For years radio stations have tried to develop personal relationships with listeners. The thinking was that listeners will give us more time, if we establish ‘personal relationships’ with them. However these efforts were thwarted by radio’s pre-existing perception of how to best communicate with listeners, which was we talk, you listen.

I say this because for the most part, listeners see it this way. Stations attempted to forge the station/listener relationships with incentives rather than, or also, allowing listeners to participate in driving content.

However, the reality is that radio has always solicited and implemented listener feedback through perceptual and music research, but the process is all but transparent. By that I mean listeners have no idea what station is asking the questions and no knowledge of how that input helps us craft great products.

As we delve into the topic, we must make a distinction between manipulating listeners for ratings and creating authentic relationships. To do this, let me frame this discussion by first examining our past behaviors and the ratings process that drove our actions.

Under the old diary-based system, those who participated in the ratings process filled out a booklet for a week that began on Thursday. Theoretically, listeners filled out the diary each day making careful notations as to the stations and times listened. Furthermore, every seven days of the three-month ratings period, a new group of respondents were recruited to participate.

This ratings methodology led the industry to spend its promotional dollars tactically on short-term promotions; the thought being that the top-of-mind awareness created would lead to increased ratings. And it did. The problem was – like a real housewife of Orange County – the minute the money went away, the gains in ratings often did as well.

Today Arbitron respondents carry “Personal People Meters (PPM)” that detect and automatically record stations and times to which respondents are exposed. Furthermore, respondents carry station tracking meters with them for up to two years.

This revolution in rating methodology has led the industry to fundamentally change the way we market our brands. While tactical campaigns still work and are understandably often part of the marketing mix, we are now more focused on establishing long-term and on-going relationships with listeners.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the way marketing companies advise stations to approach promoting their brands. Companies like Direct Marketing Results (DMR) and Point-to-Point understand how to create long-term relationships. They focus on establishing long-term relationships with listeners by identifying those who are predisposed to enjoy a station’s format then follow-up with repeated communication. DMR’s 360° Listener Engagement Strategy also encourages use of social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter to enhance outreach efforts, especially among core listeners, by creating listener lifestyle related campaigns.
All but gone are the mail pieces and TV spots that encourage listeners to tune-in just on Thursday’s to win cash and prizes.

Now let’s not kid ourselves, this philosophical change is still rooted in our desire to manipulate the ratings process. However, marketers know that efforts to increase market share must be sustained over a longer period of time to match the sustained period respondents carry meters.

Also, in the interest of full-disclosure, listener inaction isn’t an attribute that can solely uphold a strategic position. However, when properly executed it can be an extremely useful tactic as part of a greater strategy to differentiate your product.

That said and for those of you who know me, real and meaningful audience dialog is something I’ve preached for years. I learned of this concept from George and Reg Johns who designed the “classy” format. They were ahead of their time and in the ’80s, “built” stations from listener suggestions then reinforced listener behavior by airing suggestions on-the-air and implementing the strategically sound ideas.

I used a similar model when building B105.7 in Indianapolis. Research later confirmed that listeners truly appreciated being heard and their ideas implemented. Many even passionately referred to the new soft rock entry as ‘my’ station asserting that they could actually hear suggestions being implemented.

B101 in Philadelphia also understands the importance listener loyalty. A few years ago they produced a TV spot and barraged listeners with promos asking for input. Inviting listeners to e-mail station management their music suggestions, the station compiled listener lists and executed a music test – on-the-air – right in the middle of the workday.

When listeners tuned-in they heard hundreds of numbered song hooks and were encouraged to follow along while voting on the station’s website. After the test, B101 further confirmed the input by producing more yet more promos and another TV spot informing the market that ‘their’ music was playing right now on B101. The commercials are available for viewing at GregDunkin.com.

To be honest, the station dipped some in the PPM numbers during the actual test. However, they quickly benefited from a stronger music position and increased product passion which contributed in part to their continued success.

While I admit that corresponding with listeners on a one-on-one basis is tough in this ‘multiple responsibility day,’ you’ll be happy to learn that another royal marriage has been more than quietly forming; one that engages authentic listener communication.

Companies like M2O (founded by the aforementioned Reg Johns), Jelli, and Listener Driven Radio (LDR) have created loyalty programs that allow for listeners to have a say in a station’s programming. These campaigns, like those offered by companies like DMR, also provide revenue opportunities making this a win-win for all.

Andrew Curran, COO, radio at DMR: “Stations can’t simply ‘talk at’ their most important listeners, they need to engage with them. That begins with a strategic approach identifying who they are, learning about what truly matters in their lives and connecting with them in meaningful ways.”

Another example of a meaningful listener connection can be found with Listener Driven Radio’s (LDR) ground-breaking software that interacts with stations music soft and hardware allowing listeners to affect a station's minute-by-minute programming by letting listeners vote on which song plays next. The software can be configured as to not disturb a station’s overall music position and can be controlled as little or much as is strategically prudent. What I like about this approach is that it sends the message to listeners that they can make a difference.

Co-founder Daniel Anstandig says, “When a radio station gives listeners a voice in the programming, listeners become share-holders. They have a real say and payoff in the station's sound, so they are more likely to listen longer or give a station more occasions of listening.”

Reg Johns President/CEO of M2O Media echoes Anstandig’s sentiments, “Today in marketing, when we hear the word ‘digital,’ we hear it as: ‘accountable response.’ Simply said, the more engaged the listener, the better the ratings.”

Finally, we are wising up the fact that – like personal relationships – the station/listener relationship works best when both parties listen.

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Has your station every produced a viral marketing piece either in audio or video form? If so, I’d like to write about in an upcoming column. Email: greg@gregdunkin.com