Radio, which has shied away from incorporating the Internet into its business model, would be wise to consider increasing its use as means of providing customer service. Quickly becoming the mantra of all businesses attempting to push through the recession, excellent customer service can engage listeners and encourage them to return for future visits. Analysts argue that the increased demands for quality service will continue long after the economic decline is over. How then can radio, otherwise content to let listeners tune in and out, harness opportunities for improved customer service?
Building Trust
Trust is the cornerstone for building a loyal listener base and opportunities to build trust occur when interaction options increase. If a radio station has a call to action based on a competition or song request, the experience of the listener during that call to action will lay a foundation of trust. Listeners who are able to query a radio station and receive a timely and accurate response are more likely to come back and recommend the station to acquaintances with similar music tastes and needs. The Internet has given listeners the ability to request songs at the click of a button and removing the need to wait. By utilizing Internet technology, such as through ListenerActive, radio will be able to increase its methods of customer service. A person can text a query for the name of a song they just heard and the technology generates a quick and accurate response, setting up a positive relationship between the listener and the radio station.
Make Human Contact Easy, Ample and Varied
Radio has the infrastructure to support human contact for their media while many Internet music services do not. Internet music relies almost exclusively on automated systems to provide the illusion of a personalized response. While these measures will provide a certain level of customer satisfaction, it is increasingly apparent that a human response will provide an edge to customer service. Many radio stations are already set up to do this through staffing. Increasing these opportunities through DJ chats, shout-outs, voting and song requests, will strengthen radio’s ability to provide quality customer service. According to Selena Maranjian this growing need from today’s consumer ” creates enormous opportunity for those companies that are willing to significantly improve their customer service. By doing so, they can stand out among their competition and win more business.” [Source: Motley Fool]
Make Systems Employee and Customer Friendly
Today’s audience wants low intrusion advertisements that are relative to their needs. Ease of use such as being able to find the station across many platforms, and the ability to query the system as easily as possible will result in overall consumer satisfaction. At the same time, a system that streamlines the process for employees will increase its chances for success. Utilizing a system such as Listener Active will provide new avenues t o engage in dialogue with listeners while only requiring minimal training for staff. Having technology set up to provide a positive experience on both ends will increase the likelihood of a positive interaction.
Ron Zemke and Tom Connellan in their book e-Service, state that ”Customer Service is your brand.” Without the opportunity to provide quality customer service radio is missing out on the opportunity to reinforce their brand. By increasing opportunities to interact with listeners radio will increase the opportunity for a positive customer experience. With every positive experience they will create a lasting impression that will keep listeners coming back for many of their music needs.
]]>The Internet has opened up opportunities for discovery around the globe. New programs and new technologies are allowing businesses to succeed in ways they never have before. Radio, hesitant to tackle this beast, has been slow in adapting this new technology into its business model. Without streaming programming and interactivity many radio websites are falling flat. Why should listeners go to these websites when the music and programming that defines radio is on the airwaves? Radio might be interested in expanding their use of the Internet beyond being a simple website landing page for current listeners. Opportunities for gaining audience members through the Internet are vast and can help drive listeners back to radio programming.
As many listeners have turned to the Internet for their music needs radio can no longer afford to rely heavily on self promotion. Radio has a quality programming model that has not been duplicated by individual music companies on the Internet. While satellite radio has allowed users to focus in on a smaller range of musical tastes, radio still has a broad reach and mass appeal. Coupled with live programming and the infrastructure to support user interaction, radio can provide an engaging listener experience. By advertising these strengths, marketing DJ personalities and promoting concerts and contests on Internet channels, radio may be able to reach out to new listeners. The proliferation of scams on the Internet leaves many users wary of signing up for new, unheard of programs. Radio has the perfect opportunity for trust because it has an outside verifiable source. Because recent moves by radio executives have trashed listener loyalty and left radio stations stripped of assets , proactive methods must be taken to woo the audience back.[Source: The Guardian]
Listeners from the latest generation may need to be educated about the role radio plays in music discovery. Their primary music experiences consist of being able to sample music for free and without interruption, play their favorite songs whenever they want and getting music recommendations from friends. This creates a conundrum for DJ led listening experiences. Unless a DJ is respected within their peer community, youth are less likely to be swayed by their music programming. A quality DJ who understands youth music and popular culture trends would be a wise investment for any radio station. While many attempt to garner attention from this generation with gimmicks, David Giovanni in How Public Radio Gained 2 Million Listeners cautions against it. “Listeners attracted by hype usually don’t listen very long. They listen for a while, then tune out.”
Having tasted the musical freedoms of the Internet, listeners will not head to radio until there is a compelling reason to do so. Many people who have incorporated Internet and mobile technology into their lifestyles will have difficulty turning a dial to find a music solution. For radio listeners systems like Listener Active’s will allow them to access radio station programming through a technology they are comfortable with. For others it will be the programming, not the technology that will pique their interest and keep them tuned in. As John Hogan, president and CEO of Clear Channel Radio said, “Better radio created a bigger audience.” [Source: RedOrbit] No matter which technology platform is used, or how listeners find a particular station, quality programming is what will guarantee a loyal following for radio.
]]>In the radio listening experience, the role of the DJ is one of the few unique benefits of radio. Members of today’s music audience want to learn more about the people who guide their listening experience. No longer content to simply listen to the recommendations of a self-proclaimed (or executive proclaimed) expert, listeners want to connect with DJs and learn more about them. Radio, by investing time and resources in their DJs will strengthen the role radio plays in audio entertainment.
The only thing that separates radio listening from uploading music to an iPod is that on radio, someone else plays deejay. [Source: CBSNews] Because technology allows listeners to create playlists of their favorite songs without interruption, DJs can be perceived as an annoyance or inconvenience when listening to the radio. But the importance of a DJ led experience should be enhanced, and listeners should be educated by radio stations about how a DJ is vital to the discovery of new music. The DJ, who understands both a particular musical genre and the listening audience, is the perfect person to screen, review and recommend new music. Without this process music discovery will stall as listeners look exclusively to old favorites to fill their music needs.
More than ever before a sense of trust between the listener and the DJ is what will make or break the listening experience. Audience members want to know that DJs and the music they play represent the desires and needs of the audience and aren’t just preprogrammed radio shows packaged by executives. Today’s listening audience wants to connect with the DJ and feel like they have input into their own listening experience. This change is based on a fundamental shift away from music being the commodity. Instead, it is now the listeners time and attention which is in demand.
In order to elevate DJs into a position of trust and gain the attention of listeners, radio stations must provide DJs with tools such as Listener Active to facilitate interaction with the audience. Increasing the methods of interaction will result in more opportunities to build listener trust. A DJ, based on his/her taste, and the knowledge of his/her audience, selects quality records and tests them. [Source: The MoTownElevator] Combine the natural affinity of a quality DJ to pick relevant music with instant feedback from the audience and this method takes most of the risk out of new music discovery. If the DJ has built up enough trust with the listener, the listener will be willing to forgive a bad recommendation, advise the DJ and the overall music experience will benefit.
Giving the DJs more control over guiding the listening experience will reduce the growing resentment towards canned repetitive programming. By capturing instant statistics, radio executives can free themselves from the paranoia that an unproven song will cause listeners to tune out resulting in lower ratings and less revenue. By embracing the unique role a DJ plays in guiding listening experiences, and allowing the audience to partake, the radio industry can once again reclaim its title as the leader in new music discovery.
]]>The Internets ability to provide results has overshadowed the importance of a complete marketing campaign. In some cases, clicks on ads are a result of interest piqued by traditional media. Consumers may have initially heard about a product on the radio and then clicked on an ad because they remembered the original advertisement. Or, they may have heard an event sponsored on the radio while driving home and then searched Google to find out more. Radio, in many cases is the hook that brings the consumer to the Internet to make the final purchase.
Radio does much of the dirty work. It woos the consumer over to the product and it helps to develop brand recognition. Unfortunately when it comes to radio, they are missing out on the area where most of the profit is generated these days: upon final sale. Advertising trends are moving away from potential sales to actual sales as demonstrated in pay per click advertising. It is conceivable that advertisers may start to request pay per listen advertising and radio stations will be forced to change the business model from potential listeners to actual listeners. Thus forcing radio revenue even lower.
Radio must not hesitate to educate businesses about the function of radio in a marketing campaign. Unless new means of transmitting are found, this will require a hybrid model of radio, the Internet and mobile devices. Thankfully, innovative internet applications are now being developed which allow radio to expand its reach. These applications are allowing radio to utilize internet and cell phone technology to both gather statistics and become a part of the entire process – pitch, discovery and sale. Applications like these will allow radio to remain a dominant force in the music world and maintain or exceed revenue expectations.
The needs of small business owners will not change as we move out of a recession. Small business owners are likely to continue wanting to see conversion rates, click trails and specific audience trends. In order to survive this change in advertising, radio must experiment with new solutions that combine the best of both worlds. Then, armed with statistical data that shows how marketing campaigns are directly impacted by radio advertising, small businesses will return to radio for a complete solution to their advertising needs.
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