|
|
 |
Go Ahead Im Listening
In today's fast paced environment, interaction with family and friends is often relegated to a few left over minutes here and there, leaving many people feeling isolated. Radio fills the gap. Radio provides a one on one emotional experience. It creates a connection that is a personal and unique experience for each listener. It's just you and the voice on the radio, speaking to you. TV and print media are mass media. Eliciting an emotional response from print is almost an impossibility. TV is emotional but not personal. You know it's you and the thousands of others who are watching, besides which it's beyond the budget of many businesses. As an advertiser, you have an opportunity to speak directly to your customer, using words and phrases that have meaning for them. Radio can relate messages that have synergy with campaigns in other media, but shouldn't be written in the same style. Effective radio is a conversation with the customer. It's your chance to tell a story. How interesting would you find a story that started with the company name or, " We have friendly, knowledgeable staff. Stop in and see us. We have 20 colours of sofas in a variety of sizes and styles." Boring isn't it? So why do so many advertisers do it? It's easy to talk about your business and what you want to sell. It takes more time and effort to find out what your customer wants and talk in terms of their buying motivation, but it's worth it. It's easier to get quick results by announcing a sale, than it is to build a relationship with the consumer. Where do you think those sale shoppers will be when your competition is having a sale, not at your business I bet? Another of radio's great strengths is its ability to reach a defined market segment. When you buy newspaper advertising, you buy the whole and very general readership, all the demographics and special interest groups. Now it's not a bad thing to reach more people, but if you have a limited budget you can spend it very quickly in your daily paper, on one ad,?. one day, ?.one time. That's not great frequency and just hit and miss reach. What if your best prospects don't read the paper on the day your ad runs? Radio gives you an opportunity to target the age and interests of your segment of the market. With a budget large enough to cover the cost of a reasonable sized ad in your daily newspaper, you can buy a whole week of radio commercials. Don't get put off by commercial prices at the top stations. It is not about reaching a huge number of prospects a few times. It's about reaching a smaller number of listeners enough times for them to think they know and like you, and want to do business with you. Spend time and money creating a message that conveys a message your customers can relate to. Have you ever bought something you just had to have, and then gone home and explained logically to a family member why it was an essential? You bought on emotion and justified with logic, the same thing your customer does. Forget generic when it comes to radio. This is one time it pays to get personal. In the US the norm is 60 seconds for a radio commercial in Canada 30 seconds. If you've got a great story to tell and you're a good storyteller, then use 60 seconds otherwise the shorter commercial is better. The only thing worse than boring the listener for 30 seconds, is boring them for 60. Frequency to raise awareness for your business name and purpose in speaking to them can be achieved economically by adding a schedule of sponsorships and/or 10-15 second messages. This is an example of a 30 second radio script that connected with the customer. How do we know it was good? Sales increased. Unbeknownst to your co-workers, you are a connoisseur. Sure, you have tattoos and a problem finding your inner-self, but you crave adventure and You! Know! Food! So, in this world of new awareness, reward yourself with a world of flavours. Wrapzone. An ambrosia of foods, and devilish sauces harmoniously heaped on a tortilla. The silver gift wrap is free every day! Experience-Full-Fillment. Wrapzone. On radio, as in all your advertising, you need to keep it simple. A soliloquy well read is much more effective than something with too many words, multiple focus, lots of sound effects or a conversation between a two or more people. Points to remember: Radio is an opportunity, use it to your advantage, some of your competitors never will. Negotiate; the price isn't always the price. Don't get too hung up on the price per commercial. Ask for pre-emptable no charge commercials to augment your campaign. Find out when your commercials will run. If you choose a station based on the number of commercials included in a package make sure they are not bumping up the numbers by running them all 6pm - 5am. If you have a small budget focus on one daypart to increase the number of times a listener hears your message. Writing and production are included in the price but that doesn't mean the message they create for you will be effective. You need to be involved in the creative process. You can be too creative. Don't make listeners strain to try to figure out what you are saying. If you haven't got the budget to do a heavy enough campaign to make an impact, save your money until you do. Ask how the station schedules their commercials. If they have long commercial blocks you have to work especially hard to stand out from the 5 or 6 (or more) other messages. Keep your message simple. Nancy Fraser worked in radio for over 20 years. She owned and operated her own specialty retail store, and held Management and Sales Executive positions in media and communications. Free information and tools on effective advertising and marketing are available in Notable News at http://www.notable-marketing.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Advertising - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Does Post Card Advertising Really Work? You've decided to try advertising your business with post cards. The idea came to you from the post cards you receive from other businesses. Does Your Brochure Pass the Test - Or is It Headed for the Trash? Part One The decision on whether or not someone will read your brochure is usually decided in the first 5 seconds they look at it. What kind of message are you communicating in that five seconds? Will you make a favorable impression with your prospect? Will you move your prospect closer to the sale?There are really only two key elements that will determine how well your brochure is received by prospects. Is Advertising Art? Oh Grand and Glorious Southern Guru, I am perplexed. What ails thee, my peabrained little grasshopper? My sleep has been short, my walls have been climbed, my hair has been pulled. Add More Pizzazz To Your Ad For More Profits I recently completed a Marketing Makeover for an Ad that wasn't generating results for the owner of a Piano Tuning Business.Here is the original ad:======================================== A BETTER PIANOA well tuned and adjusted piano is a beautiful instrument. Electronic Score Boards Wide range of electronic Key venues around the globe has turned to Electronic score boards that not only look breathtaking from every angle and distance, but provide consistently reliable performance year in and year out.Different type of sports including athletics, track cycling, running events, street cycling and mountain bike, swimming, synchronized swimming, diving as well as inline skating, water polo, ball spots, motor sports, alpine skiing, cross country and biathlon are some of the areas where Electronic score boards perfect fits solutions for. Predictions for 2010 2005 puts us at the mid-point of the first decade of the new millenium. What will things look like at the end of the 1st decade of the new millenium in the world of advertising? I thought I'd project where the ad industry is headed and what 2010 (or sooner) might look like. Why I Like The Ads I Hate! It's been said that the antidote to liking/loving is not hating, but indifference. So, when an ad makes you angry or disgusted or evokes any other strong emotion, it has done it's job. A Quick And Easy Way Of Getting More Customers From Every Single Ad You Write... Guaranteed! FACT: Most people don't spend anywhere near enough time on creating a strong, compelling headline.Which is why many copywriting experts. Five Characteristics of Highly Successful Advertising Have you ever spent a small fortune on advertising that generated disappointment rather than sales?Many small business owners have been down the road of flat advertising results and are at a loss when it comes to developing new ideas to improve the response to their ads.Whether you run ads in your local newspaper, your industry's top periodical or on-line, you need your investment in advertising to pay for itself, and then some, in order to justify its cost. What Happened? Troubleshooting Poor Response from Ad Campaigns Too many small business owners today run ad campaigns that get little to no results, and they have no idea why. When you have the knowledge to troubleshoot the poor responses, you also have the knowledge to make the needed changes so that - next time - your sales improve! Let's take a look at the breakdown of an ad campaign, and how to determine what went wrong. Business Cards: Why Waste Valuable Space? So many business people neglect this valuable asset that may be used for a multitude of messages.Don't fall for the trap of supplying a "scribbler" for others that virtually guarantees your card will be in the "round file" sooner rather than later. Boost Headline Believability With Specifics Don't use vague generalities in your headlines. Be as specific as possible. How To Create Instantly Compelling Ads Every Time Use This Quick 3-Question Evaluation Process, So You Can Be Sure Your Message Will Sell!EVALUATION #1: "Well, I Would Hope So!" When you make a claim, don't think about it in terms of words coming out of your mouth. Think of it in terms of words entering your prospects ears. Secrets to Get Free Advertising The opportunities to get free advertising for your product or services are limited only by your own imagination and energies. There are so many proven ways of promoting your objectives without cost that it literally boggles the mind just to think of listing them. Advertising on a Budget -- Part 2: Thinking Small This is the second article of a three-part series. I'm illustrating the marketing challenges of a small business, PrescottWeddings. Raising Funds For Your Nonprofit Using An Annual Direct Mail Program A good annual direct mail solicitation program can produce unrestrictive operating funds for your nonprofit organization year after year. And such an annual direct mail program, if done right, should produce more funding for your organization each year. 5 Newspaper Advertising Myths Revealed What I'm about to reveal are myths that most people think are 'true.'They seem set in stone yet they are deadly to the advertiser. Fax Broadcast Services Get Your Message to Millions If your company is one of those innovative businesses that has taken advantage of new fax broadcasting technologies to get your message out, you've probably come to realize that the fax broadcasting services industry is ever-changing and new developments are coming out all the time.It's pretty much a full-time job just to manage a fax broadcast database of any size, not to mention keeping the related fax broadcasting software updated and operational. Hit Them With Benefits More about advertising from BIG Mike McDanielIt makes no difference what media you use to advertise, the rules are the same. Benefits, benefits, benefits. Advertising - Does it Matter? When advertising, you need to sell your opportunity, your products and yourself. What sets you apart from everyone else? Maybe you produce a newsletter with a specific content where there is a demand from a particular group of people, or you promote your own special product that no one have not yet seen.
|
|
Home | Marketing eCourse | Online Marketing Kit | Web Hosting | Links | ClickBank Portal Advertising Information | Blogging & RSS | Branding Information | Copywriting | Traffic Building Email Marketing | Ezine Publishing | Site Promotion | PPC Advertising | E-Books |
| Copywrite © 2006 www.AdAdvantageSuccess.com All Rights Reserved. |
