Advertising strategy

You’re thinking, “Damn right we’re special. People love us!”

That’s awesome if you have customers who love you. You should work really hard to keep it that way! But what about Non-Customers? Do they love you? Nope. They couldn’t care less. Especially, if they barely know you exist. Especially, if they know nothing about you. Especially, if they are content doing business with your competition right now.

So, what’s the main goal in your advertising investment?

It’s to get RESULTS, right? Sure. But HOW do you get results?

Throw a bunch of money at different advertising packages and “deals”… and see what sticks! Wha? Nooooooo! Don’t do that. I want to help you get a phenomenal return on your advertising. And that does NOT come by shooting from the hip…

Looney Toons legend: Yosemite Sam

BOOM! Die, Varmint!

You’ll be disappointed. And you’ll waste a lot of money.

Back to the question of the hour. HOW do you get advertising results?!!!!!

The answer is in the title.

You must prove to the public that you’re special. PROVE to them… that you’re SPECIAL. Easier said than done though, right?

You can’t just throw up all over people, saying that you’re special and that you’re the best, and you’re “quality”, and a bunch of other horseshit that YOU know is true… but that nobody else believes. They may believe you some day. But first you have to PROVE it to them that you’re special.

Proof.

It’s in the pudding.

Meaning, you need to help your customers “taste” what you have to offer that’s better than what they’re chewing on now. What’s so great about your competition? What’s the big deal that they’re talking about? Probably nothing. They’re most likely just holding up a sign and yelling about who, what, and where they are. That gives YOU an opportunity to POUNCE!

This is where the “strategy” part of your advertising plan comes in. (Want help with strategy? It’s my specialty.)

Take that SPECIAL thing about you in which your competition can’t claim or not talking about. Then, you shine a light on that special thing, so that when the public thinks about your product or service, they INSIST on getting that special thing that you offer. And when they think of it, you want them to think of YOU.

Good advertising is not something as simple as “branding”. Good advertising is making friends with your prospective customers. FRIENDS are much more likely to do business with you that someone who doesn’t know you. So, start your advertising with the idea that you’re trying to make a new friend. Think about that. It’s not branding. It’s more like bonding. It’s being helpful, vulnerable, sincere, and human. That’s what it is.

Take that “special thing” about your awesome local business and weave it throughout a story that you tell the public. The special thing about you is the LOGIC side of your advertising. And the “friendly” part of your advertising is all of the rest. It’s the STORY. It’s the humble and caring part of you. It’s the reason why you love what you do. It’s the passion. OR… is all of that a great big PART of what makes you SPECIAL? Hmmmm. I’d say that you may be on to something! : )

Need help writing that advertisement? That’s what I love to do. I love to sift through the good, bad, and what your future customer truly cares about (because it’s about them, right?) And then, we come up with a strategy and radio advertising plan that has immense potential. A plan that will put you at the forefront of people’s minds. Not because you’re spending the most, but because you’re saying the right things in your ads. You’re proving to people how you will be their superstar.

Then, pretty soon… you have a bunch of new FRIENDS, who think you are SPECIAL, and are ready to be YOUR CUSTOMER.

And dang, that’s really cool when it all comes together. I have a healthy handful of clients in and around Sioux Falls who would love to tell you about their experience with me and Results Radio. I’d be happy to get you their contact info.

Let me know if you’d like to have a conversation about this sort of stuff.

Have a groovy day!

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

605-940-7984

duane.christensen@results-radio.com

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.