Radio Advertising: How To Find Success and Results

May 31, 2013June 27, 2013 / Duane Christensen

How many successes in your life can you account for…in which you didn’t have to put forth the time, effort, and work to get it?

…

Success in your marriage?

Time and effort.

Success in parenting?

Time and effort.

Success in school?

Time and effort.

Success in business?

Time and effort.

Success in Cheesecake making?

Time and effort.

Success in advertising though? Well, that should happen immediately! And there should be a 1-size-fits-all formula to make it virtually effortless!

Something smells wrong here.

Image courtesy of “Naypong” / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I’ve made the occasional mistake of letting a business owner advertise “the wrong way”. I gave a recommendation, but they rejected it, and put forth his own terms. Even though every other ounce of advertising he’d done in the past could have been considered less than successful, he wanted to keep doing it the same way.

There is actually a rough formula for advertising success…but two important factors in that formula are time and effort. And this is so important in Radio advertising (but also most advertising). Don’t you plan on being in business for longer than 2 weeks? Then, why do you keep searching for short-term, magical advertising successes?

Can you tell a child to “Be good” just ONE time…and that child grows up to be a generous, caring, benefit to society? We wish.

All lasting, good things that we acquire throughout our lives require time and effort. Of course, you can add in other ingredients to the recipe, like discipline, patience, nurturing, intellect, etc. But I need you to understand that advertising success isn’t automatic. Just because you’re “on TV” means nothing. Just because you’re “on the radio”, “in the newspaper”, or “on the Internet”… means nothing.

When you want to “do” advertising in Sioux Falls (or anywhere) the right way, call me and let’s get to work.

Have a great day!

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media

Sioux Falls

605-940-7984

I write ads, prepare radio schedules, create strategies for your ads (so you can stand out from your competition), give online and other marketing advice, and will keep your advertising fresh and new. I hear a lot of ads that air for 6 months or more before they’re changed out. That’s way way too long…and it’s not doing you any good. You have a lot of things you can share with the public that will help you become a trusted resource to them. Then they BUY. Let’s do that!

My Results Radio Townsquare Media website: http://duanechristensen.townsquareinteractive.com/

Copy Writing: Persuasion with Words

May 20, 2013 / Duane Christensen

What’s the ultimate skill you possess when it comes to copy writing? What kind of wicked wordsmithing do you conjure up? Or are you short on copy writing skill?

Here’s when you absolutely need some extra copy writing training and advice…

IF IT TAKES YOU LONGER TO UNDERLINE, BOLD, AND INSERT TRIPLE EXCLAMATION POINTS TO YOUR COPY THAN IT DID TO ACTUALLY WRITE THE SCRIPT OR COPY…THEN YOU MAY BE ABLE TO BENEFIT FROM SOME EXTRA COPY WRITING INSTRUCTION.

You need to “shock” a little.
Image courtesy of “foto76” / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Your copy needs to do something. It needs to JOLT in some way. Of course there are a lot of ways to do that:

1) Words and phrases that are completely out of left field and make people go “What the…?” causing them to HAVE to hear what’s next. You need to surprise people with your word choices. Just don’t disappoint them after the “What the…” moment.

2) Storytelling in a manner that sucks a person into the story. (Let’s say it’s a radio ad) A story told in such a way that if someone were to reach over in an attempt to change the radio station in the middle of the story…you’d slap that person’s hand.

3) Sharing information that is unknown to a reader/listener. Information that is intriguing and feeds the curiosity and thirst for knowledge within us.

4) Raw, personal, and “human” content. When you share a vulnerability of some sort about a person or company, people perk up. They like to know that they’re not the only messed up souls on the planet. They like to know that some of the thoughts in your head…match up with a few of theirs. It helps to connect with them. It deepens relationships. It helps them remember you…when they need what you sell.

Those are only a few ways to inject some degree of jolt-factor into your copy.

And do I really need to say this?…

Kill the cliché stuff.
Take a noose to the “ad speak”.

Speaking of “ad speak”. Was it Roy Williams of the Wizard Academy who coined that term? Either way… he has been instrumental in my copy writing, marketing, and advertising education. Have you read his “Wizard of Ads” trilogy? It’s a must if you’re in business.

Other recommendations…

Well, besides Roy (who I still refer to and learn from) I also liked Jeffrey Fox’s “How to Become a Marketing Superstar” when I was starting out. It’s great for someone just learning. I’d say get some of the basics of copy writing down first.

THEN…THEN…Then, when your brain is REALLY hungry to get good. When your appetite to learn more is fierce, dig into the teachings of these people…

Eugene Schwartz

Dan Kennedy

David Ogilvy

Claude Hopkins

Jack Trout

Joe Sugarman

Gary Halbert

John Carlton

Roy H. Williams

…and of course there are a ton more. These are just some really strong suggestions. I still get hungry, too. If you have 1 or 2 other suggestions that I may not have read…please feel free to comment and SHARE with me. : )

Just remember that the people you’re trying to persuade with your copy writing need to be jolted a little (or a lot). They need to be awed and seduced. Don’t try to trick them into paying attention…make them want to.

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.

Or if you’d like to set up a free blog like the one you’re reading, I can help you get started with that too.

Radio Advertising Advice for Beginners

May 9, 2013May 9, 2013 / Duane Christensen

Those who have never advertised on the radio…but are considering it…have questions.

Image courtesy of “stockimages” / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

But if you ask the wrong person those questions, you’ll get a big bag of answers that have nothing to do with making your advertising actually work. You want your radio ads to work, right?

You might be told about gross rating points or cost per thousand. But don’t get hung up on that. That still has very little to do with making your advertising work. If you’re not familiar with the radio stations in your area…or the size and estimated “listenership” of your local radio stations…ask around.

You might also get pounded with more information than you care to…about station demographics. Again, don’t obsess over this. There’s not one radio station who “owns” a particular group of listeners. Nobody “owns” women, age 25 to 54! You’d be amazed at which stations people listen to.

Most advertising salespeople won’t talk to you about what it takes for advertising to be effective. They’ll sell you on “the bling”, or their demographics, or show you a snappy “ad package” (loaded with tons of bonus value that isn’t really that valuable), or Powerpoint you to death with graphs, charts, and statistics.

If you find someone who talks to you about what your ad / commercial / message actually communicates to the public…then you’re on the right track. Because even if you advertise with the biggest, “baddest”, advertising medium in Sioux Falls, it’s still going to be a waste of money if you’re not saying anything that will help persuade someone to do business with YOU instead of your competition.

“The advertising message” and the “strategy” is what should be given the lion’s share of attention. And that’s what I specialize in. I’m not a great salesperson – I just love creating advertising that helps local business owners in Sioux Falls take a bigger slice of the market. If I don’t think I can help you…I’ll tell you. But chances are, after we talk a time or two…I’m going to start coming up with ideas and angles that you’ve never considered. These will be ideas to get you noticed, attract new customers to you, and get you towards the top of the short list of businesses that people will think of FIRST when they’re considering buying what you sell.

You want solid advice about advertising. You want to know that your advertising dollars are invested well. It all starts by not obsessing over things like demographics and other numbers that are easily twisted. Of course, some of that information is important to a certain degree, but not to the level that you’d think. Focus first on what you’ll say to your prospects.

If you’re a plumber or a furniture store or a car dealer…and you had someone on the phone or face to face…would you feel comfortable reading them your radio script? Doubtful. Your advertising needs a human factor to it. When you stop treating people like sheep in your advertising, they’ll respond better to your ads. People want to feel they can trust you before they do business with you. And a “typical” advertisement that you’re used to…isn’t going to do that.

Let’s make friends with some new people…and then watch how many of them decide to buy from you.

Have a great day!

Duane Christensen (your local advertising resource for non-B.S.)

Results Radio Townsquare Media in Sioux Falls

605-940-7984

My Radio Website: http://duanechristensen.townsquareinteractive.com/

That Big Group Of People You Forget About

May 1, 2013 / Duane Christensen

I’m re-reading a couple of books. One of them is about direct-response advertising. The author is a vacuum cleaner store owner. Through years of trial and error, this business owner talks about how to grab the low-hanging fruit with special offers and magical headlines in print advertising. And also with Yellow Pages. It’s a book written about 15 years ago, I believe.

Image courtesy of “xedos4” / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Then, the next book of his, he’s talking about how the economy sinking, really hurt his business and he knew he had to figure out what to do online. He talks about the decline of newspaper and the Yellow Pages…and that the majority of people are searching online for local businesses. So, he discusses how he dominates page 1 of Google searches at no cost. And he doesn’t pay for SEO. (I can help you do this too)

But…he talks about ALL the people he was forgetting about when he was only advertising with print and the yellow pages. He had forgotten about that group of people not quite in buying mode…but in research mode. The ones that were looking for answers to questions…and also looking for a business they might be able to trust. That group of people is mucho grande! That group of people is at least 10x the size of people who are ready to buy at this instant. So, his philosophy is to provide content online for those in the gathering information stage. Win them over BEFORE they decide to buy. Awesome! He gets it. But what nobody has taught this business owner is that the right kind of radio advertising is one of the best ways to win this huge group over. (It all depends on what you SAY to these people in your advertising)

Many business owners have only been told that your advertising must bring you instantaneous results…and that every penny you spend must be trackable. That’s great, but first, most advertising professionals don’t even know how to give THAT to you. So, you end up wasting money month after month, chasing something you’ll probably never find – Results that pay you back – Return on investment greater than what you invested in the first place.

So, back to radio…and that huge group of people you’re forgetting about. Using radio to talk to people 1) before they need you, 2) while they’re in research mode, and 3) when they’re ready to buy, is what will make you go, “Oh, yeah, this is nice.”

But that’s the tricky part. I’m not saying it’s Radio that is the Magic Key here…it’s talking to people like you actually care about them. It’s sharing a message of helpfulness and getting people to trust you before they’ve even met you. RADIO just happens to be one of the best mediums to get that kind of message across. People are listening consistently to radio. At all times of the day!

So, when you’re wondering how to take your business to the next level, and go after that big group of people you’re forgetting about…give me a shout. I’m here to make this process as easy and stressless as possible.

Have a great day!

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media