Month: November 2013

Radio Ad Writing – The Search For Perfection

/ Duane Christensen / 1 Comment

Radio Ad Writing – The Search For Perfection

I put too much pressure on myself when it comes to writing radio ads. I have needed to write a couple scripts for two clients for about a week. I’ve been stressing. I’ve been waiting for some inspiration and spark. It hasn’t come yet.

In a perfect world, my clients would give me access to their brains whenever I wanted. But business owners are busy. They’re running a business! So, I need to take the info I’ve gathered from them in the past and look at it again. Look at it from someone else’s point of view maybe. Turn it upside down, I don’t know.

Or maybe it’s time for another 30 or 60-minute session with my clients…to gather and record new information. Sometimes I feel like I’m bugging them. Sometimes I feel like they don’t feel that their advertising is as important as I think it is. Of course, my worry is probably unwarranted.

Radio Ad Writing

The thing about “quality”…is that it’s not good enough. Anybody can be quality. It’s when you rise above quality that allows you to shine. I always want the ads I write to kick quality’s butt.

All of my worries are because I have a tendency to push towards perfection. Which I think is a good thing for my radio clients. It just tends to give me extra anxiety that I’m not sure I’ve learned how to deal with. So, maybe I should pull the reins back a bit and not get so crazy.

Good Radio Ad Writing Doesn’t Come With The Snap of Your Fingers

Instead of waiting for the perfect idea to pop in my head, I need to just start writing. Write, damn you! And it’s amazing once I start writing…better ideas follow. The only problem is that I forget to just start writing sometimes. Or maybe I’m not in the mood to write. I’m going to make a sign to hang in my office cubicle. It will say, “Just start writing, man!”

If my Sales Manager, Rick reads this…I’m sure he’ll be curious about whether I follow through. Oh, and Rick…sorry I’ve been sick recently. My viral illness spiraled into a painful case of pleurisy. But when the pain meds kick in…I’m fine. So, I’ll be writing today. Writing and helping out with laundry. The cool thing about being sick and “laid up” for a while is that it’s like a vacation for the brain. Once you start feeling better…you get a burst of energy and ambition. I’m hoping that time is today for me.

I know my radio ads help a lot of businesses grow and increase sales. I just want them to know that because I care and respect their investment so much…it turns me into the anxiety-ridden perfectionist sometimes. My radio ad writing comes and goes in flurries. Not sure if that’s the best way to “do this” though. So, the advice I’m giving myself today is, “Just start writing, man!”

As a business owner…if you feel your advertising people may not have conflicts like mine at all…or if you feel they may not be putting as much care and thought into your Sioux Falls advertising efforts, I hope you’ll reach out to me. I’d love to create something great for you. It’s not about the radio station or wherever you decide to advertise. It’s about the word in those ads. It’s about the emotions and pictures you can paint for people with radio ads. Great radio ad writing can make wonderful things happen for your business.

That’s all for now. Have a great day!

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media

Sioux Falls

605-940-7984

Window Company Might Need A New Radio Ad Strategy

/ Duane Christensen
Image courtesy of "domdeen" / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of “domdeen” / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Listening to the radio the other morning, a window Ad caught my attention. That’s good. That’s what it’s supposed to do. Well, it’s the first thing it’s supposed to do, but that’s not the ONLY thing it should do.

The ad started out giving reasons why someone might need new windows. Drafty, fogged up, condensation, etc. I immediately thought of a few of my older windows. Then, I also thought replacing my windows is not something I needed to do right away. They’re not that bad. Maybe my heat bill is a few bucks higher…oh well.

But here’s the thing that the advertiser failed to do. They failed to make me feel good about THEIR company. They didn’t give me any reason to trust them more than any other window company. All they did was educate me on the signs that I don’t have a perfectly efficient window. I don’t even remember the name of the company (because they failed to give me a reason to remember them).

Here’s the thing about windows. It’s not like buying groceries. People will take a lot of time to consider their options. And people also don’t need to replace their windows very often…or ever. So, the number of people who are in the market right now for new windows is very very small.

The window company radio ads should either be branding themselves to the public. Or they should have had a whopper of an offer, call to action, or added value mentioned in their ad…in order to make the people who really need new windows ACT NOW.

The best kind of advertising would be of the branding sort. The kind of ad strategy that glues a business name in the public’s mind. That series of ads would make me trust THAT company above all others. That company would cause me to feel good about their company. And they would tell me their stories in their ads consistently and repetitively over time on the Radio. That way…I’ll remember them and feel best about them when the time comes for me to replace my windows.

You might say, why not just always have a great offer or a discount of some kind and only attract the people who need your product or service at this very moment?

It’s because that percentage of the population is really small. And you’d be fighting against all the other window companies making offers as well. And then you mostly attract the people looking for the best deal. And you have to make one heck of an offer or discount available…decreasing your profits. Over and over and over and over. It’s an endless cycle of PANIC and a “what kind of deal can we offer this week or month to drum up some business?” kind of situation.

But when you get people to basically love you and trust you and REMEMBER you for wonderful reasons BEFORE they ever have a need for your product or service…then you attract a better kind of customer who is on the lookout for a trustworthy and high-quality business to buy from. That buyer is far more profitable. That buyer won’t get quotes from 17 different window companies (or whatever industry you’re in). They’ll start with you. You’ll either be on the TOP of their list of who to call, or you’ll at least be the top 1, 2, or 3. And that’s WAY better than being the 11th option…or not an option at all.

See what I mean?

Radio can work wonders for you…when you have the right strategy and the right kind of branding message that causes people to remember you for the right things.

You might not even know that Radio Advertising can work really well. You might be considering a “mobile” ad campaign because everyone has mobile phones, right? That’s gotta be the best way to find a new customer, right?

And all that time you were wondering what new technology you could dive into to capture new customers…Radio was always there. And always with the huge potential to help grow your business. But you just weren’t using it correctly.

I hope this example from the window company radio ad helped shed some light on things for you. It’s not that the radio ads can’t help them. They can. Especially if there aren’t a lot of other window companies advertising. You can win a little just by default if your competition isn’t doing much advertising. But it’s just my opinion…this ad campaign can be much much better.

If you have any specific questions about radio advertising or about any other kind of advertising (digital, text campaigns, TV, print, etc.), all you have to do is ask. Either email me or call me. Let’s sit down and figure out the best things we can say to your potential, profitable new customers. Let’s talk over your options.

I want your advertising to work for you. I want you to see business growth and prosperity year after year. Let me know if you’d like some help.

Thanks. Have a groovy day!

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media (8 radio station group)

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

605-940-7984

duane.christensen@results-radio.com

I write this blog on behalf of my sales and marketing career at Results Radio Townsquare Media. My goal: Help more local business owners get more for their advertising buck…and be thrilled with the results.

Cost of Radio Advertising

/ Duane Christensen / 1 Comment

Cost of radio advertising.

That’s a search engine term that gets typed into Google or other search engines quite a bit when someone is curious about radio advertising. When I talk to people, they usually just want a ballpark figure. I can answer that question for them. But I like to talk about a few other things with them first.

My Dad had some great crops this year. And I know what he invested to prepare the soil for a good return. The fertilizer, the field work, the expensive tiling in the wet fields, etc. It adds up to a big number. But all of that is paying him back far more than if he didn't make those investments on his farm. Photo by Duane Christensen

My Dad had some great crops this year. And I know what he invested to prepare the soil for a good return. The fertilizer, the field work, the expensive tiling in the wet fields, etc. It adds up to a big number. But all of that is paying him back far more than if he didn’t make those investments on his farm. He’s learned over the years…that it matters.
Are you investing in YOUR growth?
Photo by Duane Christensen

Would you like your advertising to work?

Duh, right? But we need to address HOW that can happen before you get too jittery about what advertising costs. Because when advertising doesn’t work…isn’t that the most expensive?

The HOW…put simply…is say something that’s worth listening to in your radio advertising. That might not be easy to do for you. But I know someone who loves to do that – who does it for a living. Wink wink.

So, back to the cost. You might be hesitant. You may be really nervous to part with your hard-earned money for advertising. I understand that. You’d be considered careless if you didn’t worry about that. But investing in growth is important for your survival. There are always going to be competitors who want YOUR customers – who want those new customers just as bad as you do. They’re scratching and clawing to get ahead.

You may be thinking ahead to next year. “What if my business doesn’t grow next year? How will I pay my employees? How will I make a profit? How will I pay my overhead?” Please don’t compare your Sioux Falls business to the national scene. We’re in pretty good shape in Sioux Falls. Big things are happening. People continue to move into town. It’s just a great place to be right now!

Investing in your business growth is the best thing you can decide to do. And I can help you do that. You’re saying, “WHAT…with radio? Why should I?” Yes…with radio. But the “radio” isn’t the magic that gives you your return on investment. Well, not all of it anyway. Yes, Radio is still listened to by over 90% of the population. Pandora, online, satellite, etc. hasn’t had much effect on the number of “real radio” listeners. Especially, at the Results Radio Townsquare Media radio stations (8 of them). More live DJs, great music, fun promotions, and local news keeps our listeners pretty dang happy.

The magic of your advertising results comes from what we say to your potential new customers in your radio ads. Yes, the magic is in “what we SAY” in your ads. You may buy the cheapest radio, magazine ad, TV spots, online ads, etc., but if you’re not connecting with your prospects and helping them choose YOU, then those cheap ads are the most expensive ads you could buy.

I don’t ask you to buy first…and THEN hopefully come up with some good ideas and ads for you. I want to show you my ideas and strategies for you FIRST. And then, when we’ve decided that we’re on the right track and that it will WORK…then you can buy your ads. But only before you’re happy with what I come up with and never before you trust me and have confidence in me.

When you’re ready to invest in your growth and your future, I’d love to talk with you about it. There are smart ways to advertise…and there are haphazard, “shoot from the hip” ways to advertise. Which would you prefer?

Call or email. Have a great day!

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media rep

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

605-940-7984

duane.christensen@results-radio.com

I write this blog on behalf of my sales and marketing career at Results Radio Townsquare Media. My goal: Help more local business owners get more for their advertising buck…and be thrilled with the results.