Month: July 2011

Is Radio Advertising Like TV Advertising?

/ Duane Christensen

She asked, “Is radio advertising kind of like TV advertising?”…

I said, yeah, except you can afford to buy more ads on radio, radio production is free, and it’s pretty tough to reach a solid number of people consistently with TV.

She said, “Sure, radio production is free, but is radio production really that good?”  I said, it IS at Results Radio. And you have to make sure you change your ads up at least every 6 weeks. You see the same local TV spots airing for 12 months or more because average TV production costs too much for the small business.  BUT “production” isn’t the most important ingredient in successful advertising.

She said, “It’s how many people you reach, isn’t it?”  I said, No.  Because does it really matter if I reach a lot of people, when I have nothing good to say?  The most important ingredient is a combination of a couple things.  #1:  What you SAY in the ads… AND  #2:  The overall strategy (how will you position yourself in the minds of the public).

She asked, “So, you’re confident that you can help me grow my business?”

I am. If you have the inside of your business running pretty smoothly, I can help. All advertising does is speed up what was likely to happen anyway. If you’re already creating happy customers, good advertising will help you create more of them. If you’re creating unhappy customers, advertising will bring more people to you and your unhappy customers will increase along with bad word of mouth. So, make sure you’re churning out happy customers that will come back to you when they need you…then you can be confident that good advertising will get you to your goal.

Have a great day!

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media – Sioux Falls

605-940-7984

My work website: http://duanechristensen.townsquareinteractive.com/ (And if you’d like a business website like this, or nothing like this, give me a shout. I’ll point you in the right direction)

And if you have questions about the cost of radio advertising, which radio stations would be a good fit, or how to get started attracting more customers, don’t be afraid to ask. I like to help good businesses take a bigger slice of the market.

What Is Advertising’s Magic Bullet?

/ Duane Christensen

What’s the magic bullet when it comes to making your advertising work?

What’s the one thing that will really punch your business up to the next level and blow the doors off of every other marketing tactic you’ve ever attempted?

  • Is it 10,000 Facebook fans???
  • Is it 35 billboards scattered across the city???
  • Is it cheap prices???
  • Is it “reaching” 100,000 or 200,000 people with your message???
  • ?????????

In my experience with helping local businesses attract new customers…it’s all about your STORY.  It’s about putting emotion into the radio ads that people can relate with and really feel. When you let people know that your business is operated by real people with true passion and understanding…good things happen. You’ll get new customers when your integrity and “realness” shines through.

So, the magic bullet isn’t anything tangible. It’s not how many people you’re reaching. It’s all about portraying your passion for helping your customers.  It’s about getting people to say, “Hey, that’s me! That’s exactly how I feel.”

But there’s more to doing that than just saying, “Hi there. I love what I do and I can’t wait to help you today!” There are ways to get your advertising message across that cuts through people’s internal B.S. meter. Yes, we have a B.S. meter in our brains. The more intelligent a person is…the more sensitive their B.S. meter. And everyone’s meter has become more sensitive in general when it comes to advertising messages…because we’ve been lied to in advertising. We’ve seen and heard ads that are intentionally deceptive. Our guard is up. It takes a heck of a lot more today than it did 15 or 20 years ago to make your advertising really kick butt. And by MORE, I don’t mean more advertising budget, I mean a better advertising MESSAGE.

I’m still kicking and screaming in this crazy business because…

My mission is to help small business owners cut the fat from their advertising…and create something real that their future customers can hold on to.  I don’t want your advertising to only work on the people who need you now.  I want your advertising to affect people deeply enough to remember you 6 months from now.

If you’ve never experienced advertising that brings you new faces consistently…let’s get together and I’ll share with you how it’s done.

And if YOU have found the magic bullet in business, advertising/marketing, etc…please SHARE!  : )

Thanks for listening! 

Have a great day!

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media – Sioux Falls

605-940-7984

My work website: http://duanechristensen.townsquareinteractive.com/ (And if you’d like a business website like this, or nothing like this, give me a shout. I’ll point you in the right direction)

And if you have questions about the cost of radio advertising, which radio stations would be a good fit, marketing in general, or how to get started attracting more customers, don’t be afraid to ask. I like to help good businesses take a bigger slice of the market.

Five Results To Expect From Great Radio Ads…That You Didn’t Expect

/ Duane Christensen

Which ads are the ones that really work great?

Which ads are the ones that bring in the cash?

Here are 5 results you can expect (that you didn’t expect) from great ads…

  1. They offend a few people.
  2. They make people go, “Did he just say that?”
  3. They snap people out of their trance.
  4. They cause people to re-think what they thought was true.
  5. They challenge tradition.

Words can fire people up. Words can make people think differently. So, let’s use words and combinations of words in your advertising that make people stop and take notice of you. It’s better than them NOT noticing you, right? Because that’s what most advertising is. It goes unnoticed. Or if by chance it IS noticed…it’s forgettable.

Bad advertising = Blah, boring, and safe.

Good advertising = NOT blah, not boring, and not 100% safe.

Great advertising = Connecting with the people you’re looking for in a way that makes them feel awesome about your company.

Every ad medium has ads that are good, bad, and totally idiotic. Radio, TV, Billboards, Yellow Pages, Internet, etc. It’s not the ad medium that’s at fault. It’s the person that’s crafting the ad messages. Of course, I like radio because I get to hear from my happy clients consistently about the positive effects it has on their business.  And when radio is done right, it can do things for your business more efficiently and effectively than anything else I’ve seen.

Be honest with yourself. If your advertising is BAD (blah, boring, and safe), then it’s like putting hundred-dollar bills through the shredder. Good advertising has very little to do with the “production” of it. But everything to do with what you’re saying to the people you’re trying to talk to.

Have a GROOVY day!

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media – Sioux Falls

605-940-7984

My work website: http://duanechristensen.townsquareinteractive.com/ (And if you’d like a business website like this, or nothing like this, give me a shout. I’ll point you in the right direction)

And if you have questions about the cost of radio advertising, which radio stations would be a good fit, marketing in general, or how to get started attracting more customers, don’t be afraid to ask. I like to help good businesses take a bigger slice of the market.

Traditional Media for Small Business (brick and mortar)

/ Duane Christensen

Radio, TV, Print, and Billboard. These are the main local advertising options you have. (we’re not talking digital or anything internet – I’ll tackle that beast later. Ok, quickly, digital ads are just print ads on steroids)

If I’m in charge of an advertising budget for a small business, I have to be sensitive to the size of the budget. I’m not going to be able to advertise everywhere. So, where do I put the money?

First, you have to understand the difference between “intrusive” advertising and “passive”.

Intrusive is radio and TV. It means that if we’re listening to a radio station or watching a TV program, the ads just “happen”. We don’t have to DO anything to be exposed to them. It’s not work…we just listen. Unlike passive media (print), where you have to choose to read an entire ad. Example: Just because there’s an ad on the magazine page you’re glancing at, doesn’t mean you’ll read it.

So, my first choice for advertising a small business is intrusive media if the budget allows for it. I also choose Radio over TV for 2 main reasons.

1) It’s more affordable to run the frequency of ads needed to start the branding process.

2) I can change the ads at no charge EVERY MONTH…easily. Whereas, TV production is spendy and labor intensive. And any time a TV ad airs for more than 6, 8, to 12 weeks…the effectiveness of that ad drops sharply down close to ZERO.

It’s because once we’re exposed to one particular ad more than a dozen times, we tend to “tune out” after only a couple of seconds. We say to ourselves, “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Tell me something I haven’t heard before.” Tell us something new. An overplayed ad bores us to tears. Or worse, it annoys us. And that’s not good for business, eh?

What’s the short version of HOW a small, brick and mortar should advertise locally? Radio. 48 to 52 weeks a year. Of course there are always some exceptions, i.e. a seasonal business. Or I may suggest direct mail when your target prospects are few…and easily located.

I write radio for many small businesses. When we take our time and find the right things to say in the ads…growth is not far behind. Return on investment from radio done right, far exceeds what can be accomplished with print and outdoor (passive) advertising.

Something that I’ll always remember that Roy H. Williams said, “We can close our eyes, but we can’t close our ears.”

Have an awesome day!

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media – Sioux Falls

605-940-7984

My work website: http://duanechristensen.townsquareinteractive.com/ (And if you’d like a business website like this, or nothing like this, give me a shout. I’ll point you in the right direction)

And if you have questions about the cost of radio advertising, which radio stations would be a good fit, or how to get started attracting more customers, don’t be afraid to ask. I like to help good businesses take a bigger slice of the market.