Everything in the World revolves around the internet. Think about that for a little while. Its very very true. We are a WORLD right now that has evolved into a technological World. Did you know there are more activated cell phones being paid for in Australia than there are people? Did you know that VIDEO GAMES make more money every year than MOVIES? They have since the year 2000. Pretty wild huh? If you have a show, you need to have a website. Some of you don't want to hear that because you don't want to do it, but you really should. There is software out there if you don't want to learn code. Learning code these days is a breeze if you really want to do it.
Having a website drives traffic to your show. I have hundreds and hundreds of new listeners just because of this site. I market the site, which markets ME and the SHOW. There's no getting around not having a website. It doesn't even have to be anything elaborate. Just throw up some info about you. Maybe you could put up some audio as a teaser to your show. Be creative, but the object of that site should be A) entice people to tune into your show and B) entertain or inform people with your site. I get asked fairly often why I spend so much time on the website here. People ask why I do so much that isn't related to me or the show. That's an easy question to answer. If someone visits the site 4 times per week and there's only one update, what does that tell the person? It gives them the opinion that the show must be repetitive and boring. (Sometimes it is, lol) If people come by and see something different everyday, they understand that I keep up with the very latest thing that's going on on the internet and in the World. I came to that conclusion on my own with my own personal experience. If I go to a show's website and they have updates often, I am MUCH more apt to listen to them or visit the website. If you're going to have a website, use it!
Radio, as in old terrestrial radio, MUST MUST MUST embrace modern technology. If you're website stinks, chances are your radio station does too. Radio is knee jerky to things around it. DON'T YOU EVER BECOME THAT WAY. Always study the latest and greatest things. Find them and use them. You don't have to become an expert programmer! You DO have to keep up though!
Your website should be the side car. If you talk about something on your show, PUT IT ON THE SITE! If you play an audio clip from CNN, put it on the site. If you do something really funny or something compelling, PUT IT ON THE SITE. If you put it on the site, it gives visitors the ability to forward that link to their friends. Their friends may listen to the show. Then THEIR friends may get the link and listen. It all BUILDS, and now days, people never talk to each other. EVERYone has a gadget shoved in their face, texting...they email incessantly. EVERYthing, as you know, is done electronically.
I've grown my website to getting near 4,000 unique viewers per day from getting 3 to 500 a day by marketing the site on a few other websites. Seek out ways that you can market your site, and watch your audience grow. Once you build up a nice base of listeners, there will be some that can help you market your show and site that you never dreamt of. If you win people over, the help will come, but YOU HAVE TO START!
Obviously, we want to have a good show or none of this matters, but I wanted to bust out this pro tip early so that you can really give the project of making a website some time and thought. It doesn't happen overnight, but can be done quicker and more easily as you may think if you've never done it. While thinking about your show and website, think of the image you want to portray before ever turning on a mic, telephone or computer. Spend HOURS and HOURS mulling it all over before you commit! MAKE SURE YOU TAKE THAT ADVICE!!