Journal Communications Introduces New Brand

3-11-14

Journal Communications Inc., today launched a new company brand with three new logos representing Journal Communications and its two major business segments, Journal Broadcast Group and Journal Publishing. As part of the new brand, the company also launched a fully redesigned corporate website at www.journalcommunications.com. Seen here is the new Journal Broadcast Group logo.

"When we look at our company, we see quality, focus and effective teams in our local markets -- all part of a business that is moving forward," Journal Chairman/CEO Steven J. Smith said. "However, many people outside of Journal often have no idea that, in addition to their favorite local station or publication, we have a total of 13 television stations, 35 radio stations, and a major daily newspaper with a variety of supporting local publications, all with complementary digital products."

Journal President/COO Andre Fernandez added, "As we continue to expand our offerings and find new ways to deliver our content online, on the air and in print, we are excited about our new brand and the future of our company. We hope our clients, employees, and local markets share our excitement."

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Summers To Brand Townsquare Boise

1-7-14

Rich Summers is the new Brand Manager for Townsquare's Country station WOWCountry 104.3 (KAWOFM). He'll also take over as AM Operations Manager for News Talk 580 KIDO and Sports Radio 630 The Fan (KFXD), all serving SW Idaho. Townsquare Media Boise?s Market Manager Kevin Godwin said "Rich is a terrific addition to our talented programming team here in Boise. He has a track record of success and brings a wealth of brand development experience to our operation.?

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Envision Launches Brand Like a Rock Star

7-16-13

Envision Radio Networks has a new 60-second daily feature focusing on life lessons from bands of the rock format. Brand Like a Rock Star is hosted by Steve Jones. Jones takes listeners backstage to reveal marketing secrets of rock legends and describes how those strategies can be put into use in everyday life. Jones is the author of the best-selling book, "Brand Like a Rock Star: Lessons From Rock 'n' Roll To Make Your Business Rich and Famous."

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Steele Named Columbus Radio Group Brand Manager

6-27-13

Jimmy Steele has been named brand manager at Saga's Columbus Radio Group, overseeing AC WSNY, Hot AC WCMX, and Classic Hits duo WNND & WNNP. Steele was most recently with Clear Channel/San Diego as OM and VP/programming; he left that post in January. He's also programmed stations in Buffalo, Madison, and Nashville.

"We were looking for a seasoned leader who mentors, coaches, and grows his people," Columbus Radio Group VP/GM Chris Forgy said. "And we found all of that in Jimmy Steele."

Saga EVP and Group PD Steve Goldstein said, "Jimmy had the trifecta. He has a great blend of art and science, and he knows the market well. We are thrilled to bring his experience and expertise to our group."

(6/27/2013 11:33:54 PM)
You guys are fortunate to have him. Great programmer...great guy.

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Cumulus Rolls Out NASH Brand On 5 Stations

5-23-13

The plan was to roll out the NASH brand to more stations across the country and Cumulus CEO Lew Dickey is keeping his word. Five Cumulus stations will now be known as NASH FM ? with their logos, websites, and on-air promotions using ?NASH FM? and ?Powered by NASH? language. They are WPKR/WPCK in Appleton-Oshkosh/Green Bay, KHKI-FM in Des Moines, WKAK-FM in Albany, GA, KQFC-FM in Boise, and WLXX-FM in Lexington. 

Dickey said, ?Following our debut of the NASH-FM brand earlier this year, we?re excited about expanding NASH to more radio stations as well as bringing NASH content to other forms of media, including video and magazines. Our listeners and advertisers will continue to benefit from the variety of on-air and off-air Country lifestyle content opportunities associated with the NASH brand.?

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(SOCIAL) Bring Listeners Back To Your Brand

3-27-2013

It?s funny when you think about social media and radio. Radio has always been a social media. Highly skilled radio personalities of the past were good at working crowds with real engagement, remembering names (validating listeners) and encouraging listeners to participate in local charities and join their radio station in doing good things in the local community and for causes like St. Jude Children?s Research Hospital.

So all this talk about social media being new is?.not so new to radio. However, because so many people are focused on digital development with consumers (listeners), social media in the digital world can seem intimidating. It shouldn?t be. Consider these ideas:

1. If you went to a social business party or even high school reunion, you would know the difference between someone who was really engaged, interested in others, able to connect and share interesting stories, or be helpful to other party guests, and someone who was just passing out business cards and talking about themselves. Your listeners can tell the difference in social media, too. Social media done right requires that you ?put yourself out there? and that you try to be interested in others. Like being at the real party, this is a digital one where those who really engage become more connected and valuable to everyone. That spreads influence and it isn?t simply promotion.

2. If you went to a party and stood in the corner, not many people would know a lot about you. The party would come and go and everyone would leave. What would the benefit be for you or for them in your being at the party? None. Instead, what if you were entertaining? If you brought value to the room and every conversation with pictures on your iPhone or other smart phone, a few funny stories, you listened to others and ?brought them out? by being genuinely interested in the story of what is happening in their life right now? Well, you would be a hit. Memorable. Connective. In this same way, you should think about social media as a place for brief stories that are sometimes told with entertaining pictures or video. Bringing the ?fun? of radio into social media environments can be engaging for listeners; listening to them and validating them can help them warm to you in social media and follow you back to your platform ? radio. That should be a goal of your social media.

3. When you drop into a party, you may notice that some people have a more service-oriented heart. That means that they are the ones who ask if you would like a drink refill or they offer to get you a drink at the bar. Perhaps they greet you and start the conversation and you notice they do this a lot. In social media, that could be you. In other words, you can be the person who offers assistance and you can engage people on the grounds of being helpful to them. Start the conversation. Bring some fun into someone?s life. In our disconnected society of reality TV, longer work hours, more stress, and often living in neighborhoods where you don?t know the guy three houses down from you, social media is a way people reach out and try to feel connected, important, engaged. If you know this and work to help validate local listeners by focusing on helping them, you will be the hit at this party. Every time.

Social media does not have to be complicated. It is about connecting with people by showing them who you are and making it clear that you are there for them if they need it, you help others and you open yourself up so you can be seen as a real person. People react fastest to authenticity. Don?t kid yourself. Listeners can feel it when you are being real. This is especially true in an environment like social media when so many businesses (and individuals) can sometimes try to fake it to manipulate you. Be real, be helpful, be entertaining, and bring some fun to the party and see if you are not the hit on the social media platform of your choice. More than this, you will be able to engage and bring these listeners back to your radio station to continue the party!

Loyd Ford is the direct marketing, ratings and social media strategist for Americalist and programmed very successful radio brands in markets of all sizes for years, including KRMD AM & FM in Shreveport, WSSL and WMYI in Greenville, WKKT in Charlotte and WBEE in Rochester, NY. Get his radio ? social media blog FREE right on your cell phone or email here:  www.rainmakerpathway.wordpress.com. Learn more about Loyd here:  http://about.me/loydford. Reach out to Loyd via e-mail HERE  Visit his Facebook radio social media page HERE

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Roddy New Brand Manager For Saga Washington

3-20-13

Veteran Indianapolis programmer Scott Roddy joins Cascade Radio Group?s KAFE-FM in Bellingham, WA, as Brand Manager. Roddy replaces Ken Richards who resigned last year to relocate to Spokane. Scott comes to Bellingham after serving as PD for Entercom?s WNTR-FM, and News/Talk WXNT, Indianapolis, for four years. Prior to that he spent almost 10 years with Susquehanna in Indianapolis. 

Vice President and General Manager Michael O'Shea said, ?This is a terrific opportunity for KAFE to attract a talented and experienced programmer whose energy and creativity will be a sparkplug in our hallways." Saga Communications Executive Vice President Steve Goldstein added, ?We?ve tried to get Scott into our company before. I?m delighted that he?s joining the excellent staff at KAFE.?

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(SOCIAL) Boost Station (Brand) Advocate Cheerleading

3-6-2013

While broadcasters constantly try to find ways to boost listeners who have a diary or a meter (how to game the system), seeking to please highly passionate listeners and those who are engaged and active on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter could have an even more significant impact (because they could influence diary holders and meter carriers). These passionate advocates could become your secret weapon (and you should be thinking about how to engage them regularly).

Suppose you were to turn your station advocates into powerful brand advocates that crank up quality influence on social media with friends, co-workers, other ?fans? of your format, and their own family? That should be a goal, right?

1.    Go to your own database. Do you have a relationship with them? When you are ?engaging them,? ask this question: ?On a scale of 1 ? 10, how likely are you to recommend us to your friends, family and co-workers?? Those that answer with a 9 or 10 should be considered strong candidates to encourage higher ?inside? participation where you can reward them for cheerleading. Of course, you should be asking these questions in a variety of environments, including Facebook, Twitter, your station website, and more. Consider that the big corporations that are forward-leaning do this kind of work all the time. If you don?t know anything about your database and you don?t have a relationship with these people, you really don?t have a database. At all.

2.    When you find listeners in social media who are cheerleading, it?s time to find out all about them and encourage them even more. Find out their info: Their email, where they work, how much they listen to your station (and who they listen to when they don?t listen to you). Work to connect with them and give them a ?thank you? without making it a contest. Don?t even make it a reward for what they did. Just make it a simple ?thank you.? This can make a solid impression and accelerate their passion for your brand.

3.    When listeners make comments on Facebook or Twitter, you don?t have to wait for them to be a compliment about your brand (or even about your brand) to ?get in it? with them. On Facebook, you should look for opportunities to ?Like? their comments, follow them back to their Facebook page and comment on some of their other posts. If you truly engage them in conversation, send them a friend request. Validate them and you may increase their attention to your brand and the cheerleading they will do for you without you asking.

4.    Avoid making tricks the essential part of your social media strategy. If you get listeners to click on content but it does not deliver on the promise of providing something they seek, find interesting, or something that makes them feel smart to share with others, then it is only a shallow click. Shallow clicks look good, but they are not true engagement and they won?t encourage sharing or any advocacy of your brand. What you?ve heard is true: If it is too good to believe, it probably is. Have 40,000 likes but no passionate engagement of these people? You don?t have much. Work to engage their passion and really connect with them with content and on issues important to them. That is much more valuable than shallow clicks that ultimately lead nowhere.

5.    Always develop your plan first. If you don?t have a strategic plan for the high-quality content you will use on social media platforms (and what you want to accomplish to attract and energize the ?base? of your advocates), you are making a mistake. Are you focusing your content on the listeners you most want to attract to your primary brand? This is why the plan comes first. What kind of content is important to these listeners? How much of each type of content creates the right mix to build your advocate community? How many pictures should you be using? Videos? What kind of content do you plan to encourage advocates to share?

When it comes to encouraging high-passion listeners to do more cheerleading, the impact can be dramatic. However, it?s not a trick. This is rolling your sleeves up and developing a plan that benefits the radio station by focusing on the listeners you most want to attract and giving them content that feeds their passion for sharing, identifying with and endorsing your product. Do that and you will win again and again and your competitors will wonder why they keep falling so far behind. But you?ll know.

Loyd Ford is the direct marketing, ratings and social media strategist for Americalist and programmed very successful radio brands in markets of all sizes for years, including KRMD AM & FM in Shreveport, WSSL and WMYI in Greenville, WKKT in Charlotte and WBEE in Rochester, NY. Get his radio ? social media blog FREE right on your cell phone or email here:  www.rainmakerpathway.wordpress.com. Learn more about Loyd here:  http://about.me/loydford. Reach out to Loyd via e-mail HERE  Visit his Facebook radio social media page HERE

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Knowles Promoted To Digital Brand Strategist

2-13-2013

PromoSuite Software & Interactive announced it has promoted CJ Knowles to the newly created position of Digital Brand Strategist. CJ has been PromoSuite's Operations Coordinator since 2008. Prior to joining PromoSuite, Knowles studied Integrated Marketing Communications at Ithaca College, while simultaneously working as a tour guide and bottling line operator at the Ithaca Beer Company.

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Long-Tme Radio Voice Jim Brand Silenced

11-9-2012

Fore more than four decades Jim Brand was the voice of Swap Shop on WDVH/WLUS-AM in Jacksonville. He was also the pronouncer of the Alucha County Spelling Bee. Gainsville.com is reporting that Brand died at the age 78 after battling cancer, only six months after ending his nearly 60-year radio career. Brand started his radio career at Southern Methodist University. He was on the air and a PD at stations in Texas, Colorado, Kentucky, Virginia, Boston and New Jersey. Read more about Jim Brand HERE

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(TALENT) What's In A Name? It's Your Brand.

8-21-2012

There was a time when you could work for a radio station with one on-air name, then move across country or across the street, change your name, and become a completely different person. But those days are long gone. Your name is your brand, and your brand is more crucial, and more global, than ever. Station owners, GMs, and PDs are only a few clicks away from finding out everything about you -- your successes and failures, your impact or lack thereof. Like Coke, Pepsi, McDonald?s, or Disney, your name defines you.

Whether you go by your given name or an airname, that name needs to carry you through your career and in a multitude of formats and platforms. So when you?re considering a self-inflicted moniker like ?Road Kill? or ?Garbage Can,? or some identity that is identified with a specific city or weather condition, remember, you won?t always be in your 20s and will need to earn a living in your 30s, 40s, and 50s. Your name is the most crucial aspect of your career. Either it?s memorable or it?s not, it?s inviting or it?s a turn-off, it?s hip or it?s passe, it?s marketable or you want to avoid it like a college tattoo.

If you?re stuck with a name you can?t shake, revisit your given name or start over in the very next market with a name you?d like to see in lights. If you are entrenched in one market but still going by ?Scumbucket? at the age of 42, and you?d like to continue with a relevant career for the years you have ahead of you, consider making the change now. A less confining name will better lend itself to the advertising community, allowing greater live-read and endorsement opportunities. A name should open doors, not close them.

The same holds true for a generic name that disappears visually and audibly. A Caryn Johnson, Eileen Edwards, or Susan Weaver would share her name with thousands of others and be easy to forget. So Whoopi Goldberg, Shania Twain, and Sigourney Weaver selected names unique to their talents, more interesting in their presentation, and monikers that define them as ?the one and only?. Ask yourself if the names Barry Pincus, Bret Sychak, and Steven Tallarico would be as memorable as Barry Manilow, Bret Michaels, and Steven Tyler.

If you have to change your name, try to use a derivation of your given name, a nickname, or initials. Try to select a name that doesn?t belong to anyone else, and make it strong and impactful. Listen to the sound, say it over and over, write it a hundred times, and put it on a large poster board. Once you are sure you have your name, trademark it, own every URL available, and secure it on Facebook, Twitter, and every other social venue. Then ?ego surf? -- sign up for Google news alerts, and make sure the articles where your name appears are positive and present you in the best light.

Now begin to brand your name. Like radio, your brand needs cume and TSL. The more people who know your name, the better your saturation, and the more people who use your name, the better your penetration. Get your name out there. Yes, print is still a viable media; where content is printed has changed, but the importance of content hasn?t. Your name in conjunction with your efforts supporting a charity or community event has better cachet than being seen at a restaurant or a golf outing. Utilize your celebrity in radio to expose you and your name on other platforms. Become a feature reporter on television, write a column for the newspaper or local magazine, blog, and make your Facebook page and website a destination. With the right name and persona, you will grow your brand, your career, and, most importantly, your radio show.

Lisa Miller is the President of Miller Broadcast Management in Chicago and can be reached at Lisa@millerbroadcast.com  or 312-454-1111.

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SOCIAL)Welcome Listeners To Your Brand

8-13-2012

By Loyd Ford

Many people in our business talk about what to post on social media. There is a big focus on being "on" Facebook and Twitter (among other platforms). However, I have long stated that your focus in social media should be on providing a variety of top flight content that listeners want in those environments -- and it must be content they will spread. At the same time, your focus should be on bringing them back to your on-air and your website (because you own those and they contribute to your revenue). We will not cover on-air here because you should already have basic connectivity points on your station for social media. So, let's take a look at how to "receive" listeners from social media environments on your own website.

-- Explain why they will want to spend more time with you. It's important for your potential new or returning listeners to know "what's in it for them." Explain the value of your on-air, how listeners can use it, and the variety of content they can receive from actually flipping on the radio station and engaging the station on the website (as they have your social media).

-- Only make offers to listeners that are highly relevant. Yes, these easy-to-access "offers" should be made to listeners right on your landing page. If your content is not focused on what listeners crave, they will leave and maybe never come back. In other words, guard your content so you are offering things at the listener's fingertips that they value.

-- Keep it simple. Listeners like to participate (especially the listeners who move PPM and diary). Many, many websites are overblown with too much content and it all gets lost. Your station website should be pleasant to look at and easy to use. Also, make sure you ask listeners to give you their basic information. You should also give them the opportunity to tell you about their access to radio, how much they listen to radio (especially at work), and even what stations they listen to when they are not listening to yours. Don't make it mandatory information. Radio stations miss doing this and it shows. Want loyalty? Do the work and develop a plan that includes understanding listeners and giving them the all-round content they crave. Then use what you know to really connect and become a relevant part of their lives.

-- Test your content often. Test your content against real results. If you test content and test how changes you make impact the engagement rate, you will strengthen what works best.
Give some thought about how listeners find, like, and spread content on social media environments. Have a plan, but make sure that plan includes and is focused on bringing listeners back home with you to your website and on-air. If you do that, you will be the winner.

Loyd Ford programmed very successful radio brands in markets of all sizes for years, including KRMD AM & FM in Shreveport, WSSL and WMYI in Greenville, WKKT in Charlotte and WBEE in Rochester, NY. Learn more about Loyd HERE. Reach out to Loyd via e-mail HERE.
Visit his Facebook radio social media page HERE. 

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Is Your Station a Brand or Are You Milk?

6-26-2012

Our lead story yesterday featuring marketing guru Al Ries sparked a bit of a debate over whether or not radio is damaging its brand by saturating the airwaves with so many commercials (among other things). Some, like industry vet Walter Sabo, argued that cable TV was playing more ads than radio. "Watch any cable channel and COUNT the ads. You'll count more units than any radio station." That seems to avoid the question of whether we are playing too many commercials. Or the question of how many is too many? Or the biggest real question of, does this really serve our advertisers well? Ries' comments about on our brand were unprovoked. He was giving us his honest opinion as a listener. He's not crazy caller number seven, the guy knows a thing or two about marketing and branding.

                                  
LISTEN TO OUR PODCAST - MAKING GREAT RADIO
One of our readers, Stephen Williams, writes, "Comparing radio's spot load to TV/Cable only shows that heavy spot loads and long commercial breaks are proven to diminish a medium ?especially in a culture that gets what it wants free on the internet right away. Radio has to stay competitive, raise rates, lower time spent in commercials, and deliver better creative. Otherwise, we are strangling the goose that lays the golden eggs."

        JOIN THE CONVERSATION NOW LIVE ON TWITTER #AREYOUMILK

More importantly is the question about how we serve our partners. Are advertisers really getting a fair shake when they are the 4th, 5th or 6th spot in a pod of 8 or 10. And doesn't it defy logic that as consumers move toward devices that entertain more and interrupt less something we are doing may be slightly amiss? Just for discussion purposes if you are a music station (outside morning drive) and you go from a song to a long stopset and back to a song with nothing entertaining or local whatsoever, how do you win with that? How does radio win with that? Doesn't that just become a battle of who has the better music, and the music is all the same!

To enlighten us and educate us on the subject of radio's brand, we wanted to get the opinion of someone not afraid to offer up an honest opinion. That person is the 2012 Radio Ink Executive of the year Saga CEO Ed Christain. In the upcoming 40 Most Powerful People in Radio issue of Radio Ink, Ed Christian makes his 15th appearance on the list. We've been publishing the definitive list of radio Power for 17 years. And, Christian has been running Saga for 27 years now, so it's safe to say he knows the business. "What are the storm clouds on the horizon for radio?  The scary trend of commoditization of radio.  If we don't watch out for ourselves we will lose our brand and become a commodity.  Think MILK...national advertisers already treat us like milk.  Ask yourself a question:  Do I know the brand of milk that I buy or do I even care. It is MILK..all the same isn't it?  (nope..but that's another story).  That's what national thinks about us, and we must guard against complacency so that we preserve the brand with local advertisers, as they are and will continue to be our mainstay."

To subscribe to Radio Ink in time to read more from Ed Christian and in time to receive the 40 Most Powerful People in Radio issue, GO HERE. Or call 561-655-8778

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Becky Brenner Joins Lia at Brand Manager

3-9-2012

Dial Global makes the announcement that Brenner (pictured) will guide and refine all aspects of Lia?s syndicated program. As part of Dial Global's consulting arrangement with Albright & O?Malley, "Brenner will be actively involved in directing The Lia Show, lending her programming expertise, music judgment and talent coaching skills."

Becky Brenner has more than 35 years of radio programming experience, including 26 years with KMPS-FM, Seattle as PD and Digital Web Manager for the CBS Seattle cluster. She also served as VP/Programming and Country Consultant for Broadcast Programming.

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(SOCIAL) Is Your Website Your Brand Yet?

At radio stations all over America, we?re unbelievably busy, doing the jobs two or three people were doing just a few years ago. On top of that, jocks, programmers, promotion folks and even salespeople are charged with updating websites and interact via social media. Unfortunately, a lot of that digital effort results in wheel-spinning, instead of brand-building. Stations need to focus on more brand-building and fan-engaging. There needs to be less website clutter and fewer distractions to our fans on our Facebook pages.

Start by knowing and believing what your listeners know and believe about those digital platforms. Whatever your brand is, your fans have a pretty short list of expectations about what they want to easily find on your site.

For music stations, they want:
- To be able to listen to your stream. Your play should be easy to find and one click.
- To be able to find a list of songs played.
- To know more about what the morning show talked about, topic by topic.
- To know fun things to do in town.
- To know more about ways to win your contests.
- To be able to easily link to your Facebook and Twitter pages

Who are these people visiting your website? They are your biggest fans. They?re hoping for a closer relationship with your brand, by finding out more about what they?re already hearing from you on the air. That?s why all those picture galleries, funny YouTube videos, and pictures of your cute kids you?ve been posting are empty web calories. They keep you from doing critical online brand-building.

Furthermore, who?s ?Liking? you in social media? They are your even biggest fans, and they also have reasons they follow you.
- They want special access, so they can get deals not available to other listeners.
- They want information on how to win contests.
- They want advance notice and specific times good content will be airing on your station.
- They want to engage with your personalities about what they?re talking about on the air.
- Sometimes, they just want to show they support you by ?Liking? you on Facebook.

Now think about what most radio stations are posting on Facebook. Much of what?s being posted has only a tenuous connection to the radio brand that posted it. When our Facebook fans see that stuff, they?re generally pleased to hear from us, but they don?t find those posts useful. Smart radio operators know that they can?t be all things to all people. They also know they can?t revise their strategies and tactics every time the wind changes. They know to stick to their core and be consistent. The same thing applies in the digital world.

Chris Miller has been a major-market PD in Atlanta, Portland and Cleveland. He now operates Chris Miller Digital, which he launched. Visit his website at www.chrismillerdigital.com.
Contact Chris via e-mail, chris@chrismillerdigital.com or 216-236-3955.

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Mighty Red II: Brand New Radio Features

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National Brands Go Local To Brand Online

A new emarketer report says national companies are looking to local communities more and more to reach the consumer. And they are using digital. eMarketer analyst Lauren Fisher says ?Local search, mobile devices, hyperlocal communities and daily deals are gaining popularity with consumers. As the go-to digital sources for local information, each offers on-demand access to community news and information and provides brands a distinct way to engage with US consumers on a local level.?

"In the past, a combination of mass media and traditional local advertising was enough to draw consumers toward a national brand?s local store or service. But as the internet and mobile devices whet consumers? appetites for immediate and relevant local information, national advertisers are also looking to local online advertising to reinforce their local brand presence.

Read the entire report HERE

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SALES - 6 Ways to Brand Yourself on Linkedin

12-14-2011

LinkedIn is free advertising for your favorite brand?YOU!  As the world?s largest professional network, it provides a platform for sales executives to build  relationships with potential customers, clients and colleagues. A dynamic audience for you to engage, influence and leverage connections.  Your LinkedIn Profile is the equivalent of a digital ?first impression??often the first thing people come across when ?Googling? you.  Start controlling your online identity with these six steps to brand yourself on LinkedIn.

1. Build a relevant profile, not a resume.
Don?t list each job you?ve had, but the ones most pertinent to your current business goals. You?re promoting a brand, make your text compelling using language that speaks to your audience; keeping your points powerful and succinct.  Don?t skip the summary, but use it to highlight what makes you unique?and in the skill section list your strengths/talents. Your profile should read like an ad for why someone should buy you!

2. Think SEO and add Google keywords to your profile.
If you?re already on LinkedIn, go to the Home page and look at ?Who?s Viewed Your Profile? then ?Top Keywords Appear? to see not only who is finding you, but how they?re finding you.  Check to see if these keywords match up with how your target clients would search for you.  If not, you need to insert the appropriate keywords throughout your profile:  in the heading, summary, skills, and experience sections.

3. Upload a photo. 
In this digital age of transparency, a blank photo is suspect.  It says you?re trying to hide something?even when you?re not.  Use a current professional photo, and keep it to a head shot.  Save the golf shots for Facebook.

4. Give access to everyone. 
Why be on LinkedIn if you don?t want people to view your profile?  It?s designed not to keep people out, but to encourage collaboration. Click on your name in the upper right corner of any page and pull down ?Settings.?  Under the Profile tab go to ?Privacy Controls? and choose to maintain a public profile, on as many fronts as possible. Don?t choose to have your identity ?Anonymous? when viewing other profiles.  Some of my best business connections came about when I reached out to individuals who viewed my profile, but didn?t message me. Don?t limit your connections by making it necessary for people to include your email address in the ?invite? if they don?t know you. You can always decline an ?invite??why miss out on an opportunity to connect with a potential customer?

5. Import email contacts and start inviting people to join your network. 
Go to ?Contacts?, then ?Connections? and click on ?Import Connections.?  You'll receive suggestions from LinkedIn as to people you might know.  One trick I use is to study the connections of my network to see who else I want to reach out to.  Then you can ask for an introduction or send an InMail.  Introduce like-minded professionals within your network to each other.  Reciprocity drives a successful LinkedIn networker. 

6. Ask for and give recommendations. 
Even with good intentions, former employers and clients often neglect getting that recommendation off to you.  Offer to assist by providing them with a brief outline of what you did to benefit their firm.  Then send them this along with a recommendation of them for their Profile. I guarantee this will increase your response rate.

Theresa Merrill is the Director of Business Development for Anovick Associates. She has more than 20 years of sales and marketing experience in NY, Boston and Atlanta working for Katz Communications, CBS, Tribune and Cablevision and can be reached at 201.444.2991 or by e-mail merrill.theresa@gmail.com

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Do You Know Who Your Station's Brand Ambassador Is?

Do you know who the most important Brand Ambassador is for your radio station? It's someone you take for granted and more than likely rarely if ever, sit down and communicate with about your brand. It's someone who communicates either via the phone or in person with more of your listeners than any station member comes in contact with. It's your receptionist.

This individual can be frequently" spinning many plates" on a daily or hourly basis, whether it be answering the phone, fulfilling a prize pick up, dealing with a client complaint or a listener complaint. This individual is the face or voice of your radio station. When is the last time you actually sat down and briefed your receptionist on your overall station strategy?

Does she know about your current promotional campaign running on the air? Every radio station should seek to create their own "gold standard experience" when a listener or client sets foot in their radio station. There's only one first impression you can make when someone walks thru your door and we shouldn't just be comfortable with an acceptable service response from our receptionist. We should expect a memorable service response. Let's spend the appropriate time instilling these values into our first line of communication with the public.

Let's applaud those that create a "wow" experience for our listeners...and let's appropriately re-train those that aren't shooting for the highest standards. You're listeners and clients will thank you by spreading the good word!

Buzz Knight is the Vice President of Program Development for Greater Media, Inc# he can be reached at bknight@greatermediaboston.com. Knight was named among ?Best Programmers? by Radio Ink Magazine in 2007 and 2010. He has served on the programming subcommittee of the National Association of Broadcasters(NAB) and is currently a member of the Arbitron Radio Advisory Council and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) COLRAM Committee.

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How to Use Social Media To Get Listeners Engaged in Your Brand

by Loyd Ford 

If you?ve read any of my thoughts on social media, you know I am a big believer in using personalities from radio to connect with individuals in social media and always working to bring them back to the station.  But how do you make sure your social media connects with the right people who will matter to your brand and how to you get them to be more loyal to your station? 

Here are 5 ways to get active and important ?listeners? engaged in radio brand loyalty with social media:

1) Target your audience in advance with your content.  Think about who you want to attract and think about heavy users.  I know that may go an additional step ahead of what most people think in this business and when posting on social media, but you should really focus on behavior types you want to attract. This is ?starting with the end goal in mind.? Think about what causes ?tune in? and use that indirectly in your social media posts.  In other words, don?t go straight for your pitch.

2) Include tune in opportunities with the focused content your audience wants (tell them where and when to get more of the content you are posting on the radio).  Be specific and tell them when to expect content that relates to what you are posting on the air.  Think about what they want.  And give it to them while you include a tune in opportunity when appropriate in your posts.

3) Give listeners a little push.  Get listeners to take action.  In sales they say this is ?asking for the order.?  People sometimes need a push to action.  The ?order? can be joining a cause that is important to your target and giving them a link (it does not always have to be about you).  Listeners respect it when you show you have heart and soul about something they care about.  It proves to them that they listen to a station that cares about what they care about.  That can be critically important in loyalty influence.  Have your personalities publicly identify with a cause important to them and your audience in your overall plan so this happens regularly.  It really will connect them to your brand and help loyalty.

4) Focus on active community issues that matter, but don?t be boring.  Think heart, health, safety, money and children (if attracting parents/adults is critical for your brand).  In real estate, it is ?location, location, location.?  In social media, it is ?focus on their interests, focus on their interests, focus on their interests.?  If you don?t know what that is, start digging and find out.

5) When someone comments on your posts, take these two actions. Comment back in ?public.?  And, if you can, send the person a personal email either on Facebook, Twitter or their personal email if that is available to you. Connect, connect, connect.  Make it personal. 

It all starts with having a plan.  Do you have a ?Facebook page,? or do you really have a strategic social media plan for connecting and engaging the audience in your market that is critical for your station brand and are you brave enough to actively nudge them to take action? Social media can be an important tool if you put effort into it.  If you don?t, it will be like that old saying about computers.  Crap in, crap out.

Loyd Ford has been in radio all his life. Loyd pent time programming KRMD in Shreveport, WSSL and WMYI in Greenville, WKKT in Charlotte and WBEE in Rochester, NY.  Ford's latest strategy is social networking for radio via his Facebook page.  Reach out to Loyd via e-mail HERE Visit his new Facebook page HERE

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