In a recent post to "Online Spin," Seana Mulcahy wrote a great piece about the quest for brands to build communities, and the struggles that many face. We’re going through a similar dialogue in radio. The good news, of course, is that many radio listeners have profiles on MySpace and Facebook. The challenge for stations, however, is how to build these communities as a part of their overall digital strategies.
Or is it? In Seana’s article, she references a recent Adweek article that featured a quote from Brian Morrissey who noted that brands like craigslist, Zappos.com, and the T-shirt site, www.threadless.com "are quietly building powerful brands online on the strength of communities. For these companies, community is not a tactic or marketing plan line item, but core to what they do. It means being hyper-responsive to customers, laser focused on usability, unapologetically human and OK with customers determining the course their businesses should take. The bonus: When they take off, these brands don’t need to do much in the way of advertising, instead letting their customers spread the word."
These companies don’t just drop a social networking component onto their websites, a la Seth Godin’s Meatball Sundae warnings. Instead, they organically allow their communities to form by their overall behavior and relationships with their customers. Apple is another great example. Their products, their customer service, and their behavior have created a powerful community of fans who do all the viral heavy lifting.
It’s about more than having a database, and doing email blasts each week. It’s about empowering the audience, giving them a voice in what stations program, being transparent when jocks are fired or formats are changed, and giving fans a seat at the table. Several years ago, we called that "NeoRadio." Today, it’s called communities.
No matter what you call it, most radio stations are a great distance away from creating them. But the potential is always there if we stop talking and broadcasting, and do more listening. It goes against the grain of what we’ve been doing for years. And that’s why we have to do more of it.
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.
- Baby, Please Don’t Go - November 22, 2024
- Why Radio Needs To Stop Chasing The Puck - November 21, 2024
- Great Radio – In The Niche Of Time? - November 20, 2024
Leave a Reply