Course Curriculum

BONUS: Leveraging New Media On Your Station

Leveraging New Media on Your Station

Everything changes – particularly media. What’s new and hot today, may not be quite as hot tomorrow. The nature of technology, particularly when it concerns available media choices, demands adaptation and change. How will your station embrace and leverage this?

Clearly, your listeners are part of this change. Some listeners are leading the change. Others are so late to the dance that they’re wearing bell-bottom pants (which very well could be “hot” again by the time you read this). Because change is constantly happening and there always seems to be something new on the horizon, let’s define “new media” in this way: “Hardware or software that is trending with consumers, that may or may not become mainstream.”  Because these trends have the possibility of being worked into the fabric of your listeners’ lives – you ought to begin thinking about how to leverage them today.

Leading

Is your station going to be an early, mid, or late-adopter of technology and trends? A benefit of early adoption is that you are often viewed as a thought-leader. One drawback of being an early adopter is that you may end up with a closet full of Betamax tapes. But, if you wait too long to adopt (and adapt) you’ll always be viewed as a follower rather than a leader.

Some technology doesn’t become ubiquitous. What will and what won’t get written into the lexicon of your listeners’ lives is hard to predict. However, deciding today where your station will fit into the “early/mid/late” matrix can help you. 

More than likely, the younger your audience skews, the more quickly your station will promote new media choices. You’ll sometimes find yourself chasing something that never really takes off, but you’ll seldom miss things. The opposite is also true. Waiting too long to embrace and feature new platforms can make your station look out of touch, but you probably won’t waste resources on something that doesn’t materialize. Which route to choose can often be tough.

A smart strategy might include your station embracing new trends a little earlier than you may be comfortable with. You may not throw yourself into the deep end at the beginning, but you’re always splashing around in the pool and leading listeners forward.

So, will you be an early, mid, or late-adopter?

The answer you choose may have to do with who is on your team.

If your building is populated with young, up and coming millennials – you may be pushed to be an “early adopter” who embraces leading-edge trends. If those people are not in your building, you may find yourself waiting until trends and technology have been widely adopted and proven by others (often called the “bleeding edge”). There are clear benefits and drawbacks to each, so understand the needs of your listeners so you can meet (or exceed) their expectations.

Where Does New Media Fit into My Mix?

Whatever strategy you pursue, make sure that it fits well into your stationality and promotional mix. Talk about something too much and you may contradict your image. Talking about something too little can do the same.

Think about how new media will impact how you conduct the business of radio. A few years ago, something as widely accepted today as giving the station phone number AND web address as contact information, was NOT that common. Today it is. A few years from now there will be something we are ALL talking about that hardly anyone knows about today. So, before you say, “we’ll figure it out as we go,” be more intentional about exploring what you’ll promote and how you’ll promote it.

Start by talking to other radio stations in our industry that are reaching the same audience you’re targeting. Pay attention to what your market competitors are doing. Follow the trends, and try new things. Once you get a better read on audience response, go with it. Embrace what new media can do for your station. 

There’s a temptation for us all to stick with what we know. Don’t let that temptation keep you from leveraging the power new media can bring. You won’t hit it out of the park every time, but you will stay at the top of your game.

Futurecasting

A Look at New Media

New media is a timely and critical topic and one we cover in a course that explores the latest offerings in greater depth.