EGM: Another Opportunity For Bonding

46° - clear at 8:45pm

Up late one night last week perusing the web I came across John Moore's Brand Autopsy blog - and a post on EGM: Employee Generated Media.

John writes here about a recent Wall Street Journal article on employees who are permitted (and encouraged) to make videos about personal experiences working for the companies they do.

These videos are then posted on You Tube and used during compus recruitment efforts. Pretty bold, eh?

What could your station do with EGM on your website? To further bond with listeners - with content that you simply can't do on-air.

Some are already involved in EGM through airstaff blogging. An example here from Buffalo's WGRF. Another here from WCSX/Detroit. And this from WBFX/Grand Rapids.

This all goes beyond the typical silly stale DJ bios you find on so many station websites. These are air personalities writing a little about their personal lives in a way they could never do on the air. The key is fresh material on a regular basis.

There's a large portion of your audience who would love to know your airstaff better. And I don't mean the stalkers.

What about the next level? What if you gave your air personalities video cameras? What if you gave your interns a video camera and turned them loose?

Think video that took listeners behind the scenes of your radio station. Talking to different employees from the receptionist to the program director to the chief engineer. In the studio when the mic is off. Video shot around your market.

Brainstorm the possibilities that you could stream on your website.

Back in February - I mentioned this video from longtime friend Tom Becka - who hosts afternoon drive at talk KFAB/Omaha.

Tom's video is a great example of web content that breaks down that wall between performer and audience. I'm betting there's a few other great radio station examples on the web too.

Production values aren't critical in this You Tube era (content is key); and digital editing software for both Macs and PCs is pretty reasonable these days. Find the college intern with the experience.

I wouldn't micro-manage this project. Beyond a few ground rules, let those producing and shooting make it personal. It needs to be.

Video and blogging is all about sharing ourselves with the audience. Friends share stories and their lives with each other. And friends like to hang with friends. Its all about bonding and building relationships.

Its a listener option unavailable with iPods and Rhapsody playlists. And it might just drive some additional website traffic.

More John Moore: "Is it a scary for you to consider having employees make short videos about the experiences at your company? Are you afraid of what they will say? Are you afraid they will be off-message and off-brand?"

"If so, sounds like you have some work that must be done to improve the employee experience at your company."

See & bookmark John's Brand Autopsy blog here.