By Bill Cates
I just delivered a full-day referral program to a financial company in Atlanta. Right after lunch, before I was to resume the program, the leader of the firm challenged the 60 people in the room to take referral generation to the next level. She announced the formation of a 15 member Referral Study Group. She told the group that only people who attended my session were eligible to be a part of the group. She told them that while the group was limited to 15 people, she wouldn not necessarily pick 15 people. She stated that she intended to interview each applicant for group - to make sure they belonged.
I think creating this "exclusive group" is a brilliant move on her part. It brings out the competitive nature in her advisors, so they want to prove they belong.
She and I discussed what criteria she would use to decide who could join this elite Referral Study Group. Here are a few of the things we decided:
1. Hungry for new clients - everyone in this group needs to be in a growth mode.
2. Evidence they will implement - if an advisor has signed up for other initiatives in the past, but did not take the action necessary to produce results, she probably wouldn' t let them in this group.
3. Evidence of referability - to take full advantage of this Referral Study Group, the advisors needed to be referable. What's the point of getting them to be more proactive for referrals if they aren't highly referable? One barometer of their referability is that they are getting some referrals without asking for them.
4. Equal level of commitment - she wants to make sure everyone in the group starts with a high level of sustainable energy and commitment to acquiring more clients through referrals.
After my presentation, she told me that she already had enough people to form the group, but still intended on being picky. She only has so much time to devote to such a group and needed to make sure this initiative would be well worth everyone's time.
With this as the backdrop, here are a few thoughts about how to make your Referral Study Groups a success (or study group for any initiative).
Shared Commitment to Results
It is critical that every member of the group have a high- level commitment to producing results. With this, comes a high-level of commitment to stepping out of one's comfort zone. While it's not always easy to measure this, you must do your best. One thing that might help is to tell them that "quitting the group is not an option." Set the group to run about 6 months; meeting attendance is mandatory; and quitting is not an option. These three simple rules may help you separate the wheat from the chaff.
Practice and Coaching
One of the prime activities of a Referral Study Group is practice; role play; drill for skill - whatever you want to call it. I've been teaching my referral system for over 14 years and one of the critical post-training activities necessary to produce results is practice. Advisors need to write out their scripts and practice, practice, practice. Asking for referrals is not rocket science, it's all about confidence. The road to confidence is paved with practice.
Accountability
The other critical element to producing results after training (any training) is accountability. If the notion of acquiring more clients and making more money was enough motivation to ask for referrals, then people would be doing it without anyone's help. I wouldn not have a business. However, because there is a huge emotional component to the referral process (more on that in a second), most advisors need someone to help hold themselves accountable to the behavior necessary to produce sustained results.
The Referral Study Group is a perfect environment for accountability. Upon the formation of the group, each member should state their referral achievement goals. This achievement goal represents how many new clients through referrals they will work to acquire over a stated period of time, like 6 months or 12 months. This achievement goal should be a stretch from what they did the previous year, but also realistic/achievable.
Then, at each Study Group meeting each member will state the behavioral goals they plan on achieving between this meeting and the next. For instance, assuming a goal period of two weeks, an advisor might state his/her intention is to have a value discussion at every meeting, ask for referrals at 80% of the meetings, and have at least one lunch with a current or prospective center of influence.
At the beginning of each new study group meeting, the advisors will report on their accomplishments. This report is very simple. Did they meet their goal or not? You don't need a lot of song and dance here. You did it or you didn't. If the advisor didn't make the goal, the group has the obligation to find out why. Was it logistical or - more likely - fear? Sometimes this is enough accountability to produce results. Sometimes the accountability needs more teeth. (More on that in a few minutes.)
A Safe Place to Eliminate Barriers
I can assure you that the practice time, the goal setting, and the accountability will bring up just about every fear or other barrier an advisor might face related to being proactive for referrals. Any advisor not willing to take a look at his/her fears and blind spots in this area, isn't playing at the highest level of commitment.
Because of the huge emotional component to changing this behavior, you need to create a "safe place." The participants need to trust each other. They need to trust that each participant is willing to play at a high level and willing to bust through their barriers.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Radio drives brand browsing online
Radio listeners exposed to radio advertising for a specific brand, they are 52% more likely to include that brand-name in their internet browsing., claims new findings from the Radio Advertising Bureau.
The impact has an almost immediate effect on browsing . The research highlights that 58% of all browsing that was identified as being stimulated by radio takes place in 24 hours of exposure to advertising.
Other findings from the research showed that on average the brands involved in the study allocated only 10% of their total spend on media to radio.
Creative execution and a straightforward URL also were identified as vital factors in optimising radio's online multiplier effect.
The research is the first study of its kind measuring actual browsing behaviour of respondents that have been exposed to 'live' radio campaigns.
It was conducted by research companies Dollywagon Media Science (working with scientists and academics to exploit recent advances in mathematics and computer science) and research specialists Other Lines of Enquiry.
Twenty three brand campaigns were measured in the research which analysed the detailed internet browsing patterns of people who were exposed to a random sample of ‘live’ radio campaigns and comparing them to a sample of people who were not exposed.
“The internet has become an incredibly important interface for customer marketing but the problem is that it also allows access to all your rival’s brands which means the key challenge is to ensure that customers seek out your brand specifically – marketers are increasingly turning to offline media to direct consumers to their brands online,” said managing director at the Radio Advertising Bureau, Simon Redican.
Planning director at the Radio Advertising Bureau:, Mark Barber, added that the findings were highly significant for brands in markets where the internet provides the crucial final stage of customer buying .
“Radio advertising offers these brands the chance to “turbo charge” this part of the marketing process,” he added.
The impact has an almost immediate effect on browsing . The research highlights that 58% of all browsing that was identified as being stimulated by radio takes place in 24 hours of exposure to advertising.
Other findings from the research showed that on average the brands involved in the study allocated only 10% of their total spend on media to radio.
Creative execution and a straightforward URL also were identified as vital factors in optimising radio's online multiplier effect.
The research is the first study of its kind measuring actual browsing behaviour of respondents that have been exposed to 'live' radio campaigns.
It was conducted by research companies Dollywagon Media Science (working with scientists and academics to exploit recent advances in mathematics and computer science) and research specialists Other Lines of Enquiry.
Twenty three brand campaigns were measured in the research which analysed the detailed internet browsing patterns of people who were exposed to a random sample of ‘live’ radio campaigns and comparing them to a sample of people who were not exposed.
“The internet has become an incredibly important interface for customer marketing but the problem is that it also allows access to all your rival’s brands which means the key challenge is to ensure that customers seek out your brand specifically – marketers are increasingly turning to offline media to direct consumers to their brands online,” said managing director at the Radio Advertising Bureau, Simon Redican.
Planning director at the Radio Advertising Bureau:, Mark Barber, added that the findings were highly significant for brands in markets where the internet provides the crucial final stage of customer buying .
“Radio advertising offers these brands the chance to “turbo charge” this part of the marketing process,” he added.
Radio Advertising Advice – Keep it Simple
Let’s say you spent good money on a brochure. Several pages filled with features, benefits, facts, figures, call to action, contact info…oh yeah, paragraphs about who you are, what you do….the different services you provide, your product offerings…and the list goes on and on. Everything you believe a potential client would need or want to know about your business. Now you are interested in advertising on the radio.
Here’s a great radio advertising tip -
Don’t let your radio commercials end up like your brochure.
Advertising on the radio works best when it is simple and effective.
First…a given. If you are going to advertise on the radio. Make sure you have a product that has demand. In another article we discuss the topic of Direct Response Radio Advertising Mistakes: A Product No One Wants. With that said, lets move on to advertising on the radio assuming there is demand for your product or service.
Simplicity is the key to effective direct response radio advertising. Face it, when you are buying fifteen, thirty, even sixty seconds worth of radio advertising, you don’t have the time to create an audio brochure. Radio advertising is a powerful advertising medium, but can it work for you?
Yes it can. You just need to make sure your direct response radio advertising campaign is just that…DIRECT. When advertising on the radio, get right to the point. What is the problem your potential customers face? What is the solution? (Hopefully this is where you have inserted your company name). What benefit does your company provide that solves the problem? And most important of all…what would make me choose your company? Here is where the irresistible offer comes in. Direct response radio advertising is rooted in a foundation of “what’s in it for me”. Give me reason to call. A free offer…free sample…free estimate…deep discount…money back guarantee…whatever your feel is important to your potential customer. This offer helps “grease the skids” and provides a strong incentive to call or click.
And speaking of calls and clicks – If you are advertising on the radio, you must make your call to action clear, concise and memorable. In other words, if you are driving to a toll free number, make sure you are not advertising some random ten digits that are difficult to remember. Use vanity phone numbers. Vanity phone numbers provide sticking power in the listeners mind. What will you remember more – 1-800-I-ATE-A-BUG or 1-800-428-3228 (plus the extra useless digit)? You can use a combination of vanity numbers or words and number for tracking purposes. If you are directing your radio advertising campaign to a URL. Make sure it’s a simple domain name. No long URL’s with dashes and slashes and long strings of weird variables. Simple works better. And again, you can use a variety of simple domains for tracking. And make sure you mention your number or URL at least a couple of times throughout the radio commercial.
So what have you learned here?
When advertising on the radio, keep it simple. Get directly to the problem, the solution, the benefit, the irresistible offer, and the clear call to action. Keep this simple structure in mind, and your chances of success when advertising on the radio dramatically increase.
Here’s a great radio advertising tip -
Don’t let your radio commercials end up like your brochure.
Advertising on the radio works best when it is simple and effective.
First…a given. If you are going to advertise on the radio. Make sure you have a product that has demand. In another article we discuss the topic of Direct Response Radio Advertising Mistakes: A Product No One Wants. With that said, lets move on to advertising on the radio assuming there is demand for your product or service.
Simplicity is the key to effective direct response radio advertising. Face it, when you are buying fifteen, thirty, even sixty seconds worth of radio advertising, you don’t have the time to create an audio brochure. Radio advertising is a powerful advertising medium, but can it work for you?
Yes it can. You just need to make sure your direct response radio advertising campaign is just that…DIRECT. When advertising on the radio, get right to the point. What is the problem your potential customers face? What is the solution? (Hopefully this is where you have inserted your company name). What benefit does your company provide that solves the problem? And most important of all…what would make me choose your company? Here is where the irresistible offer comes in. Direct response radio advertising is rooted in a foundation of “what’s in it for me”. Give me reason to call. A free offer…free sample…free estimate…deep discount…money back guarantee…whatever your feel is important to your potential customer. This offer helps “grease the skids” and provides a strong incentive to call or click.
And speaking of calls and clicks – If you are advertising on the radio, you must make your call to action clear, concise and memorable. In other words, if you are driving to a toll free number, make sure you are not advertising some random ten digits that are difficult to remember. Use vanity phone numbers. Vanity phone numbers provide sticking power in the listeners mind. What will you remember more – 1-800-I-ATE-A-BUG or 1-800-428-3228 (plus the extra useless digit)? You can use a combination of vanity numbers or words and number for tracking purposes. If you are directing your radio advertising campaign to a URL. Make sure it’s a simple domain name. No long URL’s with dashes and slashes and long strings of weird variables. Simple works better. And again, you can use a variety of simple domains for tracking. And make sure you mention your number or URL at least a couple of times throughout the radio commercial.
So what have you learned here?
When advertising on the radio, keep it simple. Get directly to the problem, the solution, the benefit, the irresistible offer, and the clear call to action. Keep this simple structure in mind, and your chances of success when advertising on the radio dramatically increase.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Are You Paying Your PR Firm To Develop Their “Strategy” For Your Campaign?
Why “Strategy” Is One of The Biggest Boondoggles in PR
Marsha Friedman
Chief Executive Officer - EMSI
1127 Grove Street, Clearwater, FL 33755
www.emsincorporated.com
Good marketing people never do anything without a plan. That’s a given.
So, it stands to reason that good PR people shouldn’t embark on a program without a plan. The question is, how much should a client pay a firm for that plan?
That’s one of the most striking differences between pay-for-performance (PFP) firms and retainer-based firms. The good PFP agencies don’t pad their bills with extra fees for a strategy. The reason is, they get paid for media exposure and “strategy” is a requisite tool for successfully securing media.
Retainer firms set a standard monthly fee, and bill the client’s account by subtracting the hourly fees racked up by their team. Just like a law firm, agencies have different billing rates for different team members. A junior account rep who does the grunt work might bill against a retainer at $100 or $150 per hour, while a VP might bill in the $350 range. Even the administrative assistants get into the act, sometimes billing between $50 and $75 per hour. Because retainer-based firms have to account for each hour spent on the account, sometimes the agency will even bill out for the time it takes the administrative staff to pull together all the information for that report. That means that clients often pay between $100 and $150 just to have their monthly bill and report assembled.
Strategy, however, is the big ticket item, because it involves the senior staff. In many cases, they’ll hold hours-long strategy sessions with the client, utilizing specialists from other departments and at least one VP. If you add up the billable hours, one three-hour strategy session can cost a client upwards of $3,000 against their first month’s retainer.
In the pay-for-performance arena, strategy is a given, and the good firms don’t charge a line-item fee for it. After all, how can an agency book media without a strategy? That’s a key way that PFP firms represent a sizable advantage for their clients over their retainer firm counterparts.
I liken it to taking your car to a mechanic. Most reputable mechanics won’t charge you to look at your car to see what’s wrong. They’ll look at your car, develop a strategy to fix it, and then give you an estimate for the tactics they’ll use to fix it. They don’t hold a big meeting with their owner, manager and two or three top mechanics and then charge you for it. They just tell you what they think you should do, and then give you a price on what it will cost to get it done.
This is why PR agencies sometimes get a bad rap. It’s not just that some of them don’t deliver against their promises—it’s because they charge big money to develop a strategy that in some cases doesn’t even work. That’s one reason why PFP firms are a better bet—they generally don’t mark up the strategy, and they promise results and not just best efforts.
The bottom line is that when engaging a public relations firm you should expect—and insist—on a detailed explanation of exactly what services you will receive for monies spent. Question each item and take the time to ensure you understand everything, including what outcome you can expect at each step of your campaign. If the information doesn’t add up, keep looking for the firm that has the answers that make sense for you!
Marsha Friedman
Chief Executive Officer
1127 Grove Street, Clearwater, FL 33755
www.emsincorporated.com
Marsha Friedman
Chief Executive Officer - EMSI
1127 Grove Street, Clearwater, FL 33755
www.emsincorporated.com
Good marketing people never do anything without a plan. That’s a given.
So, it stands to reason that good PR people shouldn’t embark on a program without a plan. The question is, how much should a client pay a firm for that plan?
That’s one of the most striking differences between pay-for-performance (PFP) firms and retainer-based firms. The good PFP agencies don’t pad their bills with extra fees for a strategy. The reason is, they get paid for media exposure and “strategy” is a requisite tool for successfully securing media.
Retainer firms set a standard monthly fee, and bill the client’s account by subtracting the hourly fees racked up by their team. Just like a law firm, agencies have different billing rates for different team members. A junior account rep who does the grunt work might bill against a retainer at $100 or $150 per hour, while a VP might bill in the $350 range. Even the administrative assistants get into the act, sometimes billing between $50 and $75 per hour. Because retainer-based firms have to account for each hour spent on the account, sometimes the agency will even bill out for the time it takes the administrative staff to pull together all the information for that report. That means that clients often pay between $100 and $150 just to have their monthly bill and report assembled.
Strategy, however, is the big ticket item, because it involves the senior staff. In many cases, they’ll hold hours-long strategy sessions with the client, utilizing specialists from other departments and at least one VP. If you add up the billable hours, one three-hour strategy session can cost a client upwards of $3,000 against their first month’s retainer.
In the pay-for-performance arena, strategy is a given, and the good firms don’t charge a line-item fee for it. After all, how can an agency book media without a strategy? That’s a key way that PFP firms represent a sizable advantage for their clients over their retainer firm counterparts.
I liken it to taking your car to a mechanic. Most reputable mechanics won’t charge you to look at your car to see what’s wrong. They’ll look at your car, develop a strategy to fix it, and then give you an estimate for the tactics they’ll use to fix it. They don’t hold a big meeting with their owner, manager and two or three top mechanics and then charge you for it. They just tell you what they think you should do, and then give you a price on what it will cost to get it done.
This is why PR agencies sometimes get a bad rap. It’s not just that some of them don’t deliver against their promises—it’s because they charge big money to develop a strategy that in some cases doesn’t even work. That’s one reason why PFP firms are a better bet—they generally don’t mark up the strategy, and they promise results and not just best efforts.
The bottom line is that when engaging a public relations firm you should expect—and insist—on a detailed explanation of exactly what services you will receive for monies spent. Question each item and take the time to ensure you understand everything, including what outcome you can expect at each step of your campaign. If the information doesn’t add up, keep looking for the firm that has the answers that make sense for you!
Marsha Friedman
Chief Executive Officer
1127 Grove Street, Clearwater, FL 33755
www.emsincorporated.com
Monday, February 8, 2010
NEEDS ANALYSIS QUESTIONS FOR THE PROFESSIONAL MARKETER
These CNA questions are not meant to be used as a questionnaire with the client, but as samples to prepare your questions in advance of your first meeting with a prospect. Best practices for needs analysis meetings suggest you memorize as many questions as possible to keep your meeting conversational, but occasionally refer to your notes when you need a reminder.
Company:
1. How long have you been in this business?
2. How did you get started?
3. If relatively new, what did you do prior to this?
4. What’s most enjoyable about being in this business?
5. What’s least enjoyable about being in this business?
Products/Services:
1. Do you consider your products to be average quality? High-end? Low-end?
2. What are your best sellers? Worst sellers?
3. Anything you consider your specialty?
4. Anything you like to feature (maybe because of higher profit margin)?
Customers:
1. Who are your current customers?
a. %Male? % Female?
b. Average age?
c. Average income?
d. Typical profession
e. Typical level of education
2. Who would you like them to be?
a. %Male? % Female?
b. Average age?
c. Average income?
d. Typical profession
e. Typical level of education
3. Has your client base changed in the last year?
a. If so, why?
b. Was this a good change? Why or why not?
4. Do you anticipate any changes in your business that would affect your current customer profile?
5. From how far away do your customers typically come to shop?
a. Are you satisfied with this?
6. What is the average amount a typical customers spends each time they shop your store?
7. How much is a customer worth? (Amount they spend + number of referrals)
8. How would a typical customer describe the experience of shopping at your store?
9. What is the single largest misconception non-customers have about shopping with you?
Competition:
1. Who are your biggest competitors?
For each competitor:
2. Why do people shop there?
3. What are their primary competitive advantages?
4. What do they offer customers that you can’t or won’t?
5. Why do customers come to you?
6. What do you offer that your competitors can’t/won’t?
7. What is your single greatest competitive advantage?
8. What is your single greatest competitive disadvantage?
9. Do you anticipate any changes competitively? (New competition/old going out of business/new
product lines, etc)
Objectives:
1. Is your business experiencing the kind of growth you need/want? If not, why?
2. Do you have a positioning statement?
3. What do you feel is your unique selling position?
4. What is your primary business image: low price, large inventory, service, etc.?
5. What would you want your overall image to be, if different from above?
6. Do you feel there are any misconceptions about you/your business that you would like to address?
7. Could you describe you single biggest sales and marketing challenge?
8. How are you actively addressing this challenge?
9. How would you like to see you business change over the next 12 months?
Advertising:
1. What media do you currently use?
2. Which do you use most often?
For each medium:
3. How often do you typically use this medium?
4. What do you like best about this medium?
5. What do you like least about this medium?
6. What would you change about this medium?
7. What is your typical average monthly investment in this medium?
a. What percent of your monthly advertising budget does this represent?
8. Do you utilize co-op?
9. Are you taking advantage of discretionary vendor support?
10. Dates and names of all major sales events
11. Two strongest sales events and why they are the most successful?
Specific questions about Interactive:
12. Are you advertising on the Internet?
13. What is your goal for your website? Branding? Direct response? Providing information? Building your customer database?
14. How pleased are you with your website's results?
15. Are you selling goods or services through your website?
16. What do you like best about your website?
17. What would you change about your Interactive efforts if you could?
18. What are you doing with your database?
19. How are you promoting your website?
20. Who handles your Internet advertising and other new media advertising?
21. What kinds of results have you found with your Internet advertising?
22. What new media are you using for advertising? E-mail marketing? Search? Mobile marketing?
23. Who serves your Internet ads?
24. Are you using rich media? Audio? Video? Flash? Animation?
25. What size ads do you prefer?
26. What kinds of sites get you the best results?
Wrap-up:
1. Are there any other areas we should discuss before I begin to prepare some detailed analysis and
recommendations based on today’s meeting?
2. As I am collecting research on your industry over the next few days are there any areas of special
interest to you that I should research as well?
3. Are there any other individuals involved in making marketing and advertising decisions?
4. Do you have any advertising agency?
Company:
1. How long have you been in this business?
2. How did you get started?
3. If relatively new, what did you do prior to this?
4. What’s most enjoyable about being in this business?
5. What’s least enjoyable about being in this business?
Products/Services:
1. Do you consider your products to be average quality? High-end? Low-end?
2. What are your best sellers? Worst sellers?
3. Anything you consider your specialty?
4. Anything you like to feature (maybe because of higher profit margin)?
Customers:
1. Who are your current customers?
a. %Male? % Female?
b. Average age?
c. Average income?
d. Typical profession
e. Typical level of education
2. Who would you like them to be?
a. %Male? % Female?
b. Average age?
c. Average income?
d. Typical profession
e. Typical level of education
3. Has your client base changed in the last year?
a. If so, why?
b. Was this a good change? Why or why not?
4. Do you anticipate any changes in your business that would affect your current customer profile?
5. From how far away do your customers typically come to shop?
a. Are you satisfied with this?
6. What is the average amount a typical customers spends each time they shop your store?
7. How much is a customer worth? (Amount they spend + number of referrals)
8. How would a typical customer describe the experience of shopping at your store?
9. What is the single largest misconception non-customers have about shopping with you?
Competition:
1. Who are your biggest competitors?
For each competitor:
2. Why do people shop there?
3. What are their primary competitive advantages?
4. What do they offer customers that you can’t or won’t?
5. Why do customers come to you?
6. What do you offer that your competitors can’t/won’t?
7. What is your single greatest competitive advantage?
8. What is your single greatest competitive disadvantage?
9. Do you anticipate any changes competitively? (New competition/old going out of business/new
product lines, etc)
Objectives:
1. Is your business experiencing the kind of growth you need/want? If not, why?
2. Do you have a positioning statement?
3. What do you feel is your unique selling position?
4. What is your primary business image: low price, large inventory, service, etc.?
5. What would you want your overall image to be, if different from above?
6. Do you feel there are any misconceptions about you/your business that you would like to address?
7. Could you describe you single biggest sales and marketing challenge?
8. How are you actively addressing this challenge?
9. How would you like to see you business change over the next 12 months?
Advertising:
1. What media do you currently use?
2. Which do you use most often?
For each medium:
3. How often do you typically use this medium?
4. What do you like best about this medium?
5. What do you like least about this medium?
6. What would you change about this medium?
7. What is your typical average monthly investment in this medium?
a. What percent of your monthly advertising budget does this represent?
8. Do you utilize co-op?
9. Are you taking advantage of discretionary vendor support?
10. Dates and names of all major sales events
11. Two strongest sales events and why they are the most successful?
Specific questions about Interactive:
12. Are you advertising on the Internet?
13. What is your goal for your website? Branding? Direct response? Providing information? Building your customer database?
14. How pleased are you with your website's results?
15. Are you selling goods or services through your website?
16. What do you like best about your website?
17. What would you change about your Interactive efforts if you could?
18. What are you doing with your database?
19. How are you promoting your website?
20. Who handles your Internet advertising and other new media advertising?
21. What kinds of results have you found with your Internet advertising?
22. What new media are you using for advertising? E-mail marketing? Search? Mobile marketing?
23. Who serves your Internet ads?
24. Are you using rich media? Audio? Video? Flash? Animation?
25. What size ads do you prefer?
26. What kinds of sites get you the best results?
Wrap-up:
1. Are there any other areas we should discuss before I begin to prepare some detailed analysis and
recommendations based on today’s meeting?
2. As I am collecting research on your industry over the next few days are there any areas of special
interest to you that I should research as well?
3. Are there any other individuals involved in making marketing and advertising decisions?
4. Do you have any advertising agency?
Monday, February 1, 2010
Traditional Media Not Going Away: Why Radio, TV & Print Will Survive The Rise of the Internet
Posted by Marsha Friedman
President - EMSI Public Relations
With over three decades of experience in marketing and PR, in the last few years I have been awed and excited by the new opportunities afforded by the Internet. The explosion of Internet applications, such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, to name a few, has shifted and expanded the world of marketing and PR, and it will never be the same.
But, don’t expect the traditional media—newspapers, radio and TV—to disappear any time soon. Those who predict the death of traditional media could not be more wrong! In truth, the only really successful marketing campaigns must now embrace ALL media avenues, both offline (traditional) and online.
Irish playwright Eugene O’Neil once wrote, “There is no present or future, only the past happening over and over again—now.” That is what is happening with radio and, in fact, with all other traditional media now being thrown into the dead pool because of the rise of the Internet. In fact, the death of radio has been predicted on numerous occasions with the advent of 8-track cartridges, MTV, satellite broadcasting and the Internet…experts have claimed each would make radio obsolete or irrelevant.
We once used radio for everything. Then came television, and it was predicted by “well-informed people” that not only would radio die, but so would the movies!
But radio and movies are still here. Instead of dying, radio evolved and found a new niche. It would never again be the center of our living rooms, where families would gather to be entertained and informed, but it would survive as a music medium. Today, radio is as strong as ever— and even with a huge growth in the talk radio landscape!
And let’s talk about print. When the Seattle Post-Intelligencer scrapped its print edition in favor of an online-only version, people began predicting the same death of the print medium. But, in fact, the traditional print medium is thriving. Just as radio reinvented itself after the dawn of television, so has print in the age of the Internet. The print medium’s primary strength—beat reporters—still exists and their articles are printed in traditional publications AND are also posted on the Internet!
And I suppose that’s my point. As marketing gurus talk up the importance of social media marketing, search engine optimization, strong Web sites, blogging and other Internet-centered activities, we can’t omit traditional media from our marketing and PR strategy. People still listen to radio. People still watch TV. People still read print publications (both offline AND online). They are STILL the media, and they are NOT on life support.
Traditional media should still be the backbone of your efforts, but MUST be combined with online marketing and PR for maximum exposure. If you don’t cover all the bases, you will have missed the terrific cross-marketing opportunities enjoyed by savvy marketers who’ve embraced the synergy of a campaign that combines offline and online strategies!
President - EMSI Public Relations
With over three decades of experience in marketing and PR, in the last few years I have been awed and excited by the new opportunities afforded by the Internet. The explosion of Internet applications, such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, to name a few, has shifted and expanded the world of marketing and PR, and it will never be the same.
But, don’t expect the traditional media—newspapers, radio and TV—to disappear any time soon. Those who predict the death of traditional media could not be more wrong! In truth, the only really successful marketing campaigns must now embrace ALL media avenues, both offline (traditional) and online.
Irish playwright Eugene O’Neil once wrote, “There is no present or future, only the past happening over and over again—now.” That is what is happening with radio and, in fact, with all other traditional media now being thrown into the dead pool because of the rise of the Internet. In fact, the death of radio has been predicted on numerous occasions with the advent of 8-track cartridges, MTV, satellite broadcasting and the Internet…experts have claimed each would make radio obsolete or irrelevant.
We once used radio for everything. Then came television, and it was predicted by “well-informed people” that not only would radio die, but so would the movies!
But radio and movies are still here. Instead of dying, radio evolved and found a new niche. It would never again be the center of our living rooms, where families would gather to be entertained and informed, but it would survive as a music medium. Today, radio is as strong as ever— and even with a huge growth in the talk radio landscape!
And let’s talk about print. When the Seattle Post-Intelligencer scrapped its print edition in favor of an online-only version, people began predicting the same death of the print medium. But, in fact, the traditional print medium is thriving. Just as radio reinvented itself after the dawn of television, so has print in the age of the Internet. The print medium’s primary strength—beat reporters—still exists and their articles are printed in traditional publications AND are also posted on the Internet!
And I suppose that’s my point. As marketing gurus talk up the importance of social media marketing, search engine optimization, strong Web sites, blogging and other Internet-centered activities, we can’t omit traditional media from our marketing and PR strategy. People still listen to radio. People still watch TV. People still read print publications (both offline AND online). They are STILL the media, and they are NOT on life support.
Traditional media should still be the backbone of your efforts, but MUST be combined with online marketing and PR for maximum exposure. If you don’t cover all the bases, you will have missed the terrific cross-marketing opportunities enjoyed by savvy marketers who’ve embraced the synergy of a campaign that combines offline and online strategies!
Producing Radio Ads to Promote Your Business
In 30 or 60 seconds, a good radio ad grabs attention, involves a listener, sounds believable, creates a mental picture, spins a story, calls for action, and manages to keep the product on center stage and the customer in the spotlight — all without sounding pushy, screamy, obnoxious, or boring.
Writing to be heard
Great writers tell you to write out loud when you create radio ads. Here's how:
• Use straightforward language that is written exactly how people talk.
• Write to the pace people talk, not to the pace at which they read.
• Cut extra verbiage. You wouldn't say indeed, thus, moreover, or therefore if you were explaining something exciting to a friend, so don't do it in your radio script, either.
• Rewrite elaborately constructed sentences. Don't expect listeners to track through phrases linked together with who, which, and whereas. Instead of The new fashions, which just came off the Paris runways where they made international news, are due to arrive in Chicago tomorrow at noon try The newest Paris runway fashions arrive in Chicago tomorrow at noon. You're invited to a premiere of the world's leading looks.
• Tell listeners what to do next. Prepare them to take down your phone number (Have a pencil handy?), or at least repeat your number for them. Most important, help them remember your name so they can find you in the phone book or online. (Warning: Don't waste radio time telling people to look us up in the Yellow Pages, especially if your competitors overshadow your presence there.)
Do's and Don'ts
Use the following checklist of ideas to employ and landmines to avoid:
• Do stick with a single theme in each ad.
• Do make a simple offer that calls for immediate action.
• Do generate leads by making no-risk offers for free estimates, free brochures, or free information.
• Do use radio as a complement to other advertising: Look for our coupon in Friday's paper.
• Do say your name three times.
• Don't expect the ad to make the sale; use it to make the contact.
• Don't advertise products with a bunch of disclaimers.
• Don't use incomprehensible jingles.
• Don't talk to yourself. ("We've been in business 25 years; We're excited over our new inventory; We're open until 10P)
Turn every statement into a consumer benefit if you want to hold listener attention — and you do!
Writing to be heard
Great writers tell you to write out loud when you create radio ads. Here's how:
• Use straightforward language that is written exactly how people talk.
• Write to the pace people talk, not to the pace at which they read.
• Cut extra verbiage. You wouldn't say indeed, thus, moreover, or therefore if you were explaining something exciting to a friend, so don't do it in your radio script, either.
• Rewrite elaborately constructed sentences. Don't expect listeners to track through phrases linked together with who, which, and whereas. Instead of The new fashions, which just came off the Paris runways where they made international news, are due to arrive in Chicago tomorrow at noon try The newest Paris runway fashions arrive in Chicago tomorrow at noon. You're invited to a premiere of the world's leading looks.
• Tell listeners what to do next. Prepare them to take down your phone number (Have a pencil handy?), or at least repeat your number for them. Most important, help them remember your name so they can find you in the phone book or online. (Warning: Don't waste radio time telling people to look us up in the Yellow Pages, especially if your competitors overshadow your presence there.)
Do's and Don'ts
Use the following checklist of ideas to employ and landmines to avoid:
• Do stick with a single theme in each ad.
• Do make a simple offer that calls for immediate action.
• Do generate leads by making no-risk offers for free estimates, free brochures, or free information.
• Do use radio as a complement to other advertising: Look for our coupon in Friday's paper.
• Do say your name three times.
• Don't expect the ad to make the sale; use it to make the contact.
• Don't advertise products with a bunch of disclaimers.
• Don't use incomprehensible jingles.
• Don't talk to yourself. ("We've been in business 25 years; We're excited over our new inventory; We're open until 10P)
Turn every statement into a consumer benefit if you want to hold listener attention — and you do!
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