Brian Wright “Close Encounters”

Recently I was meeting with a group of program directors who were eager to elevate the relationship they had with their listeners. This was a group of people who knew that what was good enough to get them where they are today probably won’t be good enough to keep them there tomorrow. After a great deal of conversation about talent development our conversation turned to marketing. It was at that point I brought up a concept that dates back many years in radio and has always been very effective.

The idea is to simply have each one of your personalities, including co-hosts, part timers and news people, call just 5 listeners in your database every day, Monday – Friday. With just 5 people making these calls you will reach out to about 6500 listeners in a year! If only a hand full of these listeners are ratings participants it could mean an increases of a share point or two! This will make a huge different in your relationship with them. These calls need not be long-winded. Simply call and thank them for listening and let them know that they are greatly appreciated.

In a world exploding with technology, where we can reach people in masses, we can sometimes turn into a radio station that loves the systems that connect with people instead of connecting with the people directly themselves. Chances are your competition or your other global competitors are not going to be doing this so this gives you a chance to race out ahead of them. One personal phone call or a handshake is worth way more than a billboard or a TV spot to that person. Each time I’ve brought this up it is well received but almost never followed through with? Many have succumbed to the magnetism of mediocrity.

Brian is a 30 year radio veteran who has successfully served many companies over the years as Program Director, Operations Manger and VP of programming. After many years of success working for individual radio stations and clusters, Brian Joined one of the most trusted consulting firms in the country, Audience Development Group. For the last 15 years Wright has enjoyed building alliances with scores of stations in the US & Canada helping them grow in ratings and revenue.  Contact Brian at brian@audiencedevelopmentgroup.com