Time to Re-think Radio Contests

You know the old radio contest structure.  Sponsor buys a four week spot program, the promo group runs the contest, a few on air mentions, and the sponsor prize is announced on air.  Winners come by the station to pick up the prize.  Nothing’s changed since AM radio.

The consumer has changed.  Two-week, four-week events are too long.  The audience wants to see the contest as it goes along.  Who’s winning?  How am I doing?  The days of a “black box” event are over.

The hot events are in-the-moment.   One new site Swoopo runs 225-contest auctions per day and has one-half million visitors each month.  Woot.com runs one-day events and draws 7-million web visits each month.   Contestants want to see voting, ratings, comments, and they want to share with links, embed codes, and email-a-friend options.

Sponsors have changed.  Most merchants are looking for a powerful immediate event … just like the audience.

Try something new.

CELLit Radio Contest Toos

Run a 72-hour event on your radio station website. The sponsor focuses a spot buy into the 72-hours across all day parts.  The audience enters on your website.  Pictures and videos will work.  Send in by email, cell phones, or post on the web site.  Don’t have the tools?  Don’t worry we can connect you in one-day.  No software, no servers required, and no fees.   CELLit will even produce a summary report for all entries, contact information, and complete voting details.

Because the contest is NOW, this moment, the event has special impact.  You might even engage the audience to visit the local sponsor to complete the contest participation.

Furniture stores, mattress stores, sporting stores, restaurants, clubs, clothing boutiques all want the immediacy.  Your new week/weekend event will be the talk of the town.  Repeat weekly.

Is YouTube Good for Radio?

Some radio website administrators reach out with YouTube embedded videos.  It’s actually a really smart start.  Video works, YouTube works, and your radio station website will see an immediate jump in time-spent-online.

So what’s the problem?

It’s a good start but you need more.  The “more” is reserved for YouTube.  Once your audience sees the first video they can be off to Google-land.   YouTube embedded video tools can be a quick slide for your audience to leave.

You have options.  There are many white-label video tools.  Many providers are free to use.  Some cost money.  The all work and let you keep your audience.

We think CELLit Media offers a powerful option.

1. Audience generated pictures and videos.  The real power is engaging your audience.  They want to participate, see themselves, and be part of your community.  Otherwise, they become part of YouTube.
2. You can post your own station videos and enjoy an immediate jump in web traffic.  You can be in control.
3. Posting by PC, email or cell phone.  With CELLit Media you your audience can post by email as an attachment, by cell phone, or on your PC.  It’ easy.   You can even forward email from your own station email address like Videos@Station.com Put the you back in your videos.
4. You can run video and picture contests with full control.  CELLit Media tools manage and report the results to you.  YouTube doesn’t have these tools.
5. You can moderate all your audience generated content … pictures, videos, comments, tags, and flags.
6. You are in charge.  You set the policies.  You customize the tools.  CELLit tools work for you.
7. CELLit is advertising supported.  Just like on-air syndicated programs, the CELLit video tools do not have any start up expense or operating expense.

Continue using YouTube if you like.   The Google-guys appreciate your hard work.  Or, take charge and keep your audience.   More information at www.CELLit.com

Top-10 Radio Industry News Sites Lead the Way

Here’s an interesting “eat your own dog food” example. 

The top-10 radio industry news websites are up … big!  Unique monthly visitors are up 68% over January’08, month-to-month growth is 19%, news-site visits approach 1-million, and time-spent-online includes 5.5 million page views averaging 53-seconds each.  Radio operators know for timely, valuable news that it’s online.  

Download the January Information Here

The most popular radio news sites have great content, valuable perspective, message boards, and multi-media tools.  The lowest traffic sites have fewer or no interactive tools generating less time-online and fewer page views.

Radio business people get radio news online and appreciate web tools.  Now, take a look at most radio station websites.  If one-million radio news readers “get it” then why are most station websites falling so far behind?

Take a look at the January’09 information.  Then look at your own radio website.  Start with a few new tools like CELLit. 

You are online.  Your audience is online.  It’s time for your station’s website to move up.

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Top 10 radio news traffic sites:  www.Radio-Info.com; www.radioandrecords.com; www.allaccess.com; www.radioink.com; www.rbr.com; www.rab.com; www.insideradio.com; www.kurthanson.com; www.hear2.com; www.nab.com.  Credit to http://www.Compete.com for this information. 

Google in your market … bigger than you realize

Later this month when Google reports 2008 financial results, we will find out if Google is bigger than the entire radio industry.  In ten years, Google has shown how websites can be an effective part of their marketing program.  Since Google revenues might exceed all the radio station revenue in your market, it’s time to learn how to sell against, around and with this gigantic local competitor.

The brand new information comes from a recent SEC filing where Google confirms they have 1-million advertisers.   The table below attempts to understand what 1-million advertisers means.  Take away Google’s international revenue and that portion of international advertisers.  Assume US revenue is evenly spread out across US advertisers and geography.  This is a big assumption.  Later, you can adjust your thinking for how much isn’t local.

If your radio station serves a population of 500,000 then it is possible Google had 970 clients in your market spending $1,550/month on search and Google network banner ads.  That’s about $18-million a year from merchants in your broadcast area.    Google didn’t get to $22+ billion in revenue without some part of your market. 

Did your 2008 sales revenues miss something? Do you have 970 clients? Merchants in your market spend part of their advertising budgets on something you either don’t believe in or don’t care about. 

Local merchants now have more respectable websites with product and service details, pictures & videos, location information, pricing, coupons, and ecommerce tools.  Does your broadcast signal work with or ignore websites? Are you engaging your listeners with web links? Does your website have dynamic content? Video? Texting? Commenting? Sharing tools?  

 Are you missing a connection and sales revenue? It’s time to make your radio website part of your marketing program.  Your advertisers are already there.  Join them.

 

Google Local Radio Market Revenue Estimates