Making Your Station Part of the Conversation

It’s a no brainer: making your station part of the conversation is good business.

However if you’ve been in country for any length of time you’ve probably encountered these sorts of conversations when it comes to our format:

• I like most music but I don’t understand country
• Is that the same as country and western?
• Country is like a foreign language to me
• That’s for people in Texas, right?

We’re so misunderstood!

That’s why when a country song/artist penetrates the “Wall of Whaaa?” it’s not just cool, it’s good business.

But making your station part of the conversation isn’t a passive activity. It’s the opposite. It requires forward thinking and a “connect the dots” mindset.

A Picture’s Worth…

When I saw two servers wearing these (on the left a line from Midland’s “Drinking Problem” and the right the Mitchell Tenpenny song title), I had to snap and share.

Obviously in this case, country’s humorous side is on display. However at its core, Country has always told stories of real life.  Sometimes these stories are raw. Or up-lifting. Or about working or playing. Country is about joy and about pain. And yes, it’s about seeing the humor in things including our own stereotypes.

But someone had to connect the dots to bring it together – in this case, a couple of songs that were appropriate for a restaurant where having drinks are part of the dining experience.

Three Chords and the Truth

We all know where the great Harlan Howard stood on country:  “Country music isn’t nothing but three chords and the truth.” 

Now a format as demographically wide as country means it’s likely that your truths won’t be the same truths for someone else – at least in the exact same moment in time. But across the genre, country fans will tell you that at the core of their reason for listening is that their life/values/experiences are put to music.

These themes are often perfect vehicles for making your station part of the conversation.

The Real Benefit

But back to the photos.

Posting them isn’t about lauding a clever T-shirt. Rather, it’s about making your brand part of the conversation.

There’s an important caveat here. We’re not talking about a phrase that will have an extended shelf-life (think “I’m Lovin’ It” or “Finger Lickin’ Good”). In fact, you could rightfully note that both of these may already be passé (I did snap these more than six months ago).

Instead, the takeaway is simply about capturing attention even for the moment.

Which is huge. Especially when you can push yourself into conversations over and over throughout the year.

Country Radio’s Ice Bucket Challenge and Actions

So let me offer a challenge.  Develop a mindset for the purpose of pushing your music/artists and your station into the general conversation that’s going on right now – or will be in the near future – in your market.

Song titles could be a good start. Look for opportunities when a title is particularly relevant (“Most People Are Good” comes to mind). Or perhaps it will be the next time there is a country special on TV. Or use artists who are now appearing on TV as judges or in movies or will be special guests in the future.

Your vehicle could be a video, a speech before a large group or a single advertiser, engagement at a remote, a piece to run on your TV partner, a charitable event, a big programming idea, or a story-arc on social media.

Sure, it could even be a T-Shirt.

Truthfully there’s almost no wrong direction to take – unless you decide not to take any action at all.

Oh, one more thing. Should you find a sense of pride or excitement is creeping into your efforts at making your station part of the conversation, you’re probably on the right track.

Love to hear what you come up with.

Related:

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Tag Line Thinking

Photo by Kawtar CHERKAOUI on Unsplash