Get Out the Vote

Election day is coming right up. It’s time to get out the vote. I'm not necessarily talking about getting people to go to the polls to vote for a particular politician or on an issue, but rather to get them to cast the most important vote to you – a vote for your radio station at the Nielsen ballot box.

Why do people go to the voting booth? Traditionally, it’s because there is an issue or a candidate that they really care about. If they don't like the choices, if they see no difference between the candidates or if the issues are not compelling, many will just stay home. Record turnouts occur when a politician or an issue motivates voters to vote. Getting great Nielsen numbers in diary markets is not necessarily about how many people listen to your station, it’s how many people vote for your station. Take lessons from politicians and get people involved. 

Start with being very actively involved with your listeners and their lifestyle. Just playing the best music will only take your station so far. Today, listeners have more choice than ever to hear music. Create promotions that get listeners and potential listeners involved with the station. If you just put your name on an already established promotion, you’ll get lost in “logo land.” Instead, be a title sponsor of an event, like the WAAA Art Walk. Have your logo all over the event. Get your personalities out into the market where your potential listeners are to “shake hands and kiss babies.”

Today, while most music stations are appealing to the lowest common denominator, a station that makes a strong statement will find loyal followers who will become the station’s evangelists.  While you don’t want to be too eclectic or narrow during the bulk of your broadcast day, putting specialty programs on at off-hours and promoting them during the day will enhance the station’s image and point out diversity.

When Nielsen places diaries in the market, phone numbers are called at random until a person answers. That in itself is a difficult proposition, as most people screen their calls. When they do finally get someone on the phone, if the person is indifferent about what’s on the radio, they will decline to participate. By getting people emotionally involved and interested in your radio station, when Nielsen calls and asks them to participate, they will enthusiastically say “yes!” and cast a vote for your station when they fill out their diaries. 

Get out the vote! Get listeners involved emotionally with your station.