PROMOTIONS/MARKETING: ADVICE FROM 11 OF THE BEST Billboard Even the best-run radio promotions and marketing departments can benefit from an occasional tuneup. Seasoned marketing pros have developed many tips and tricks through the years to enhance the efficiency of their departments.
Here, 11 of those pros share their tips and reveal what they do to tune up their operations. Billboard Radio Monitor also asked them to analyze what radio could be doing better in the areas of promotions and marketing, and what stations should be doing right now to ensure their 2006 marketing is on target.
First, their responses to the tuneup test - a look at what radio marketing veterans do annually, quarterly and even weekly to keep their departments on track. They cover all the bases, from strategic planning to changing the oil in the station van.
Chele Fassig, promotions director of Infinity country WSOC and sports talk WFNZ/WFNA Charlotte, N.C., says that in her department, "we make it a necessity to have a full-blown marketing planning meeting every three months to make sure that we are on track with the ideas and action plans we created three months [ago]. We also clean and purge old files, clean out all promotion closets and all station vehicles every three months.
"The three-month plan really works well around here," she continues. "We can create a 12-month 'skeleton' calendar and pencil in some events and promotions that we'd like to investigate executing, but I find it much more difficult for us to stay on track that far in advance.
"Since radio is such a spontaneous medium, we really like to keep two calendars: a brainstorming ideas calendar written in pencil and then an official ideas calendar written in ink."
Paul Heling, promotions director of Jefferson-Pilot country KYGO and KCKK Denver, says, "On an ongoing basis, the weekly promotions meeting agenda has a critique section where we can take an honest look at the last week to see what we can keep, improve or lose.
"To further understand the marketplace and how we can create our unique niche, all of our promotions directors are assigned local stations to research. Dwayne Taylor, our marketing director, then conducts rounds of these presentations to keep all our promotion directors educated on what our radio brothers and sisters at other companies are doing for marketing and promotions.
"In my first week here, I stole as much time as I could get from the PD to conduct a 'SWOT'" - a look at strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and tactics. "That laid out a marketing and promotions road map and also got me educated on specific ratings goals."
Heidi Heinz, director of marketing and promotions at Infinity country WQYK, Spanish WYUU (La Nueva) and talk WBZZ (the Buzz) Tampa, Fla., says, "If I had all the time in the world, I would clean out my prize closet once a week. We're lucky if this gets done every two months." Her "free" time would also include "continually updating my media contact list and meeting with key reporters on a regular basis."
Her other goals include meeting "more often with city officials so I'm up to date on any new events coming to the city, attending as many station events as possible - remotes, broadcasts, charity appearances - so I could constantly be interacting with our listeners and holding quarterly training and team-building sessions for our street teamers. They're the lowest-paid workers at the station, but they interact more with our listeners than any other employee."
She would also like to "have brainstorming sessions outside the building once a month and have our equipment and trucks checked once a week to make sure they're always ready to hit the road."
Kerry Jackson, promotions and marketing director at Cumulus country WQXK Youngstown, Ohio, says, "We always have a 12-month calendar for each station in our cluster, but I've found that updating it and looking ahead really happens quarterly.
"Usually a week or two before the fall and spring Arbitron ratings periods begin we take a few days to make sure all of the station vehicles are stocked with stickers, loyal listener cards, the proper equipment and emergency phone numbers, [and we] get the oil changed.
"In addition, right after all of our summer interns go back to their respective schools, we start recruiting interns that have returned back to the Youngstown area for the fall semester."
Josh Easler, director of marketing and promotions at Greater Media country WKLB Boston, says one of his favorite things to do is "gather our entire promotions team, including street teamers, for an afternoon outside of the office to brainstorm. It sounds basic, but in the world we live in with everyone wearing multiple hats, we rarely get to get together as a team without distractions.
"I'm a firm believer that the best ideas come from brainstorming sessions when a bunch of us are bouncing ideas off one another," he continues. "None of us can come up with all of the ideas on our own.
"Another neat tactic that seems to work for us is to solicit ideas from people who have absolutely nothing to do with radio," Easler says. "We all spend so much time around other radio people, we forget how 'regular' people live their lives. Radio becomes our life, and it's easy to forget how society uses radio, and what they want from us."
Christy Ullman, promotions director at ABC Radio country WKHX (Kicks 101.5) and WYAY (Eagle 106.7) Atlanta, says, "Once a year, usually at the beginning of the calendar year, I gather all of my team (full time and part-timers too) for a luncheon meeting to go over our general rules and regulations just to refresh everyone's memory.
"We are out on the streets so much with various events throughout the year, it's human nature to get a little burnt out and maybe even lazy with our No. 1 priority, which is making sure the image we publicly present is identical to our on-air posture.
"The first of the year is usually a slower time for us, so that's a good time to get everyone excited about the coming year.
"At least quarterly we do a thorough cleaning of our prize closets and station vans, whether they need it or not."
Mark Vizza, marketing and promotions director at Beasley country WXTU and dance WRDW (Wired 96.5) Philadelphia, says, "We work at least one to two quarters ahead. We have quarterly meetings to determine sales and programming promotions for budget purposes. We do a 12-month calendar of staple events so that the sales department has an arsenal of events at their finger tips."
Wendie Vestfall, promotions director at Clear Channel country WMZQ Washington, D.C., suggests doing a "strategic meeting" every September, "basically discussing the following year's agendas. We do an analysis of all our major events to make sure they are still working for the station and suggest anything new we'd like to bring onboard.
"The last two weeks of the year are always slow for us - that's when the promotions crew does an overhaul on our department," Vestfall says. "We clean prize closets, vehicles, file cabinets and more. That way when we come back after the new year, we're ready to rock and roll again. We also do inventory of what prizes and station items we have in stock, [asking questions like] 'Is anything outdated?' [and] 'Does the staff need new [logo'd] clothing?' "
Pam Mills, promotions director of Infinity country WUSN (US99) Chicago, says that at her station, "we are always trying to improve upon the efficiency of the department. On a day-to-day basis, we distribute post-event recap questionnaires to our clients on-site, requesting feedback on how the remote [or] appearance went. We also ask for their suggestions on how we may improve or enhance these events.
"On an annual basis, we have a one-day meeting out of the office where we get together with all of the departments - programming, sales, NTR - and discuss what promotions and events did [or] didn't accomplish our goals over the past year, and brainstorm new ideas for the next year."
Susan Reynolds, marketing director of Infinity/Portland, Ore., says, "One thing we make a point to do every year is get our management team out of the building for a strategy session. It's really important for us to leave the building and get away from the phone, the e-mail, the salespeople who barge in constantly and any other distractions so that we can talk uninterrupted. We literally review the station from top to bottom, review our mission statement [and] revise it if necessary, talk about the target audience and then strategize about where we need to go in the next week, month and year.
"All discussions inevitably come around to promotion and marketing. We look at new and different ways to get our message out, make sure our message is on point [and] evaluate the execution of our events and our on-air contesting.
"When we do come up for air at the end of a very long meeting, the team is energized and refocused. I wish we had time to do this more than once a year."
TIPS ON TOOLS TO T-SHIRTS
Next, Billboard Radio Monitor asked the panel of pros to share any tips or tricks they have developed or discovered that have saved their stations money in marketing or promotions.
"Any promotion and marketing director alive and working in the business today has had to find ways to do things quicker and cheaper," Reynolds says. "We have raised this to an art form."
Heling says, "Sometimes this is as easy as [getting] multiple quotes" or bids from vendors for various projects.
For Vizza, it is about "relationships. You can bid out a T-shirt to three or four vendors, but if you have a quality vendor with good customer service, they will back you every time and get you the best price."
Another tip from Vizza is to "look for any cross-promotions at the local level with TV and print. The Country Music Assn. Awards are coming to New York this November and 'XTU will be doing a lot with our local CBS affiliate, [including] live shots [and] interviews with country artists using our air personality as their reporter."
Jackson also encourages stations to "hop onboard with their local TV stations. We have pulled off some outstanding joint promotions with local major affiliates that we as a radio station alone couldn't have done, and at the same time get great exposure all over the market to thousands of homes," she says. "You can't beat getting your logo right in folks' living rooms every night at dinner time."
Promotions pros share a variety of other money-saving tips as well.
At ABC/Atlanta, Ullman says, "we tend to buy larger quantities of smaller promotional items. Those tend to go a long way and, in the long run, actually save us a little money because we're not constantly buying the larger items [like] shirts and hats. We still give away shirts and hats at remotes, just in smaller [quantities]. If you have a bunch of smaller, inexpensive items, at least everyone can walk away with something that has the station logo on it."
In Boston, Easler says, "we have recently implemented a few new tools that we are very pleased with that cost our company very little out-of-pocket dollars. First, we have launched an online merchandise and apparel store. We found a company out of New York, Integrated Media, which houses our entire store and even does our fulfillment. We simply include their client in our promo. So, people are spending money to wear our logo throughout their community, and it costs us a few seconds in a promo a few times a day.
"We have also launched our E-Quest program [from Columbus, Ohio-based RadioTracks]. Basically, listeners can go to our Web site and tell us their favorite songs. The next time their favorite song is going to play, an e-mail is automatically generated and sent to them, or a text message if they so choose. This way, our listeners never miss their favorite song. [It] keeps them coming back."
"One thing we do when ordering station merchandise items is to partner with one of our local sister stations and order in bulk," Fassig says. "This way our money is stretched and we get more than we usually would if we ordered T-shirts [and other items] individually.
"It is important to save money, but it is even more important to create, solidify and find a great relationship with your vendors," Fassig says. "This way, they will always be there for you and go out of their way to ensure successful results."
Mills' tips focus on the basics, like using dry erase boards for a four-month calendar posted in the promotions department. She says this has "saved a lot of confusion with the scheduling of appearances, remotes and events."
"A well-established intern program, which we take very seriously, can save you money on part-time employees," Mills continues. "Many of our best employees started off as interns. A strong internship program also endears your station to the local college radio/media departments."
Vestfall's best tip is to "keep track of what all you have, that way you don't double-buy anything [such as] scissors, tape and T-shirts. There always seems to be a box of something we needed earlier in the year that we find later on down the line."
She also suggests befriending the local nonprofit organizations. "Their staff and volunteers always come in handy when you [need] extra hands and don't have the cash for it. Most of the time they are just grateful for the exposure at events."
One thing Heinz has learned is "you get what you pay for. If you buy a cheap tent from Wal-Mart, it won't last. Same thing with broadcast equipment. Spend the extra money to get better products that you won't have to continually replace.
"Also, work directly with vendors that actually produce products," Heinz says. "Don't go through a third party to order tents, bumper stickers, banners and the popular silicone bracelets. Find companies that produce these items and order them direct. It may take you more time but you'll save at least 20%."
ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
So what could radio stations be doing better in the areas of marketing, promotions and branding? Promotions pros have a variety of opinions on this topic, but they all agree there is plenty of room for improvement.
Lisa Sands, promotions director for Clear Channel country WGAR, oldies WMJI and adult top 40 WMVX Cleveland, thinks radio has "let personalities become too comfortable and we have let them slip from their responsibility of branding themselves in relevant ways. It cannot always be about what the promotions department or the station can do for them. After all, they are their own 'brand' and it benefits them, their show and the station as a whole when they step up to the plate and make it a point to be active in the community, to be out and about 'just because,' without the expectation of a talent fee."
Sands, who says this topic is "a hot button" for her, thinks those personalities need to realize "that the efforts pay off exponentially even if they can't see it beyond the moment. The days of the 'superstar' local radio personality are fading fast, but they would stay around a lot longer if air talent had a more realistic perspective on this."
Ullman would like to see "more grass-roots-type events. In today's 'added value' world, we all have to do the necessary sales-driven remotes [and] stops, but it's important to remember your community.
"At least once a month - and more if we can do it - we go to a community-type event, whether it's a local high school fund-raiser for cheerleading uniforms or a charity fund-raiser for an injured fireman," Ullman says.
What else could radio marketers be doing better?
"We're not as cool as we think we are," says Heling, who thinks broadcasters should ask themselves, " 'Does what we think is cool in the building - an event, contest or campaign - really cut through to the people outside who only care about what's going on in their lives?'
"Try to experience an event as a listener would," he says. "At one station concert I had some time to cut out of the running around and walkie-talkie chatter, so I found a seat in the venue. It was pretty enlightening to hear people complain about long beer lines or how they loved or hated the DJ that just did the intro, as well as seeing the station presentation as the patrons do.
"On the lines of walking in the footsteps of the patron, you can always learn from other stations' events," Heling continues. "I went to an out-of-format concert recently welcomed by a station that does a good job on-air. The show was really good, so everyone was coming out pumped up about that type of music, but the station was packed up and about to drive away in vans when emotion for the format might have been at a peak for the patron.
"We [recently welcomed] an act at the same venue, so what I took from that [experience] is to have our full promotional show running until the last person has left.
"Education is all around us, whether it's a little thing or a big thing," he adds.
"Radio needs to better invest in its stations by giving them marketing dollars to promote the stations," Heinz says. "This is probably the biggest complaint I hear from other promotion directors: the lack of marketing money."
"It boils down to money," Vestfall agrees. "Promotions and marketing always are the first to get their budgets cut. When that happens, the overall image of the station suffers. You end up with ratty-looking tents and broken equipment. You don't have as many prizes for giveaways, which in return means your logo isn't out there as much... Marketing and promotions needs to get a higher value in the eyes of the stations."
"One thing that we see a bunch of stations doing, and we are now getting better at it, is massaging our VIP Club," Easler says. "When we started a few years ago, the only real perk that members got was getting e-mail updates about what we are doing. We have recently started to include our members in a wide variety of programs that all make them feel like they are extremely important."
For example, WKLB is streaming online, but a listener must be a VIP Club member to listen online. "It's a nice perk for our most important listeners," Easler says.
Fassig thinks radio stations can "over-think ideas and promotions when, ideally, you never fail when you stick to grass-roots marketing and promotions and to keeping things simple, creative and having a great sense of humor. Be relatable to your audience and you can't go wrong."
Jackson says stations should "get the station vehicles out as much as possible. Let your on-air personalities take them to get lunch, run an errand, anything.
"Something else that is incredibly valuable is to check out and see what other stations in other markets are doing. Check out station Web sites in different-sized markets and see if there is a way that you can take an existing promotion from a station that is 10 states away and put an interesting twist on it to make it your own."
PLAN NOW FOR THE FUTURE
Finally, Billboard Radio Monitor asked the panel of promotions pros what stations should be doing right now to ensure their marketing is on target.
Put simply, Mills says, "They need to be finding out what marketing money they have to spend, determine short-term and long-term goals, [figure out] how to accomplish those goals and then execute."
Heling says, "We just scheduled a two-part strategy meeting where we will lay out our plans." But he also says, "Anytime is a good time to honestly examine your strengths, weaknesses and opportunities and lay out a road map of tactics based on that."
Easler puts an emphasis on advance planning. "We are in the process right now of putting the budget together for," he says. "There are core events we know will happen, and we plan now to make them better. We also leave ourselves in a position to react on impulse: Gas prices go up, give away gas. Patriots in the Super Bowl, send someone to Detroit.
"A balance of planning months in advance, yet having the ability to get a promo on the air in 12 hours if needed is key."
Jackson says, "Now is the time to be planning the first quarter of next year. Get your plans set for the big holidays like Valentine's Day [and] St. Patrick's Day. Also take time to look up the more little-known anniversaries.
"I once did an entire weekend giveaway around the anniversary of the first canned beer," Jackson continues. "Listeners won copies of the hysterical Budweiser 'Real American Heroes' [spots] on a CD as well as gift certificates to the local watering hole.
"Take your 12-month calendar and get the big stuff on there so that you have the time to spend creating and filling in the gaps."
In Tampa, Heinz says, "we'll be sitting down very soon to plan our promotional calendar. We do this outside of the office and include our GM, GSM, OM, PD, APD and promotions staff. We'll review the large promotions done in the previous year and their impact on ratings. Based on that, we'll tweak them to make them better or get rid of them altogether. We'll come up with a few new ideas to try out in next year.
"The next step is to get clients onboard early to help offset the cost of the promotion," Heinz continues. "Once the big promotions are on the calendar, it's easy to add the smaller stuff that comes up every day."
Fassig suggests making sure "your station is on target with marketing plans for next year, making sure your budget is completed and approved and knowing what you plan to do with your radio station at least three months in advance. You can always fine-tune the marketing plans, but you have to make sure the road ahead has been cleared so paving can begin and the promotions can fall in place."
Her best advice? "Always be on your toes and remember that there is never any downtime in radio. Keep the creative juices flowing." |