Do Radio the Chick Fil A Way,

What phrase is Chick Fil A famous for saying? I’ll give you a moment to think or phone a friend. (Cue Jeopardy theme and let it ride….) OK. Time’s up. “My pleasure.” While it may not ALWAYS be their pleasure, it’s hard to tell as a customer. In fact, as somebody who frequents CFA too much (their Chicken Mini’s have contributed to my not-so-Mini figure), I’ve only had two negative experiences with them. TWO. EVER. Out of likely 100 or more visits in my lifetime! And of those two, one of them was at a Chick Fil A in Philadelphia, which is practically East Coast where it’s kind of the law to be a tad rude, right? A few years ago, the Christian Music Broadcasters group took some industry folks to Chick Fil A’s HQ in Atlanta. I took notes for you! Their mindset behind “my pleasure” can help turn your passive listeners into engaged fans.

I’m literally pasting my notes from CFA’s John Mattioli. Most of the words below are his. With an occasional pop in from me to connect his point directly to radio.

“Emotional Connections Marketing Experiences”

There is a need to differentiate. Be remarkable.

Our connection to our audience/consumers is not transactional, it’s relational. In turn, great relationships can turn into great profit. Create value for both sides. (Mainstream stations have turned themselves into emotionless commodities. Goodness, even Spotify and other streaming options cannot scratch the surface of what Christian radio is capable of.)

1. Anticipate. It’s like that slow rise of a big roller coaster. How are you creating anticipation for your event/project/product? (Radio: are you teasing? Pre-promoting things that matter? Setting listening appointments? Utilizing your off-air assets like social media?)


2. Casting. Who does what matters. What are the roles required to pull off your experience? Cast your talent accordingly. Ask “who’s the only one who can _____?”
   • This is essentially the “Good to Great” approach: are the right people in the right seats on the bus? At our stations, we evaluate this regularly and give our team members chances to be part of things nobody besides them could pull off well.
3. Personalize. The more personal the experience, the more powerful. How can your experience be the most personal possible?
   • Idea: what if you uploaded the audio of every contest winner on your station to Soundcloud, and then emailed them the link so they could share it with their friends and family?
   • Brag on my team moment: Check this video out. One of our shows cooked up a surprise visit for one of our listeners from Matt Maher. Not only will SHE never forget it...the thousands who watched the video won’t soon forget it either. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67VioBNYRGw
4. Honoring. How do you treat people like VIP’s?
   • When our hip hop station had its birthday concert last year, our afternoon DJ had the idea that every single person who entered the venue would get personally greeted and offered a high 5 from somebody on our team. As the doors opened, we literally cheered for our audience as they came in. The love they gave back, the delight and surprised looks on their faces was unforgettable. Maybe don’t do THIS idea until Corona virus has retreated. But do ask yourself and your team how you can show love to your audience at events, but also on-air.
5. Sharing. How do we create memories people want to spread?
   • This is easier than ever now thanks to video, smart phones, and social media
6. Commemorating. Is there something your audience can keep that will leave their mark on their experience with you? They’ll tell others and they’ll want to revisit. (In radio’s case, listen more.)
   • For our stations, it’s often our branded merch. Some of it commemorates significant fundraising milestones (like when we raised the final payment for our AC station’s signal purchase). Other times, it’s connected to ministry efforts. (When we do certain prayer focuses, we give out thousands of “Pray with JOY” bracelets to help remind listeners to pray and to reinforce their connection to JOY FM’s community.)

Great moments and raving radio fans don’t happen by accident. We have to get out of our daily grinds and give ourselves enough time and space to dream up things no other brand but yours can do well. If you’re ever in St. Louis, let’s grab some Chicken Mini’s and dream together!