Passion, Persuasion & Persistence

There are frequent events where Nashville Mayor Karl Dean addresses the country music industry.   Each time the message is passionate and consistent.   He wants Nashville to be the city everyone wants to move to, live in and work in.   He has never wavered from his commitment to growing the “Music City” Brand.

He is focused on three main objectives; affordability, a high quality of life and a talented workforce; sighting Technology, Talent and Tolerance as three of the key components.  Tolerance meaning that the city is friendly, welcoming and celebrates diversity. 

The growth and evolution that has taken place in Nashville since he took office in 2007 is a clear indication that he persuaded a lot of people to buy into his vision.    He was persistent in getting key decision makers to help.  He is passionate about accomplishing the goals.  Certainly the growth of country music has had an impact on all of this as well; however, Nashville has seen growth in healthcare, education, the financial sector and more.    

Is your vision for your brand that clear?  Is your message that concise and easily “sellable”?  Are you persistent and consistent in the way you communicate your message day in and day out?  Do you do it in a passionate and persuasive way?   Do you have the right people and resources in place to help you achieve your goals?

 

No matter what your brand is (a radio station, on-air talent, an artist, a retailer, yourself) this kind of well thought out, focused and persistent approach should result in success every time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We Are Bad Asks

 

 

It seems like such a simple concept.   All you have to do is ask.  But the reality is, humans are inherently bad asks.  That was one of my favorite quotes from Conclave 2013.   John Baker did an incredible job demonstrating and educating about “The Asking Formula”.   He is dynamic, entertaining and well worth your time to get to know.   The reality is, you will never get what you want if you don’t ask for it!

 

There are four simple steps in the process:

1. Know specifically what you want to ask for and why
2. Ask directly for what you want
3. Give three reasons why your audience or the person you are asking would want to give you what you are asking for.   Not reasons why YOU benefit, reasons why THEY will benefit.
4. Ask again in a simple and direct way and then ZIP IT!  Listen to what they have to say.

Why three reasons?  Because of the magic of the number three.   We learn in 3’s.  A-B-C, 1-2-3, Do-Re-Mi.  That is just one of the many explanations that Baker uses to help you understand and learn “The Asking Formula”.   I have no financial gain in promoting his book but I can tell you that it just might be the best $15 you will ever spend. 

 

Sometimes it is good to be reminded that you are never going to get what you want in life if you don’t ASK FOR IT. 

You Can and You Must

 

If you work in Country radio, you absolutely must review Jacobs Media’s Techsurvey9; especially if you are a Brand Manager, On-air Personality, Promotion Director or Digital Creative Director.   The findings will not shock you but they will certainly reaffirm what we veterans have known for a long time; Country is a mainstream format with passionate and engaged listeners, who are just as tech savvy as any other format. 

Fred Jacobs did an excellent job presenting the findings and highlighting the country strengths.   There are so many important aspects to this study but today I will focus on Social Networking.   These observations should help to cheer you up the next time you are grumbling about having to post on Facebook, blog on the website or tweet about something fun:

 

Ø  The percentage of Country fans that connect with Facebook first each day is higher than the national average.  (Important note for morning shows)

Ø  Country fans are higher than the national average as “frequent sharers”

Ø  Country fans interact with the station most often through e-mail, Facebook and contesting while the national norm is e-mail, website and computer streams. 

Ø  Pintrest is second only to Facebook for usage among country fans

Ø  Country is the second highest format in the Net Promoter Score, Christian is first.  (They say yes to promoting your station to others.)

Ø  CHR is the only format that beats country for engagement with the personalities

 
When you combine all of these findings, it validates the time and effort you are putting into social networking, your loyalty program and digital platforms.   Having personalities who are active on-line and in the community is a must. These fans want to interact with and support their favorite station.   Let’s make sure that we are there to make that happen on whatever platform they might engage.  Creating a social and mobile strategy and hiring the personnel to implement that strategy are critical to the future success of your radio station.  

Are You A Radio "Iron Chef"?

The best radio talent understands how to mix everyday ingredients to create an exceptional recipe.  If you’re not familiar with Iron Chef America, you should study it.  All 4 chefs are given the same five ingredients and an hour to create a masterpiece.  The competition is fierce, fast paced and brutal.  Welcome to radio.  

Think about the content of your show.   You have access to the same “show prep” (ingredients) as your competition.  The secret to success (recipe)  is what you choose to use, how you present it and how much of the secret ingredient you share.   That secret ingredient is YOU.  No one else can duplicate that one.   Here is one “recipe” that I think can help you create a better masterpiece each day. 

I am a strong believer in the magic of threes.  Let’s break the content into three main categories:

           

Big Dumb Fun Contesting Prank Calls War of The Roses Telemarketer Calls Parody Songs Trivia & Other Games “Are You Kidding Me” News On & Off-Air Stunts

Relationship Engagement Between Spouses With parents With Friends Between You & the Listener Co-Workers Community

Human Interest Celebrity interviews Hollywood & Music News Overcoming Obstacles TV Shows Movies Books

The most universally relatable category is RELATIONSHIPS!  Everyone has them, most people want them and all of them require nurturing.  At least 50% of your ingredients each day should come from that category.  Big Dumb Fun is entertaining and can provide much needed laughs.  However, the appeal of this category is very subjective and should only comprise 20%.    Human interest is necessary so that your listeners are confident that you relevant and up to date on current events.  They rely on you to help them feel “in the know”.  It is the least “unique” of the three categories and therefore only warrants 30% of the mix.   All of this must be mixed with YOU as the bonding element.  

I put relationships at the center of this recipe because it is the core of what we do.    That is where you get the most “bang for your buck” in terms of listener interaction and emotional connection.  If you work a music format, the music is all about relationships and provides an easy springboard for topics.  Your own relationships and human experiences provide show prep.   The possibilities are endless: dating, marriages, raising kids, taking care of aging parents, building a business, etc.    Finding hot topics and letting people voice their opinions is extremely powerful.

Once you have the right recipe, think about your presentation.  Every 20 minutes there are new people joining the show.  You need something new for them to sample that demonstrates your ability to combine all of those ingredients into a perfect and delicious meal that they just can’t get enough of. You want them to walk away satisfied but wanting more.   Think of yourself as the Iron Chef and accept the challenge of creating a new masterpiece every day.