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Your Branding Involves More Than Just You …
February 9, 2021
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Being on the air gives you a distinct advantage over those who don't communicate to thousands of radio listeners. Air personalities get to present their brand while building the station’s brand. It's a beneficial collaboration.
Digital and social media has given air talents an arsenal to build their brand. Remember, when you work for a company, everything you say outside of work is still connected to your job. In a perfect world, you would be allowed to express yourself separately without repercussions. But it's not a perfect world, and perceived negativity or conflicts of interest could cost you a job.
Brand ...Don't "Get Branded"
Let your boss know in advance about your personal branding plans. Here's why --The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has guidelines involving payola/plugola and the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) has rules for online advertising and marketing. From an editorial standpoint, just watch what you say on social media platforms.A Head Scratcher ...
I was working nights and I could not figure out why the afternoon guy was such a hot ticket item with our advertisers and the public. He was good on the air, but I didn’t think he was God's gift to radio. This air talent even convinced a local Anheuser-Busch distributor into backing him for a TV dance show. None of us at the station could figure out how he pulled that off.When The Light Bulb Lit Up ...
One day it hit me, he branded himself. How could I have missed what was right in front of us all? Keep in mind, this happened before social media ever existed. This air talent would show up at the latest hot spots in town, make appearances at non-station events, and volunteer his services for every station public service activity. It was as if he was running for political office. I also found out that everything he did was with prior approval. Once I figured out what he was doing, it was a life-altering radio experience. It became my mantra as an air personality and later as a Program Director.Using What I Learned ...
After my "brand awakening," I began branding myself at every station thereafter. For example, in Chicago I got a guest spot with the host of a local Friday night TV horror show, sent out press releases of my non-station public appearances, learned how to become a celebrity auctioneer, attended kids' birthday parties, spent my own money to have my last name added to my first name on the front and back of my station jacket, searched the newspapers for public appearance opportunities, and at one station I created a newsletter highlighting the entire station and not just myself. And everything I did was with the permission in advance from my employer.Never Go Rogue ...
It's a win-win whenever you can brand yourself and the station that employs you. I once had a personality who wanted to provide prom dresses for young ladies who could not afford them. She came to me and wanted to know if it would be okay for her to post something on social media about her project. As her Operations Manager I gave her my blessing and watched as she built a groundswell on her website and social media platforms. She did so well with the project, we got behind her and officially made it a station promotion. It not only sky-rocked her personal brand, but the station also saw a consistent increase in her ratings.Before It Was Called Branding ...
It was called self-promotion before it was branding. I'm sure in a matter of years, the term will morph into another term. Regardless of what's it's called, stay abreast of the best ways to do it and never put your job at risk. -
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