I recently read a radio article that talked about getting the best “deal” when you buy radio. It was full of a lot of radio jargon that probably didn’t make much sense to their targeted audience – business owners.

But the most interesting part were the comments below. Most of them were radio salespeople and people who write ads for a living. The radio salespeople were throwing in their 2 cents about how great radio is…and the writers were schlepping their own businesses by saying, if you need a radio spot go to their website.

One comment from an ad writer said not to have the radio station write your radio ads because they don’t know what they’re doing. I agree. Except my company is an exception – I’ll tell you why soon.

Another comment said that good radio ad production costs between $1500 to $3000 – just to get one ad written and produced! Yowza! (I’ve heard those ads – most still aren’t any good – or could be much better)

My company, Results Radio / Townsquare Media in Sioux Falls, doesn’t charge you anything to have ads written and produced. But the part you may be interested in…is that the training for all of us “ad salespeople” here is probably among the best that you’ll find in the country.

As a salesperson, I need to sell radio airtime to make a living. But as a smart radio salesperson, I would prefer that the ads my clients buy from me actually WORK. That’s why we/I are constantly learning and training to write better radio ads.

Although most radio stations do not agree with this philosophy…I believe it’s the best way to ensure a radio station’s success and our clients’ success. Is it EASY to learn how to write good radio? Or to learn about great marketing in general? No, it’s not. Not at first. But now, it’s second-nature to me. To me, it’s not worth doing…if I’m not going to do it right.

It’s my passion. That’s why when I see bad advertising, I cringe and wish that it was ME who could be the “marketing guy” for that particular company with the bad advertising. And my wife is with me many times when I explain to her what is wrong with the advertisement and why it won’t work…and how it could be better. There are tons of these examples on billboards as we drive along.

Now, back to the point of that article – getting a good “deal” when you buy radio advertising. Does it really matter if you get the best deal in the world if you’re buying a radio advertising plan that won’t work? It’s still expensive… no matter how cheap your radio spots are.

So…here’s what you get from us here at Results Radio:

• Marketing ideas and strategies to help you stand out from your competition and help you grab a bigger slice of the market.
• Ad plans to reach the masses and help you attract the people you’re looking for.
• Radio ads that will be heard. Radio ads that don’t sound so much like ads.
• A marketing person who is fighting for you month-in and month-out (not just an order taker who you only talk to once every quarter or once a year when they want you to renew your advertising contract).

Of course, I want you to choose me when you’re interested in making a dent in your market. When you want to grow. When you want to attract a new, consistent flow of new customers. But it’s not just me. It’s my radio group’s culture. Help our clients first…and our own success will follow.

Do I agree that you won’t find the help you need from most radio salespeople regarding the content and the message of your radio ads? Yes. But our group is an exception. I’m an exception. And we don’t charge you anything extra for our expertise in local marketing strategies and tactics.

Now, I’ll probably get a couple nasty emails from a couple of ad production directors who believe they do good work. And they might. But if they’re handling the ads and strategies for EVERY SINGLE ADVERTISER on their stations – how much attention do you think those advertisers are getting. I’m just sayin’.

We are radio salespeople who have learned how to write good radio. We ask our clients questions. We research. We dig to find the right way to help our clients stand apart from the crowd and get noticed. We stay in touch and ask what’s going on in the trenches.

I invite you to give me a call to discuss local advertising. But don’t forget to talk to a few other advertising people throughout Sioux Falls too. Then, you be the judge as to who might be able to help you the most. And who you might enjoy working with more.

My radio customers are dear to me. Their success is what I think about every week. If my radio campaigns fail to work like I thought they would, I lose sleep over that. And back in 2004 and 2005, and 2006, I did lose some sleep. But not today. When, I put a plan in place and when a radio strategy hits the airwaves…I’m confident in that plan.

There are thousands of options for you out there. Just make sure you keep in mind that advertising only works when the message is right. And “the message” is what at least 90% of my education has focused upon.

Has this been a shameless plug for my radio group, Results Radio / Townsquare Media – Sioux Falls? Maybe. But I also feel that not enough people know how committed we are to our clients’ successes. And that the radio industry might want to take note of what we’re doing here.

Have a great day! If you have any questions or comments, I’d love to hear them. Thanks!

Duane Christensen

Sioux Falls Radio Advertising blog

Results Radio / Townsquare Media Sioux Falls

For the Kindle edition of my book – click here Take A Bigger Slice

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