Blog

The Digital Strategy Guide – Part 2

By Wayne Clouten, BPR

The digital development path of a particular media business is a journey which is somewhat unique to that business.  There are many variables such as your available resources, competitive circumstances, business scope and strategic intent. For example, a media business involving both radio and publishing assets will need to approach things differently from a business dealing in audio alone.

When it comes to a radio business embracing a digital path there are quite a few lessons to be observed however some of the key issues include:

• Know what your current listeners truly love about your brand and/or content. Do not commit significant resources until you know this. It is critical for everyone tasked with designing, creating, delivering and marketing your digital strategy to know this.
• Provide as many ways as possible for your listeners to connect with what they love about your brand and content. Build communities of interest around what people love wherever possible.
• It’s better to do a good job of a few things than an average job of many things.
• Maintain a disciplined approach to reviewing and refreshing content and messaging as frequently as you are able.
• Have someone within your business who owns the digital strategy implementation and can apply themselves to the task entirely.  A part time or committee driven process usually leads to wastage and failure.
• Do everything humanly possible to get your listeners interacting with you via your own App.
• Content unique to your station and/or brand is the magic bullet. Beware populating your platforms entirely with re-published or syndicated content. The more you appear like everyone else, the less you achieve.
• Place your linear radio station/s at the center of your digital strategy.  Digital strategy should extend out from your brand and the content you are famous for.
• Learn from what you do, if you can’t measure and trend it, question your need to do it.
• Build flexibility and the opportunity for scale into all you do where possible.
• Re-define your business as an Audio business rather than a Radio business.

This final point is particularly important. Creating audio content that informs and entertains is what we (in radio) do well.  The key to the future is being content impassioned and platform acquiescent. What we currently call radio will remain the dominate form of listening product provided those of us in the industry don’t lose sight of what makes our audio product compelling.  “Radio’s” greatest threat is not other platforms or technologies, it is losing confidence in our ability to prevail as the creators of the best audio content.

Wayne Clouten has been working with media companies in the development of digital, listener relationship marketing and multi-media strategy for more than 20 years in markets such as the UK, Austria, Germany, Russia & Australasia.