6-3-2013
I like e-mail!
I realize that?s not likely to be a sentence that rolls off your tongue every day. However, as broadcast marketing budgets dwindle, or disappear entirely, I?ll bet that e-mail continues to be the marketing workhorse that dominates your strategy, week in and out. It allows you to connect and further engage with your audience on the things that really matter to your core.
That should be the goal, at least. But it?s usually the start of the problem for most broadcasters. Those weekly ?e-blasts? (does anyone still use that term?) are quite fitting, since the content often ?blasts? into an in-box and ?blasts? nothing but self-serving station ?busy?-ness, resonating little with the core.
I was on a panel at Radio Ink?s Convergence conference in March (plan to attend next year if you can), and I spoke about how the audience has changed into audiences, and how radio is in a position to capitalize on its ability to create a personalized experience.
Let?s look at how e-mail can help you focus that user experience. This strategy may allow you to reset the way you treat this captured audience opportunity:
Identify your core audience and what they need from you.
This is not a guessing game. Too many broadcasters assume they know who they?re talking to and just pound out station-related nonsense. After a couple of weeks of the same stuff, your e-mail is deleted unread ? or ends up getting the dreaded ?unsubscribe.?
Template temptations.
Don?t spend all your time on the template. Lay out your content map first. What features get the most traction on your station? How will your voice and attitude affect the look and feel? What special info does your audience demand, daily and weekly? Let these things become the building blocks for what you will communicate to your core. As you identify the content, the template will form around your priorities. The added benefit? You end up creating a new design without even thinking about it, making you stand out further from the competition.
E-mail is not an afterthought.
Too many stations schedule their e-mails haphazardly around other activities, and we all know what happens then: You produce something quickly that revolves around promotions and station remotes. Not good. Remember, your listeners want to be informed. If they?re going to give you permission to contact them directly, they want access to cool opportunities. Make sure you deliver.
Segment your audiences.
You have to think of each of your audiences, and how to speak to them directly, and with different content. One size does not fit all. You know how you feel when you sign up for e-mail alerts and you get info you can?t use: ?Delete!? There are many ways to segment your audience ? your e-mail provider will offer you database flexibility options; know what they are, and use them ? but the key is allowing people to sign up for things that interest them.
You or I may never participate in a contest, but we may want music news, the best local news roundup of the day or week, weekend local events for our families, etc. Offer your audience opportunities to sign up for these special, highly targeted e-mail alerts; they can sign up on the landing pages for the content they engage. You can keep an audience happy by sending them the music content they crave while engaging them on specifically targeted music events they might participate in, giving you another opportunity to drill deeper on their likes and how you can make them stronger advocates of your brand.
By the way, there?s no need for a three-page signup form. Keep it simple, just name and e-mail address. If you make listeners jump through too many hoops, they will be less likely to sign up. Privacy is a big issue, so tell them you will not sell your lists or bug them unnecessarily as you thank them for the chance to connect. This is permission-based marketing.
A great example of a station newsletter that has loads of personality and is highly engaging comes from Ken Freedman and noncomm WMFU in Jersey City. This rich e-mail targets WMFU listeners spot-on. It is a highly interactive experience, offering the element of surprise, which is key. WFMU creates a highly dynamic e-mail featuring content blocks that pull in pieces from many unique sources. They know their audience and take full advantage of that by focusing on key personalities, cool features, and quirky links that intrigue. It?s fun! WFMU?s e-mail wasn?t born from a template. The content drives the bus, and the station voice is infectious.
By knowing what your audience demands, you can begin to develop a pull strategy instead of a push strategy with your e-mail strategic. It is always about them ? not you.
Jon Erdahl is president of 3D MediaVentures.
Reach him at 603.234.4158 or follow on Twitter @JonErdahl.
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