The Seven Deadly Sins of Marketing a Radio Station
By David Kidd, BPR
In the world of radio, your brand is more than just a logo — it’s the emotional connection you build with your listeners. Marketing a radio station’s brand effectively is essential for standing out in a crowded market, gaining listener loyalty & market share and thereby, attracting advertisers. Remember, marketing includes what you do both on-air and off air. However, many stations fall into common traps that can weaken their brand identity. Here are the seven deadly sins of marketing a radio station’s brand and how to steer clear of them.
- Lack of Clear Brand Identity
The Sin: Failing to define who you are, what you stand for, and what your station represents is a sure fire way to confuse your audience. Without a clear brand identity, your station becomes just noise in an already crowded market.
The Fix: Establish a distinct brand identity that sets your station apart. Ask yourself: What’s your station’s mission? What values do you want to convey? What tone and style represent your station’s personality? Once you have these answers, create a consistent brand vision that informs every aspect of your station – management, talent, visual design and digital communication.
- Inconsistent Messaging
The Sin: This is a pet hate of mine. Too many stations have multiple positioning statements on air so that none of them cut through; all they do is weaken each other and confuse the listener. Inconsistent messaging, where your station’s tone, values or visual identity changes across platforms or over time, dilutes your brand. If your on-air presence doesn’t align with your digital presence, you create confusion, eroding listener trust.
The Fix: Maintain consistency across all channels—on-air, social media, website and advertising. Your station’s message and visual elements should remain uniform, no matter the medium. Ensure that all messaging aligns with your brand identity and is instantly recognizable to your audience.
- Failing to Differentiate
The Sin: Trying to copy what other stations are doing or playing it safe by blending in leads to a generic, forgettable brand. If you don’t stand out, why would listeners choose you over your competition?
The Fix: Differentiate your brand by identifying your unique selling points. Ensure your USP is something the audience wants (through research) and market that proposition.
- Neglecting the Emotional Connection
The Sin: Treating your brand as merely a product and failing to forge an emotional connection with your listeners is a critical mistake. Radio is a deeply personal medium, and listeners are drawn to brands that evoke a sense of belonging or evoke positive emotions.
The Fix: Build an emotional connection by creating a brand that resonates with listeners’ values, interests, and lifestyles. Get to know your audience via market research and reflect their world in your content. Aim to evoke emotions that make listeners feel a part of your brand story. Engage them on a personal level, and they’ll remain loyal over time.
- Ignoring Your Community, Your City, Your Town
The Sin: Now with the amount of networked shows these days, this can’t always be delivered 24/7. However, neglecting your local community or ignoring your role as a local influencer in favour of a broader, faceless identity weakens your station’s local relevance. Listeners should feel that you represent or care about their community.
The Fix: Embrace your community and position your station as a local leader. Sponsor or attend local events, feature local news and showcase stories that matter to your audience. Create a brand that is woven into the fabric of the community, making it an essential part of listeners’ everyday lives. A strong local presence solidifies your station’s identity and makes it harder for competitors to push you out.
- Not Adapting to the Digital Age
The Sin: Treating your brand as if it only lives on the radio dial, while ignoring the online platforms where much of your audience is spending time, severely limits your reach. Today’s listeners expect to engage with your brand across multiple touch points, not just on air. The majority of stations already use online platforms……but some do it much better than others.
The Fix: Expand your brand beyond traditional radio. Have a strong digital presence through social media, your website, streaming services, and podcasts. Interact with listeners in real-time via Twitter or Instagram and make it easy for them to engage with your content online. Ensure your online persona mirrors your on-air personality. Audit your digital offering objectively: is it contemporary, is it easy to navigate/digest, does it reflect the brand image of the station etc?
- Failing to Evolve
The Sin: Being stuck in the past or refusing to evolve your brand as trends change and audience preferences shift can make your station feel outdated. Clinging to a stale identity in a fast-changing world leaves your brand behind. Just because “we’ve always done it this way” is not a marketing strategy.
The Fix: Regularly refresh and evolve your brand while staying true to its core. Keep up with cultural, technological and industry trends and adapt your branding and marketing accordingly. Modernize your visual identity. Use market research to evolve your brand….let the listeners tell you what they actually think.
Conclusion
Marketing your radio station’s brand effectively is essential for building listener loyalty, expanding your reach and increasing advertiser appeal. By avoiding these seven deadly sins, you can cultivate a strong, authentic and differentiated brand that resonates with your audience. A well-marketed radio station brand both on-air and off air is not just heard—it’s felt and remembered, creating lasting impressions that have the possibility to turn your P2’s into P1’s.
I guess you would advise Sydney’s #1 Station, WSFM, NOT to expunge its well-earned local recognition by rebranding as the generic ‘Gold 101.7’. Or would you, David?