Is Content King?

If content is king, then why is the I.T. world falling down around me. I'm not trying to kick the carcasses of the fallen dot coms, because their boldness paved the way for a better way to do things. Unfortunately for most, their collective naivety couldn't amortize the potential over the pain. In short, most could no longer afford the revolution. However, there are valuable lessons to be learned.

Media Audit recently discovered that out of 3100 radio station's websites monitored, only 23 garnered a 2% share of adult audience in their market. 23 STATIONS!

Excuse me!! This is abysmal when considering the gargantuan effort by the Radio community, it's sales hawks, and "hipper than the room" content providers who want to make you think the best way to construct a radio website is to fill it with cool content and flash openings. For the record, flash openings are bypassed 87% of the time within 1.6 seconds of the "Skip Intro" click. So much for the hero's of the new economy.

NBCi.com.(NBC/TV web site) recently threw in the towel on it's web initiative. Hundreds of New York's finest, all focused on generating content (because the web will support it), were recently notified of the division's white towel.

But Will They Come Back?

The technology for NBCi.com's proprietary Quick Click is now being pedaled at fire sale prices to anyone who'll listen. Now, does anybody really think NBCi.com couldn't get eyeballs?

Quite the contrary. They couldn't get the eyeballs to come back. And it's in your face every minute! Their site became the same content driven one act play that populates the majority of real estate on the Internet.

Search engines, music, news stories, Win a Trip?!..please! Try telling a joke to a room full of people -- and repeating the joke to the same group the next day.

Chances are -- this is your website!

The Value of Permission

Email is the number one use of the web. It has no postage or printing costs. Most important, its frequency is free as you mass market to the power of ONE individual!

Most Food and Drug chains have a loyalty card that shows them your exact buying habits over time. In exchange for that permission, the store provides services and/or discounts that are directly beneficial to the customer.

Deeper layers of permission ensue hopefully making them a lifelong customer. Branded terrestrial radio can utilize this very model.

Your website can be the vehicle for the greatest direct marketing tool ever. Response rates of 15%-40%+ -- as opposed to Traditional Direct Mail response of 2-3%. However, you can't even begin to mine this gold unless you begin today to make your web site do one thing as it's CENTRAL focus; collect and market to opt in participants!

We think a points program is the best way to keep users coming back to the site. Then, the influx of content has an opportunity to be seen and used. However, compelling reasons for users to come into your home should be your primary focus. You are only limited by your imagination.

Attention Economy

The third coast of rev stream for radio today and tomorrow, will be an ATTENTION ECONOMY! A listener opting in to what your radio station can provide them through valuable 'one to one' messages is NTR at it's finest. They may be emails today, but 10-second spots w/inducements tomorrow, when technology will allow you to download a stadium in about 20 seconds.

Today you may send out a zip code specific email to 100K+ saying, "Come into Valvoline Oil Lube for a $10.00 oil change and a free under the hood evaluation. BTW, we'll have "Zoey the Clown" on hand for the kids -- but only tomorrow"

Tomorrow, you're emailing Rich Content. Valvoline may make available to you for call letter customization, a digitized, edited, 10 seconds from their TV spot with a compelling reason to visit the local store this week!

Powerful results granted by permission -- if you do the work now!

It is said that to truly understand the future, one must understand the past. Terrestrial Radio needs to look at the gap between what it was, what it became -- and what it can be!

If you feel like talkin' 'bout it, reach out to me at jimmy@loyalears.com.