Fancy and Expensive Marketing

Your $750 logo isn’t going to be “the answer” to your marketing woes. Your $10,000 website isn’t going to be your savior when it comes to capturing new customers. That $5000 TV production will grow old far sooner than you wish it would.

There are a lot of websites out there that cost a lot of money. Some are worth the money because there are a lot of complicated programming elements in them. Some large entities need that. But some of the overpriced sites I see are for local, small businesses where most of the cost came from graphic design costs. Graphics that aren’t necessary. Sure it’s great that your website looks nice, but there are tons of lower-cost options out there with design platforms and templates that look really good.

There are also expensive radio ads. It doesn’t mean they’re working. Just because you hear a funny radio ad doesn’t mean it’s actually selling anything for the business – or that it’s helping any branding efforts. Just because you hear a professional voicing the ads in a dramatic fashion, with big cinematic music and sound effects in the background…doesn’t mean it’s effective.

Fancy and expensive marketing does not equal good marketing…

Good Marketing

All your website needs to do is 1) be easy on the eyes, 2) make it easy for visitors to find the information they need, 3) be able to be found on search engines like Google, and 4) say things that give visitors confidence in the fact that you can solve their problems – so they won’t feel the need to “back out” and look for a different option. More time should be dedicated to what you say within your website, instead of more time (and cost) on making it look fancy – just like all of your other marketing and advertising. The things you say in your marketing make a bigger, profitable impact than the visuals. Yes, visuals can play a role…but they’re not the lead role.

Good marketing can come in many different forms. But it doesn’t mean that you have to use all different kinds of marketing and advertising. I’m saying don’t waste your marketing budget as a small business trying to be everywhere and reach everyone. You don’t have to spread your advertising around to 15 or 30 different outlets. When you do that…with a smaller budget…you’re “watering down” the number of ads being distributed to the public. And just like how we learned our alphabet, we need repetition.

There’s no marketing rule that says you can’t put the beefy portion of your budget into Radio. I have a lot of clients who do just that. And it’s working wonders for them. We’re saying things in their ads that radio listeners don’t expect to hear. Which means we’re keeping those listeners’ attention… and causing them to remember my radio clients when they have a particular problem that my radio clients can solve. With good radio ads, you can consistently and predictably grow. With a consistent radio plan month-in and month out, with a smart strategy intertwined into the ads, you won’t have to wonder when or where your next new customer will be calling or walking in.

You won’t be remembered by the public because of fancy and expensive visuals. But you will be remembered when you say something to them that they care about, interests them, entertains them a little bit, and / or teaches them something.

Think about a good-looking, well-groomed man in a sharp, expensive suit. Does that mean you’ll like him? Does that mean he’s valuable to you? Nope. It’s just a first impression. It all comes down to what comes out of his mouth when he speaks. It all comes down to whether he makes you comfortable. He could be also be wearing something a bit more casual (for a fraction of the cost of that expensive suit)…and still get the same response depending on what he said. Now, if he hasn’t showered in a few weeks…and looks like a ragamuffin, then you probably won’t even give him a chance to see what he says. Which is why it’s good to have a good-looking website, or a good-looking ad… but you need to put the bulk of your effort into what you communicate to the public in your ads and your marketing. The words matter. A lot.

Your marketing is like when you were dating and looking for that one true love to settle down for the rest of your life. How will you seduce them? What really matters through the whole process? You can’t keep them drunk forever. You’ll eventually have to say some things that connects with what they care about. You’ll eventually have to reveal your true self and see if you have something in common.

The same goes for radio marketing. You could have a professionally-polished radio ad that doesn’t really say anything at all. You could also have a radio ad done by your local radio rep that doesn’t have any substance to it either – just a lot of gum-flapping about how long you’ve been in business or that you have a knowledgeable staff. Your radio ad rep needs to be a writer too. They need to find out what makes your business shine…and then portray that strength in a manner that solves problems for your prospects. The ad can’t be all about you… it has to be about the person you’re hoping to attract. And if you find a good ad writer at your local radio station (Duane Christensen at Results Radio Townsquare Media in Sioux Falls wink wink), then you won’t be paying anything extra to get ads that finally work!  : )

I take the time to figure out what your potential new customer wants to hear…so they’ll contact you and do business with you. And if we say things in your ads that give them confidence in you…and then you deliver beautifully with your products, services, and customer service – you’ll be golden. I’ll help you attract new business, and then you compound that with great service, and you’ll propel your good-word-of-mouth even farther. That’s really what good advertising does – it speeds up the inevitable – it speeds up word-of-mouth. If you’re horrible at customer service, good advertising will help you go out of business faster. If you’re a customer service rock star, good advertising will take you to heights you never thought possible.

This was a little all over the place today… forgive me. My ADD comes and goes. Have a great day!

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media

Sioux Falls

605-940-7984

duane.christensen@results-radio.com