Mass 2 One Media [eco]

Community

Posted: Dave Denes 29 June 2009

When the news suddenly hit that Michael Jackson had passed away,  media outlets and companies around the globe quickly reacted. Radio stations altered their playlists, Ebay put up a link sending buyers directly to all his memorabilia for sale, iTunes posted a tribute page and within hours the top 2 albums became "The  Essential Michael Jackson" and "Thriller" respectively.  MTV even  interrupted their regular programming to just play Michael Jackson videos which I believe, may be the only event big enough in the last 15 years to inspire them to start playing videos again.

There were several M2O partners that did an exceptional job of handling Jackson's untimely death.  Two that I would like to highlight include:

1. Dave Robert's team at KNIN in Witchita Falls utilized the ECO "Forums" tool. Dave's night personality, Tony immediately upon  hearing the news posted a thread entitled "Michael Jackson, the King has Fallen." Members responded quickly and shared their  thoughts and memories on "The King of Pop"!  One member wrote "Michael Jackson definitely was a bit odd, but you have to admit he was one of the great ones....someone you will remember. God bless him and his family." Many of the postings were shared on-air which  created powerful radio and connected the station to the members, giving them the ability to extend the power of the microphone.

If you're not already, I strongly urge you to activate the "Forum"  feature. The topics are plentiful and are generally not as morose  as MJ's passing. Currently, on KNIN there are 38 different topics  ranging from "Transformers 2" to Summer Vacations.  Forums allow  you to create dialogue with your members which will ultimately  strengthen the bond you have with them.  For more information on  creating forums within ECO Click Here.

2. KSFM in Sacramento used the "News Letter" feature to inform their members that Michael had died. The letter had a link (bread crumb) that  members could click for more information about the  death which lead them back to the KSFM website.  It also invited  them to listen to the station throughout the weekend for a special programming tribute. The way KSFM utilized the "Newsletter" tool was perfect.  They informed their members of very relevant news and highlighted a benefit of the station.

Other creative partners responded by:

• Voting through a survey on best MJ songs of all time, followed  by tribute all weekend
• Dedicating songs through POLLS
• Signing a "goodbye Michael" message board in forums
• Uploading pictures, comments and memories of Michael on  personality pages
• Made MJ an auto-friend, and turning his auto-friend page into a  tribute, filled with videos and audio (YouTube had every one of his > videos available)

If you handled Michael Jackson's passing in a unique way please  share it with us.

Video Makes Your Program Come Alive

Posted: Tracy Johnson 26 June 2009

In the age of YouTube, on-demand video, short attention spans, and multi-media expectations, your program should be using video.  

Do yourself a favor.  Visit these [eco] sites, register as a member and notice how these sites are using video to help the member navigate their programs:

WODS/Boston.   http://www.m2omedia.com/wods

WKRS/Suburban Chicago.  http://www.wkrs.com

Dan Patrick Show.  http://www.m2omedia.com/danpatrick

WIIL/Suburban Chicago:  http://www.m2omedia.com/wiil

There are many more examples, but these are some of the most recent.  Notice how they all use video differently, all matching their unique personalities.  And notice how their sites come alive.  When your personalities connect with members via audio and video, it's much more impactful than text alone.

Touching Your Audience - Part 2

I was reading a blog posted earlier this month entitled "Touching Your Audience" and it reminded me of a very similar and successful tactic we used at KBIG with the legendary Charlie Tuna using the "store" feature.  

As you know, we suggest using the store for small items that easily can be replenished such as T-shirts, key chains and client coupons.  However, another fun way to use it that gets your team involved and also markets the station is to offer custom outgoing voicemail greetings voiced by your well known personalities.  You'll find that your members will love the custom greeting and many will not change it for years, if ever.   Not to mention, everyone who calls them will hear a message about your product.   

In the best selling book "Little Red Book of Selling" Jeffrey Gitomer says "fix your message now...9,999 out of 10,000 have a pathetic message!"  I hate to admit,  I have read the book, I am writing this blog, and I am still one of the 9,999.  Please let me know if you try this out so I can join your club and get my message changed!     

 

Using Surveys To Improve Partner Advertising Effectiveness

The survey tool in [eco] is flexible and useful.  Most everyone is using the tool to some degree, but there are many more creative uses that you may not have considered.

The music survey feature is commonly used to test member opinions on songs, but it can just as easily be used to test audience reaction to any audio, including radio commercials.  WBEB/Philadelphia has successfully provided this service to advertisers for years.

Asking members to rate the messages and entertainment value of the creative can be a valuable asset to your advertisers.  Asking questions properly, you can learn if the advertising message connects, if the offer the advertiser makes is appealing, and whether it elicits a positive impression with the respondent.

You can also use the survey tool to test virtually any multimedia content, including video and graphics.  As with all surveys, constructing the survey questions properly is the key to participation rates and survey success.  Writing the invitation to members, and asking questions the right way can make a huge difference in responses, not to mention member willingness to participate over time.  Your [eco] solutions team is standing by to help.

 

M2O Team Adds New Programming Depth!

We're proud to announce a new addition to the M2O team.  Dave "Chachi"  Denes has joined M2O as a programming, promotions and marketing advisor.

Denes is best known in the industry as Chachi and joins M2O after a 9 year radio programming career with Clear Channel/Los Angeles, where he led KBIG (My 103.7) to ratings success for five years. Chachi began his radio career in San Diego, learning the Loyalty Marketing program while serving as a producer at KFMB-FM.

You can contact him at davedenes@m2omedia.com

 

 

 

Touching Your Audience

This is a simple idea that many programmers used effectively for many years, but it's a tactic that is rarely if ever happening any longer.

Have your high profile personalities call five of your database members per day and thank them for being a part of the club and for their loyalty.  That's all.  Don't try to sell them anything or hype them at all.  Maybe a quick message reminding them of times they can earn points or a relevant offer currently available, but no more.  Just call and thank them.  It's simple, takes just a couple of minutes for each contact (they'll almost always get voice mail), and has a better than even chance of becoming viral.  Your members will not only appreciate and be excited about it, they may even tell their friends about it.

If each personality calls five members every day, they will each reach 25 per week.  Multiply that by 48 weeks and you'll reach 1,200 members per year.  If you have 5 people on your team making calls, that's 6,000 contacts per year.  For five minutes per day.  But it takes commitment, and follow through.