Good day, radio friends. Brian Curee here from Killer Bee Marketing. I was inspired to write this blog after hearing Annie F. Downs, at Momentum 2021, say, “When you choose fun, joy follows.” If you didn’t get to attend Momentum this year, let me give a little more context. She talked about how people like to hang out with people who have fun. It brings them joy. Joy is the emotion that follows fun. Fun is the action that produces the emotion we call joy. So having fun on social media can help your listeners want to hang out with you more on digital platforms. Fun can help increase your listener engagement on social media. Our team has been encouraging stations we coach on digital to mix fun with their messaging. To help give you some examples, I’ve asked Olivia Yetman, our Social Media Content Strategist, whom I believe has the longest job title in history, to share five ways you can have fun on social media.
- Bring Your Kids/Spouse To Work Day
Have your kid or spouse take your place in a LIVE video broadcast. You can also encourage listeners to do the same with their kiddos and spouse while providing a list of questions for them to ask during the LIVE broadcast. Don’t forget to use a specific hashtag to find those video posts quickly. You could also mix in some faith-based questions or facts that could tie it all together with your station’s message. Something like the Bible says God is watching over us. What are your thoughts about that? Or maybe something like, If God knows our thoughts, what does He hear you thinking right now? Questions like these may be some pretty funny responses from a child. They always say kids say the darnedest things.
- Emojis Have Superpowers (not really, but they’re fun)
Couple of things before you tap into these superpowers. First, don’t overdo it. Second, make sure you know what those emojis mean before you use them in your post. With great powers come great responsibility. Search emojis and find out what they mean. Keep in mind that not all emojis are as they seem. Facebook posts that include emojis can increase shares by 33% and interactions with your post by 57%. Agorapulse has also said using at least one emoji in your post will result in higher reach and engagement than those without using any.
- Be Spontaneous & Playful
I read an article by Kathy Klotz, and she said, “When you experience those moments of humanity and joy at work, get your camera out.” Does a DJ go crazy dancing when one of their favorite songs comes on in the studio? If so, record that dance and share it. If they try to lip-sync it, share it (with permission, of course) and then ask your listeners to do the same. With TikTok Duets and Reels Remix Duets, you could have a lot of fun with this type of content. Now you’re having fun together with your listeners and mixing in the music you play every day on-air.
- Recreate Fun Trending Content
Find fund trending content to recreate to fit your station’s brand. Air1 does a great job of this. They take the most popular lingo or trending videos and recreate them to fit their messaging or mission. They did one video on “What’s your worship type?” and another one, “Tell us you listen to Air1 without telling us you listen to Air1.” This type of content was trendy and allowed the DJs and listeners both an opportunity to have some fun while pointing back to Air1’s mission.
- Create A User-Generated Content (UGC) Campaign
You could invite your radio station listeners to post some fun content for your social accounts and have them use a specific hashtag.
KillerB Tip: Research how your chosen hashtag has been used before using it for a UGC campaign. On IG, you can use the tag option in the explorer search tool.
If you decide to try a UGC campaign, be sure to give the listeners an example of what kind of fun content you’re looking for. Be creative and think about your station’s message too. The fun content you ask for can bring joy to your listeners, your team, and maybe beyond this galaxy. User-generated content can also create a deeper connection and build trust between you and your listeners. So it’s a win-win for both the listener and the station if done correctly.
Brian Curee
Social media is all about creating a buzz and being social. Coming up with fun ideas is an excellent approach to drive more engagement and connect with hurting people searching for joy. Killer Bee Marketing can create a digital strategy that helps your station create that buzz and serves alongside your mission/message.
Life 102.5 has a heart for Madison! For the 4
Spirit 92.9 continued its commitment of blessing the central Minnesota community through intentional service projects. As the pandemic affected another year, station listeners rose to the challenge of uplifting and encouraging those feeling loss, loneliness, or burnout. Thanks to the help of generous listeners and business partners, Spirit 92.9 raised more than $8,000 in an online tip jar that blessed the staff at 19 local restaurants returning to work full time with huge tips during the Big Tip promotion. The restaurant workers were grateful for the visibility and appreciation. Numerous area teachers nominated by their students and families received special honor at the end of the school year with flowers and $500 VISA gift cards as part of “Thank A Teacher” organized by Spirit 92.9. In the fall, Spirit 92.9 partnered with two local ministries and provided free holiday meals to the community. During the ‘More Than A Meal’ event, the station worked with community members who donated enough to provide 6,000 meals and give help to people in need. Station team members also prepared and served meals together at the local homeless mission. At Christmastime, 11 community members wrote Spirit 92.9 and shared the story of someone they believed deserved some extra joy due to personal hardships. The individuals received $1000 to bless that person during Spirit 92.9’s Share The Joy promotion. Phone calls were made to hundreds of listeners to offer prayer and encouragement. Prayer support and a personal response is offered all year long.
Jim Campbell, Founder & Network President of Radio Training Network, Inc. began his radio career in commercial radio in Tennessee in 1964. In 1966 he moved his family to Lakeland, Florida to attend college, and upon graduation he joined the staff at First Assembly of God Church where he and the church launched in the mid 1970s the first Contemporary Christian Radio Station in the nation, WCIE-FM. The station grew in both market impression and influence not just in Lakeland, but around the country inspiring others to follow Jim’s lead. In 1989 Jim left the church and founded Radio Training Network, Inc. (RTN) and over the next 30+ years, he oversaw the acquisition and development of 40+ stations plus translators. With 130 team members, RTN stations serve the Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and Missouri. These stations are well recognized in their respective markets thanks to the servant leadership of the staff, aggressive marketing, and a commitment to a strong emphasis on Jesus first. At present RTN has some two million listeners each week on air and approximately the same number online.
Andrea Kleid is a 24-year veteran of radio and records. She began her career working in Christian radio at WNLT in Cincinnati, and then moved onto WAY-FM in West Palm Beach working in programming and promotions. Her next stop took her to JOY-FM in Tampa where she served as the Promotions Director. In 2004, Andrea moved to Nashville to begin her music industry career in radio promotion under Grant Hubbard at Capitol CMG. In 2008, Andrea became the Vice President of Promotion at Word Label Group where she led one of the most successful and influential radio promotion teams in the Christian music industry. Through her signature brand of honesty, passion for Christian music, and focus on relationships, Andrea developed a reputation for successfully launching new artists’ careers including for KING and COUNTRY, NEEDTOBREATHE and Francesca Battistelli. This year, Andrea celebrates her fifth year as the President of her own company, Boxer Poet. An advocate for both radio and artists, Andrea continues to zealously host conversations around further representation for women and people of color on Christian radio.
Jason Sharp has a rich history with CCM radio and leadership. His early years at WONU/Chicagoland and The Bridge/Delaware gave flight to his passion for great programming and innovative promotions. As Program Director of WCQR/Johnson City and eventually the network PD for Positive Alternative Radio, Jason’s influence grew across the industry. In 2007, Jason joined the team at Northwestern Media as Program Director and then Station Manager of KTIS, Minneapolis/St Paul. In 2015, Jason furthered his formal education and earned his master’s degree in organizational leadership. Applying his leadership knowledge and skills to work, he now serves as Senior Vice President of Broadcasting at Northwestern Media’s 23 stations in 14 markets across ten states that service 1.5 million listeners each week. Jason also served Christian Music Broadcasters, first as a charter member and eventually as the lead of CMB’s educational track at Momentum for more than ten years. He then served as the organization’s board chairman from 2017-2020. Jason continues to inspire others within Christian media toward excellence and compassion through a Christ-centered attitude, education, and practical application.
In 1972, while serving in the U.S. Air Force in Orlando, Johnny Stone dreamt of a second kind of “air force,” that of radio. He took an overnight position at WDIZ-FM, the station where Z88.3 now stands. In the past 50 years of his career, Johnny’s work and personality raised the bar for other programmers in markets ranging from New York City, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, San Diego, Tampa, Atlanta, Tucson, and Minneapolis/St. Paul. During his stint as Program Director and Morning Show host at Star 99.1 New York, his team won the NAB Crystal Radio Award and CMB Station of the Year. Presently, Johnny serves as afternoon host with his wife, Stacey, at 91.9 WGTS in Washington D.C. winner of the 2021 NAB Marconi Award for Religious Station of the Year. Owner of StoneStudios, LLC. and as a 22-year veteran in Christian media, Johnny mentored several on-air talents. Today, along with his on-air role at WGTS, he mentors college students at CMBU, teaching and modeling the belief that “you have to win in the hallways to win on the airwaves.”
Lisa Williams was called to Christian radio while praying in 1990. She walked into KCVO in Camdenton, Missouri and started on the air that same week. Over the past 32 years, Lisa served in various roles in on-air, programming, fundraising, and station management at radio stations and networks including K-LOVE, Z88.3, Star 99.1, KCVO, and KCWN. As an on-air personality, Lisa earned several number one ratings in several markets and was the recipient of three industry awards. Lisa now serves as the Network Talent Coach for Northwestern Media, owner of 23 stations in 14 markets across ten states that service 1.5 million listeners each week. While at Northwestern, Lisa hosted the nationally syndicated show Life with Lisa Williams from 2016-2021. She stepped away from the show to focus on coaching more than 90 on-air talents, encouraging and nurturing them to shine the light of Christ through excellent radio. When she’s not coaching talent, Lisa helps stations raise money for their operations. She also hosts a Facebook group for women on-air in Christian radio called GodsRadioGirls and helps facilitate their annual retreat.