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Stephanie Winans

Business & Marketing Strategy Consulting

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Marketing Radio in a Pandemic: 4 Survival Tips

July 5, 2020 by Stephanie Winans Leave a Comment

“Marketing in a pandemic.” Sounds so tough it could be the next hot heavy metal band name. From appropriate messaging to budget and bandwidth stressors, our clients are asking how to market their stations and shows. Here are four marketing tips for surviving the COVID-19 crisis:

1. Consider whether slashing the marketing budget is the right move. Effective marketing drives ratings and ratings drive revenue. You’re in different spots across the spectrum of the COVID-19 struggle so there is no “one size fits all” answer, but I recommend thinking about marketing the way you consider other expenses not traditionally thought of as ‘discretionary.’ In a recession the gut reaction is to cut advertising spend to protect short-term profits, but research shows that companies who keep advertising win every time. (And isn’t this the narrative our radio sales teams are pitching to radio advertisers? They’re not wrong.)

2. Focus on your core. Concentrate on the listeners that drive ratings and the channels that drive the majority of revenue. Andrew Curran, President and COO of DMR/Interactive, says, “Remember that you care first and most about measured listening — the listening that drives ratings — not all listening. Think commuters who live in the Nielsen Hot ZIP footprint for you and your competitors to recruit and engage these High Value Listeners, who comprise just 5% of the population, but can drive more occasions and daily cume.”

“Despite stations promoting station apps, smart speaker skills and streaming for the last decade, over 90% of measured listening continues to come from listening on actual radios,” Curran says. While I’m a champion for digital, now isn’t the time to distract from on-air listening. That means questioning campaigns and on-air promos centered around app downloads, online listening, and website traffic. Digital transformation can wait; there is no digital transformation without the core business!

3. Keep it simple. Listeners are juggling their own COVID-19 struggles. If “keep it simple, stupid” was a tenet of good marketing pre-pandemic, it is even more relevant today. Make your messaging clean to cut through and limit to one CTA. Every message (promo, digital ad, TV spot, social media post, billboard campaign, etc.) should tell the listener to do one thing, e.g. “Listen to [Station ID]” and not “Download our app, visit us at www…, and like us on Facebook.”

4. Apply on-air creativity to marketing challenges. This is universal but especially true in the days of budget cuts: leverage your on-air talent and producers. We’re often so siloed departmentally that we miss opportunities to inject new creativity. Your programming talent know how to engage listeners and aren’t bound by traditional marketing thinking. Engage them in brainstorming (or my favorite: brainwriting) and watch new ideation unfold. Whether you’re strapped for budget and require creative ideas outside the normal advertising strategy or not, the world is different and now is the time to think differently.

And while we’re talking creativity in times of budget reduction, take a look at small markets. No one knows creative guerilla marketing like a scrappy, small market champion.

Whether you’re strapped for budget or fortunate enough to retain your 2020 marketing spend, use this time to get creative and think strategically.

 

This article was written for The Randy Lane Company and published in Radio Ink.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: COVID-19, marketing, marketing strategy, radio

Show vs. Station Social Media: Creating a Win-Win

March 1, 2019 by Stephanie Winans Leave a Comment

Let’s get real. We often see tension between radio station management and talent when it comes to social media. Management wants to build both station and show brands. Talent are often focused on elevating just their show brand but undoubtedly benefit greatly when the station brand is strong. [Read more…] about Show vs. Station Social Media: Creating a Win-Win

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: brand, digital strategy, followers, management, social media strategy, talent

How Do I Respond Publicly to Station Mandated Changes to My Show?

January 29, 2019 by Stephanie Winans Leave a Comment

Station management has made a change to your show— reducing the length of the show, moving your daypart, or a change to the co-host lineup. The decision was out of your control and you’re not necessarily excited about the change. How do you respond on social media to changes to your show? [Read more…] about How Do I Respond Publicly to Station Mandated Changes to My Show?

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: management, social media strategy, talent

25 Digital Innovations That Have Changed Radio For the Better

October 10, 2017 by Stephanie Winans Leave a Comment

“It’s a fad.” “Where’s the ROI in that?” “How’s that going to drive ratings?” Radio managers and talent alike were skeptical of many of the biggest digital innovations when they first disrupted the industry and its operations. But today? These innovations build our brands, drive deeper connections with our listeners, and provide new platforms for monetization. Here are 25 digital innovations that have changed radio for the better:

[Read more…] about 25 Digital Innovations That Have Changed Radio For the Better

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: digital strategy, disruption, innovation, podcasting, radio, smart speaker, social media, streaming

8 Visual Marketing Tips For Radio (And Why You Should Care)

August 15, 2016 by Stephanie Winans Leave a Comment

We spend most of our time thinking about audio. When’s the last time you thought about visual? Facebook and Twitter have made shifts to emphasize visual content this year, while Snapchat and Instagram are already “all visual, all the time.” You undoubtedly spend a significant amount of time creating engaging content for the Web—your blog, your social media accounts. It’s time to up your visual content game or get left behind. [Read more…] about 8 Visual Marketing Tips For Radio (And Why You Should Care)

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: pinterest, video, visual marketing

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