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Don’t
tell anyone, but I’m about to share the secret to a successful radio
station with you: start ignoring people. Don't
go after the people in your community who aren’t already listening.
Don't market to people who haven't yet bought into what you’re
doing. Don't change your music or format to attract those who
haven't tried you out yet. Ignore them.
Is
that counter-intuitive? Yes. Is it harsh? Maybe. But it works.
When organizations (including radio stations) spend too much time
trying to attract new members,
or trying to appease those who don't like what's currently being
offered, they end up doing two things:
1.
Abandoning their original fan base
2.
Attracting the wrong "new people"
Our morning
show fan page on Facebook is
the perfect example. On several occasions we have run contests in
order to increase membership. We've seen a noticeable bump in our
numbers, but it's always been a temporary increase. You might say
that the giveaways have been successful, but they haven't been
productive.
Most
new people signed up for the "prize", and then either left or waited
around (silently) for their next chance to win something. We
attracted takers, not participants. We used our time, energy and
resources to artificially inflate our numbers, when we could have
been using them to create excitement amongst the 6,000 fans we
already have.
On
the flip side though...each time we post content (blogs, pictures,
links, etc.) that our existing fans
are excited about, our numbers automatically grow anyway. And they
grow with fans, not fakes. They grow with people who come because
they want to, not because they were bribed to. (This
concept has serious implications when it comes to Sharathon
“premiums” as well. We’re attracting people who want to take
something, rather than give something to our ministries.)
If
you’re a station manager, program director or show host, it's not
your job to bring in new listeners. It's your job to turn your
current listeners into passionate listeners, and then let them do
the rest. People who are excited about a product or service or
movement will tell others about it. They'll share their passion
with friends and family and co-workers and neighbors. Your numbers
will grow, and they'll grow with people who truly want to be a part
of what you're doing.
Excite
the people you have. Ignore the rest. They'll come anyway.
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Tim Sinclair co-hosts "Mornings
with Tim and Pam" on WBGL and helps write and produce radio station
imaging through a company he owns called Green Eye Creative. Tim is
currently working on his first book called Re-Marketing a
Remarkable Jesus which will be released in April of 2011 through
Kregel Publications. You can catch up with him at
http://www.tim-sinclair.com
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