Friction is a hot buzzword in marketing these days. It refers to obstacles in the customer experience.
Can’t find the “submit” button on a form? Friction.
Pop-ups getting in the way on a website? Friction.
Getting charged unexpected fees? Very irritating friction.
Are you adding friction to your radio station?
How much has changed in the ways radio station personnel deal with listeners?
Still asking for caller 9 to win a pair of tickets to the home show, only for the listeners to get a busy signal?
When a listener wins from a town an hour away from your studios, do you tell them you’ll mail the prize or do you tell them they have to pick it up because “that’s the policy”?
Do you make fun of “prize pigs” and tell them they can only win every 60 days, essentially inviting them to listen to another station? Or, do you celebrate people who are actively engaged with your content?
When a listener makes a request, do you tell them, “I’ll see what I can do”, or “I’ll get that right on for you” or “It’s coming up” (even though it isn’t coming up for 15 hours)?
Does your website make it easy to connect with the team, from the General Manager to the jocks? Is there an easy way for them to provide feedback?
Are you engaging with your audience on social media or using it as an advertisement, leaving their comments hanging?
Are you only allowing people within your metro to stream the station (and is that worth it)?
Are you paying attention to the spots and promos on the stream? Is it playing the same PSA over and over again, making it unlistenable?
What do Amazon, Southwest Airlines, Nordstrom, and your radio station have in common?
They are all brands.
What if you treated your listeners the way those brands treat their customers?
Strong brands research, develop a plan from the findings and execute the plan.
Friction is the enemy of plan execution.
Next week in Part 2 of “Reducing Friction on Your Radio Station”, we’ll discuss how radio stations can reduce friction by utilizing research to present a more cohesive product.
