Localizers And Localism

These two words seem similar ... and they are both essential to building your audience. Knowing the difference is the key to success.

Localizers are ways you signal your location to your audience. Town names in weather, the region's name in your positioning statement, and even your legal ID serve this role. Letting listeners know where you are is part of the comfort zone you build with them. Each hour of your programming should have at least four such localizers, and your web page should also be clear about your location identity. Have you ever searched station websites and not been able to tell what city the stations were in without going to the "Contact Us" page?

Localism is a bigger goal. It adds relationship to identity. Owning a local event (like 102.9 The Z Branson Country Concerts) not only tells where you are, but that you are a big part of all things local. That means that even a light user knows to tune in if they suddenly need local info, weather, etc. It also turns casual users into true fans.

In addition, localism is found in talent content, news content, promotions, and cause marketing. Knowing what touches your audience and delivering that content is vital - the interesting content that Pandora and Sirius cannot provide.