Regardless of format the key to sustained successful programming is conversion. That is converting cume listening into core listening. In Arbitron language conversion is defined as getting P2 listeners to become P1 without alienating current P1. In marketing terms, conversion is the process of building loyalty. Marketers define loyalty as a commitment on the part of the customer to make a sustained investment in an ongoing relationship with the radio station.
Loyalty is a word that's thrown out a lot in our business.
Programmers and General Managers love the idea of loyalty marketing. But before you spend your money and time implementing loyalty marketing tactics, let's review what loyalty is, how it's shaped, and how to affect it via your on-air product. Burke Customer Satisfaction Associates studies loyalty for consumer products. In a recent article for American Demographics, two researchers for Burke observe how loyalty is misinterpreted by many marketing managers. Satisfaction drives loyalty but, in and of itself, is not the same thing.