Shut up and lose - Dave Thackeray

I do a lot of talking, and after reading Stephen Rappaport?s excellent Listen First! book, I also try and squeeze in as much eartime as I can these days, too.

And it?s just as well, because what I?m hearing on repeat from so many business owners, fearful of the required change in mindset and application triggered by internet ubiquity, is finding an audience to match the commercial offering.

Most had just about figured their ideal customer. Now competition has grown exponentially and face-to-face transactions are on the slide, they?re obliged to seek ways of attracting customers through their digital doors.

And now we?re dealing with a whole new kettle of fish. Newspaper advertising worked for us in the 1990s, and we were cosying up to leaflet drops.

Now it?s electronic newsletters, blogs, anything to set ourselves ahead of the others vying for customer attention.

But there?s one secret weapon that isn?t secret any more. Not to you and me, any way ? and that?s all that matters right now.

What can?t you see that?s up a third?

Riddles aside, let?s shoot for Internet radio.

Consumption of all radio forms online is up 30% year on year, according to The Infinite Dial 2012: Navigating Digital Platforms, an annual ?state of the nation? report produced by Arbitron Inc and Edison Research.

It makes sense. Foisted upon by the digital melee, where information overload is an unsettling fact of life in 2012, people strive for constants, and traditional diversions.

You the content concierge

They look for filters, content concierges, answers that aren?t cloaked or buried 15 pages deep.

A couple of days ago Stitcher, producer of the vaunted radio smartphone app, launched Smart Stations. Stitcher aggregates podcasts and selected radio stations broadcasting online.

Through its latest app release, Stitcher paints a picture of who you are based on the shows you thumb-up or thumb-down, share across social streams, and those you add to your own Favorite Channels. In time, a Smart Station appears offering you a permanent feed of web radio shows tailored to the way you live your life.

It?s one step closer to the independent content creator?s dream of bringing their business to life and building customer communities founded on trust, engagement and loyalty. Of the social graph helping you float closer to the customers who believe in what you do, and need what you sell.

We?ve all tried blogging, and we all know the merits of long-term commitment to platforms where our customers of today and tomorrow like to hang out.

But so few of us have tried bringing our message to life using web radio, or ?podcasting?. And if you?re looking for a hot tip from me about tapping into the addictive appeal of ?theatre of the mind?, and virtually being there through sharing your business, philosophies and experiences with people who care, then I?d give it some serious thought.

Because it isn?t our products selling any more ? it?s our personalities. And it?s fear of expressing ourselves that?s keeping the shelves stacked.

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