new interactive world. During the interview process, ask them about their favorite web site. Explore which sites they spend the most time with each day/week. This can not only speak to their level of understanding, it may also provide some insight into their interests as an individual.

Recruit “non-radio” Sellers.
Paraphrasing Anthony Robbins – “Do what you’ve always done – get what you’ve always gotten”. Trying to snag that “great radio seller” across the street might solve a short term problem… but how well will it position you for a long term change? Consider other industries with strong direct sellers. People who sell specialty items (t-shirts, pens, letterhead), for example, excel in good old fashioned, knock-on-doors prospecting. Think about it… what’s the commission on selling 5,000 pens? Not much when compared to selling $5,000 interactive radio/web campaign…

Recruit these sellers and show them the tremendous upside of applying their street-savvy sales skills to an entirely new arena. They understand marketing and branding – that’s what they do! Bring them into the fold and let them loose with a wide array of measurable marketing solutions.

Set-up a sales web site
Okay, so you have a station web site (I hope) – but do you have a real online sales tool? A site that generates leads for your station – while allowing the advertiser to explore your station advantages on their own terms? If not, check into Gregg Murray’s iRadioSales product. From all that we’ve seen, it is an excellent tool for your station (s) – and other industry peers seem to be extremely pleased with the results.

Don’t assume that all business owners understand the benefits of radio. They certainly know what radio is – they know they can buy advertising from you… but many of the new business owners we’ve met with still don’t fully understand how powerful radio is, and how it can seriously impact their business. Remember, new business start-ups generally don’t have a firm grasp of how to market themselves. (Even though they’ll tell you they do).

Make the most of your local tech and small colleges.
Many station operators complain that they do no have any/enough web guys on staff. Approach a local university or tech school to find some. Not just internships… partnerships. Work with the school to develop a credit hour program where students earn credit while getting hands-on work experience in the field of web development.

Create a co-op program with your local schools - perhaps agree to pick up a student’s quarterly tuition in exchange for 20-25 hours worth of hands-on, in-house weekly work for that quarter. All these ideas can get your station the expertise and youth it needs for new media development, while having a positive effect for both your station and community.

Develop ways to stand out
We recently wrapped-up a year long Reboot Camp series with the Better Business Bureau in Central Ohio. After each session we’d mingle with business owners from around the city, answering questions or brainstorming ideas with them on how to use traditional and new media together. After our latest session, we had some discussion with an in-house marketing person from a local car dealer. By the time we got back to our office (roughly an hour) – there was an email in our inbox from the marketer. When we clicked on the link provided in his message, it lead us to a page with a personalized video – thanking us each by name for the workshop and the conversation afterwards. He also invited us to explore some specific things he was working on which were linked on the page below his video.

WOW! A little effort left a BIG impression. Sure, we know that technology gives us the “ability” to do things of this nature, but we rarely see someone actually take the time to do it!

Imagine if you had just one or two sales people who would take that same effort by using a simple, cheap web cam to record a personal “thank you” or “follow-up” video – and sent it to their prospect immediately after a meeting or phone call. What kind of impression would that leave on their prospect? What kind of impression would it leave about your station… your company?

Make 2010 A Year To Remember
Since we started this article with a quote, why not end with one. This one from Lou Holtz: “Don’t hire Charlie Weis” (oops… sorry, wrong quote).

Lou once quipped: “If what you did yesterday seems big, you haven't done anything today.” How true! As you plan for next year, plan on doing things differently… don’t let the past influence your future. Embrace opportunity wherever and however it presents itself. And most importantly, don’t let your radio education stand in the way of learning.

-- Chuck Francis, VP New Media Strategies - Remerge
Remerge Media is a multi-media consulting firm, specializing in new media integration and simultaneous media solutions. Remerge works with radio (as well as other legacy media) clients to help them understand, integrate and generate revenue from new media through custom sales solutions, and providing traditional media sales personnel with highly specialized training. Remerge solutions provide a high rate of ROI for our traditional media clients, as well as their advertising clients. The company is based in Columbus, Ohio. More information about Remerge can be found online at www.RemergeMedia.com