Parental connection is a constantly evolving skill set. You connect with your child, and then they mature and change. Suddenly, you’re looking for other connections. Music is a universal bonding category for everyone. Adults, children, teenagers, or co-workers will share a music or entertainment connection.
Food is the most universal connector because we all eat. The opportunity doesn’t come from our love of food, although foodies enjoy a special bond that non-foodies admire. Connection happens because we sit with someone and are likely to talk about anything: food, music, faith, styles, politics, sports, weather, entertainment.
My youngest child is a college student, and my latest parental connection attempt is to have lunch with her in the cafeteria once a week. I get to see her operate in her environment and talk about whatever she wants to talk about. The college brain is hyper-evolving daily, so if you ask questions to the students at the table, you will never be bored. Bonus and selfish: I get a solid variety of fresh food for $13.
The milk dispenser in this cafeteria is in a separate location from the water, soft drinks, and coffee section, so last week was the first time I noticed it because I don’t drink milk at lunch. It caught my attention because of the logo: Drink Local.
My first question was, “Why?” You can tell from the photo that there’s no room to answer my question. If the designer attempted to explain the virtues of being a local milk distributor, the marketing space would be junked.
However, it challenged me to ask the same question about local radio. Our industry preaches the benefits of being local, one of radio’s greatest differences. I’m not using this space to say radio should be more or less local. But if we make this a marketable difference, we have to show why we’re local. It’s not enough to say it.
Here are two questions to consider when you’re waving the ‘we’re local’ flag:
- Why? Do you believe Local makes a difference?
- Radio isn’t different from other brands attempting to explain its differences. Often, we proclaim a message without asking a simple question. Why?
- Get your team together and ask this simple but critical question. “Why do we think local makes our brand more appealing to the listener?”
- Write it down, write it down, write it down. Your ideas have more power, purpose, and persuasion when you can see those ideas.
- Where? Open your eyes and smartphones.
- Analyze every hour of your operation. Does your talent know the strategy and tactics for local references and mentions?
- Talent: Open your eyes and journal about your trips and commutes to make references that your local listeners understand. If you track outside the market, use your smartphone to research the marketplace with map apps. Driving the signal is essential, but the smartphone gives us opportunities we didn’t have 20 years ago.
- Rethink: Some programmers think Traffic reports are a waste of time in the smartphone era. Your sales manager may think the revenue isn’t a waste. Can you find an entertaining local personality to deliver your reports and make it a bit? The same applies to weather reports, business, new music, and agriculture features. Where can I find someone to make this feature feel more local? Get a high school student to host your local music or new music feature and watch their local influencers connect to your brand.
- Rethink II: Why did we stop announcing school closings? I know why. It’s the smartphone. But would you sound more local if you brought back this feature? If a student from every high school in your district were responsible for calling the morning show, you would get more than a closure update.
- Rethink III: One more. If you want to do weather and the local TV station isn’t reciprocating the promotion of your brand on their station, then call a different convenience store clerk every morning to get a weather update.
There are dozens of ways to improve your local appeal, but you have to make it a strategy as crucial as your format strategy. Find the connection to your audience. A local cafeteria is an excellent place to start the process.
Ron Harrell is a columnist for Barrett Media, and a contemporary consultant specializing in radio, streaming, and podcast optimization. He has worked in every role on the programming side during his career, becoming management and executive-focused in the post-Telecom Act era. Ron has held leadership roles for media groups such as Chancellor Media, ABC Radio, CBS Radio, Hubbard Broadcasting, WAY Media, and Hope Media Group.
Interested parties are invited to learn more about his company Harrell Media Group and reach out by email at Ron@HarrellMediaGroup.com.
