As radio stations and personalities have become more immersed in social media, there’s that side conversation about what it means to recognize and serve fans in the space.
The essence of social is service and acknowledgment, and yet, this continues to be a conversation without a solid conclusion. So often, station staffers and personalities find themselves too busy to take the time to recognize the power of a moment, an opportunity to step out of the routine, the chance to make a difference in someone’s life.
Radio is a business predicated on scale – whether it’s the ratings or sales. And as the industry gravitates to programmatic buying and extolling the value of its 93% reach, the concept of paying attention to that single listener, the lone fan, is often lost in translation. After all when there are hundreds of thousands of cumers, what’s the ROI on making an impact on just one?
But while it’s easy to get hung up on our number of fans and followers, organic reach metrics, and retweets, it’s important to remember that social media at its best is about that one crazy video that goes viral, the everyday person who does something special, and other phenomena that start out innocently enough but turn into those memorable moments that people love to share.
It happened the other night in an otherwise meaningless baseball game as my Detroit Tigers were playing an away game against the Indians in Cleveland at Progressive Field.
The spotlight turned on a young fan who snared a foul ball, and the reaction from the Tigers’ all-star first baseman and two time MVP winner, Miguel Cabrera.
This 69-second video tells the story of what happens when a single fan is served in an unexpected way:
>Email recipients: Click here to watch Miguel Cabrera and young fan<
When you think about the power of touching a single fan, whether it’s on the baseball diamond, at a station event, or even on your social media page, the potential is unlimited. It’s confirmation that every person counts.
There are the moments that are shared, talked about, televised, and moved around people’s social networks. They bring out aspects in celebrities – baseball players or disc jockeys – that are human, special, and often contrary to how people think of them.
When a true MVP turns to just another kid in the stands, and makes him feel like he’s the most important person in the ballpark, it’s a moment.
In this case, a superstar athlete – the Taylor Swift of baseball – playing a game on opposing turf, and recognizing a fan wearing the other team’s jersey. Cynics calculate how many thousands of dollars players make in single games, often thinking that players truly don’t care about fans. The ability to be able to turn those perceptions upside down in one awesome moment underscores the tenet that every person counts.
Fans tells your story the best…when you treat them like MVPs.
For the game of baseball, the Detroit Tigers, and Miguel Cabrera, the cost was a couple of balls and a bat.
For the young fan who experienced this moment seen by thousands on television, at the game, and on social media, it was priceless.
And for the thousands of people watching it in the ballpark, the hundreds of thousands watching online, and the millions watching on ESPN and other television outlets, it was their “play of the day.”
It’s about making listeners feel like MVPs.
It’s about the power of serving one fan at a time.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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