marketing sioux falls

Ain’t Nothin’ Easy

/ Duane Christensen

I was going through some old marketing notes… and found something that I had written down and tore out of a journal-type notebook. Jagged edges, scribbles on it, but nothing written about WHY I wrote it or WHERE it came from. But I’m going to share it with you in a moment.

Things are a little uncertain right now with the Covid-19 virus… but there are some businesses out there who are innovating and putting their thinking caps on. There are categories that are seeing an increase in business. BUT a lot of local businesses are either way down, barely breaking even, or losing money. Those business owners aren’t sleeping well. They’re wondering if they can pay their employees or even keep their doors open. They’re concerned for their families. Their future.

The anxiety is high in this group of small business owners. It’s taking its toll on them. If you know someone like this, just reach out to them and ask, “How are you?” Don’t be afraid of the answer, just get them talking. You CARE about them, so, don’t go silent when they need someone to listen and help them get a few things off their chest. They’ll appreciate you so much!

Ok, so here’s the chicken scratches I found in a pile of marketing notes the other day…….

Ain’t Nothin’ Easy when it comes to good marketing these days.

Sure it’s EASY to spend money.

It’s EASY to place an Ad buy.

It’s EASY to try out the newest social media marketing.

It’s EASY to buy some ads on the new radio station, or the new billboard, the new bus bench, the new magazine, the new TV show, and on and on.

But it’s HARD to make advertising work. It’s hard and time-consuming to figure out what to say to consumers that will change perceptions and move them closer to buying from YOU and not from your competition.

Seth Godin said, “You’re going to need to go uphill in order to go downhill. The hard work is digging deeper than usual on the uphills – that’s the best chance you have to earn a downhill later.”

Making your marketing WORK… requires YOU to dig deeper.

Making your marketing WORK… requires YOUR MARKETING PERSON to dig deeper.

AND AT TIMES LIKE THIS… digging deeper is critical. It could possibly be life or death for your business.

At 9 Yards Marketing, we don’t specialize in selling you radio, we specialize in making your radio advertising work. And keep working. And keeping your business growing. That’s what we do. Whether you need us NOW… or a few months from now, we’re ready to dig deep.

In the meantime, I would recommend that you find a few people to chat with about your situation. People who might not even always agree with you… but you appreciate their different perspective, ideas, creativity, opinions, etc. People who aren’t afraid to challenge you and make you DIG DEEPER…

…….

…….

……..

…….

Cuz the future could quite possibly be brighter than we could have ever imagined….

Duane Christensen

9 Yards Marketing

Sioux Falls, SD

duane@9yards-marketing.com

Diversification is for your Financial Portfolio… not your Advertising… kind of… đŸ˜ƒ

/ Duane Christensen / 2 Comments

radio advertising sioux falls

Image by Stuart Miles via FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Have you ever been told that you should diversify your advertising investments? You know… spread your marketing all around to as many places as possible… so you can “reach” the most people?

Don’t get me wrong, I can understand the logic.  But when you stop to truly think about how to make advertising work really well… it’s not logical at all.

Let me explain. Good advertising RESULTS do not come from merely “touching” or “reaching” people with a logo or an advertising message.  Advertising results come from engaging people with your ads. Engaging, entertaining, informing, and persuading. 

But how many people do you think would switch from doing business with one of your competitors and become your loyal customer with only ONE ADVERTISING IMPRESSION? Based on research and my experience, I’m guessing it’s a fraction of a percentage, and that’s being really optimistic.

Have you heard those businesses who advertise on the radio? The ones you hear a few times each week, every month, and every year? They’ve made it impossible for you to ignore them. When you need what they sell… they’ve made it to the top 1, 2, or 3 businesses in your HEAD that you have to either say “yes” or “no” to.  Because of their consistent radio advertising and an unmistakable ad strategy, THEY’VE LAID CLAIM TO A SPOT IN YOUR BRAIN.  It doesn’t mean you WILL buy from them, it just means that you can’t ignore them. They’re one of the top options you’ll consider when you want to buy what they sell.

So, if you’re not one of those advertisers… you’re going to be farther down that list of options to go to… if you’re on that list at all.  If you get onto that short list of businesses who people think of when they need what you sell, it will affect your business growth incredibly.

Radio “reaches” about 93% of adults each week.  So, tell me why you’d want to spread your marketing dollars – no, let me rephrase that – why would you want to SPRINKLE your marketing dollars around here and there and over there… barely making any impact at all in the mediums where you place your ads?

In order to become one of the top choices that people think about when they need your product or service (i.e. branding), you must be consistent with your advertising on the ad mediums you choose. Why?  Because if you’re not consistent, and if you’re not trying to brand your name in the heads of consumers, then you’re only talking to the very small fraction of a percent of people who need you right now.  That means about 99% or more of your marketing dollars are then wasted.  

Wouldn’t you rather advertise to the other 99% of the people who don’t need you now, but may need you in 2, 6, or 12 months?  That’s a huge group of people who you could be engaging, educating, entertaining, and persuading. Over time, who do you think people would want to do business with… the business they know NOTHING about… or YOU – the one who has been consistently whispering in their ear about how YOU can help them?

Side note:  And I’m sorry to say… digital / online advertising won’t make that happen. Not on their own. If you put a small portion of your budget into some online display advertising of some kind, that’s ok, as long as you have enough coverage with your radio plan. Then, your online ads can kind of be a support team to your radio ads. People who see your online ads AFTER they’ve heard your radio ads, will be moved much closer to doing business with you, rather than just seeing an online ad. Click rates are pretty dang low. 

It’s the same thing with being found on the first page of Google in a search query. For example, if I don’t have a “go-to” plumber… and I see 5 or 6 plumbing businesses on the first page of Google… I’m going to first call the one that I feel like I know and trust because of the storytelling or interesting information they’ve shared via their advertising.  Whether they were the FIRST in a Google search or not.  Doesn’t matter to me.  I go with the one I feel most comfortable with.

We’re talking about Branding here… not Awareness.  I’m “aware” of a lot of local businesses, but I don’t know anything about many of them. But the ones who tell me their story and how they can best help ME when I need their product or service… they’re the ones I will consider first. Every time.  

Are you ready to be a household name in the Sioux Falls area? That’s what I’m here to help you do. But just beware… it’s not just about consistency with your advertising… your ads have to engage, entertain, inform, and persuade. And there are not many marketing people who understand how to do that. I do. We do.  

Results Radio devotes much of its training for us to the “writing better ads / creating smart strategies / being remembered” side of things. You won’t find that in many other places around the country. We asked the question, “How can we make our clients’ advertising WORK?” And then, we figured out how to make that happen.

Let me know if you’d like to discuss a marketing plan… and I’ll help you figure out what that plan might look like.  It’s what I do.  

Thanks! Have a groovy day!

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media – Sioux Falls

duane.christensen@results-radio.com

605-940-7984

You Are Not Special – Or Are You?

/ Duane Christensen

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…

Yosemite-Sam-Quotes-300x281

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!

_MG_8555 252kb

 

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

605-940-7984

duane.christensen@results-radio.com

 

 

New Discovery! Thinner, Sexier, Smarter in just 40 Days. Naturally!

/ Duane Christensen

Radio Advertising in Sioux Falls

Image courtesy of “stockimages” / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Did I make you look?  Did I make you wonder, “What the schnizzit?”

Your radio ad needs a good headline.  If you don’t give it one…nobody will hear the rest of the ad.  But to the novice radio ad copy writer, or to the advertiser, you want to start your radio ad like this…

“ABC Horseshoeing has been in business since 1870.  They can handle all of your horseshoeing needs…”

I’m not saying the title of my blog post is a great headline, but it’s to make a point.  The headline is about YOU.  It’s telling YOU how YOU could possibly benefit.  It’s not about a company or a product.

Because you don’t know any better, you’ll feel like you have to put your business name up front and center.  After all… you’re paying for the advertising… why wouldn’t you put your business name right at the beginning and then another 19 times throughout the ad!  But wait.  Stop.  Don’t do it.  Why?

What does a radio listener (or any consumer for that matter) truly care about?  Do they care about you, the business owner?  Do they care that you want to make more money?  Ummm, no.  They couldn’t care less.  They have other shit to worry about.  They have a life.  And they’re trying to get ahead.  They’re worried about surviving and thriving.  They’re definitely not worried about you and your business.

Not to be harsh… but it’s the truth.  And by understanding the TRUTH and understanding a little bit about why people do the things they do, you’ll be able to start advertising to your prospects in a much more effective manner.

So, start your radio ad headline with a statement or a question that engages the radio listener.  Say something about THEM.  Say something that doesn’t automatically alert their brain to the fact that they’re listening to a radio ad.  You should be informing people about things they didn’t know about.  Teach them something.  Make them go, “Hmmm, I didn’t know that.”  Now, you’re setting yourself up as a potential “expert” in their minds.

You should also be entertaining a radio listener.  They’re listening to the radio for entertainment.  So, if you want to keep them engaged, then you better add some drama, humor, fun, etc. into your radio commercial.  Another great way to entertain is by storytelling.  We all love stories.  As long as it’s actually interesting and it doesn’t feel like you’re force-feeding us a story.  It needs to be relevant.

Whatever your headline, story, or humor in your radio ad… it better be guiding a listener all the way through the ad to a defining “aha” moment at the end.  Which is where the advertiser finally becomes the star or the hero.  You’re a problem solver.  So, bring up a problem… and then be the solution.  A better solution than your competition.

Another great way to critique your radio ad is to ask “So what?” to yourself after every line you read.  Is it a valuable phrase?  Or is it a clichĂŠ piece of garbage that will give the radio listener’s brain permission to stop listening to the ad you’re paying for?

Before you even consider mentioning your business name in your radio ad… you need to provide VALUE first.  To make your radio advertising more effective, you must prove to the listener that they could possibly benefit by listening to your ad.  Or entertain them while you weave your way unpredictably towards the defining “hero” moment where YOUR BUSINESS is the one who can either improve someone’s life or solve a problem for them.

To improve your lackluster advertising:

It’s NOT about who can shout the loudest.  

It’s the opposite.

It’s who can SEDUCE and PERSUADE… the deepest.  

And that all starts with a headline that is NOT about the advertiser.

Have a great day!

Duane Christensen

SIOUX FALLS RADIO ADVERTISING blog

Your On-Hold Message Needs Help

/ Duane Christensen

on hold messageThe on-hold message for your business matters.  And your on-hold message needs help.

I was recently on-hold for a few minutes the other day.  It was a local business.  Their on-hold message is what gave me the idea to write about this topic.  But I WILL give them kudos for trying to make an on-hold message that stood out from all the others. Yet I would have preferred some run-of-the-mill classical music.  Here’s why…

They had a radio jingle as part of the message.  They also had a voice telling me a few things.  They talked about the services they provided and the products they had. Which is predictable. (Remember? Predictability puts a choke-hold on marketing effectiveness)

Then, the voice kept saying, “Thank you for calling. Your call is VERY important to us.”  I heard that about 5 times within about 3 minutes.  Yes, I know my call is important to you, whoever you are. And then the jingle would cut in occasionally… which seemed very out-of-date and was kind of annoying.  (that’s the thing with jingles – they can either do wonders for a business, or turn people off)

So… what’s my advice on your on-hold message?

  • Tips
  • Advice
  • Stories

I would hang on every word of your on-hold message if you were giving me tips and advice regarding your industry or the products and services you provide.  And not lame tips that 85% of the population knows.  I’m talking about really interesting or even obscure information that would intrigue me and / or help me.

DON’T TRY TO SELL ME WHILE I’M ON HOLD!  At least don’t be so obvious about it.

If you told me a few customer experience stories…you’d have my attention.  As long as you don’t water them down.  I love to hear the specifics.  When you tell a detailed story…it means it’s real.  And then people know you’re not “full of it”. People also like to hear that they’re not the only ones who might be in the same situation.  Make them feel comfortable about calling.  Make them feel confident that you’re a business who cares about giving them a good end result.  If you can cause people to like you a little bit more because of a tip or a story you told them… then you’ve just moved them closer to buying from you, buying MORE from you, or buying more OFTEN from you.

All that from an on-hold message.  Can you believe it?  Believe it.  The communication you have with your customers matters.  The words you choose matters.  It’s not the “act” of doing something (direct mail, on-hold message, advertising, core customer emails, thank you cards, etc.) … it’s the manner in which you do it. It’s the FEELING you give someone about you or your company… that makes all the difference.  Make sure the sincerity level of your marketing communications is dialed up to a level 8, 9, or 10.

Do you think you should have a “professional” voice do your on-hold message?  I’d actually prefer if the business owner or someone within the business did it.  Because it cranks up the “Sincerity Level” another notch or two.  People want to do business with good, honest, hard-working people who care about their customers. So, show them that’s what you are.

It’s pretty much the same with all of your marketing communications.  Make it real.  Make it sincere.  Tell us something we might not know.  Tell us a story that can help get your point across.

Have a great day!

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media

Sioux Falls, SD

605-940-7984

duane.christensen@results-radio.com

My website: http://www.duanechristensen.townsquareinteractive.com

The 6 Words That Perfectly Explains My Radio Clients’ Success

/ Duane Christensen

This quote by Bobby Orr… gets its own blog post. This quote contains just as much glorious advice for all you Sioux Falls business owners and advertisers…as it does for budding hockey players. Ready? Here it is…

“Forget about style; worry about results. ”
― Bobby Orr

Can you hear the angelic choir from the heavens?

radio advertising sioux falls

Regarding your advertising, no matter if it’s online, TV, Radio, Billboards, etc., you need to get over what you “think” your advertising should sound or look like. All that matters…are the results.

And we have a pretty good history of that here at Results Radio Townsquare Media. Personally, I have wonderful, beautiful, successful clients who have been on the radio with me for over 10 years.

The people who benefit most from doing business with me on the Radio… are the ones who are finally ready to just DO IT RIGHT. They’ve been burned. They’re tired of throwing money at things that don’t work.

If this sounds like you…let’s sit down and discuss your situation.

We don’t worry about the “style” of your ad. We don’t worry if it sounds “professional” enough or not. All we worry about… is figuring out what will bring you RESULTS.

I think you can become just as well-known and popular in Sioux Falls as Bobby Orr is in the hockey world. Let’s talk about how to do that.

 

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media

605-940-7984

duane.christensen@results-radio.com

duanechristensen.townsquareinteractive.com

 

Radio Advertising’s Superpower: What Can It Do For You?

/ Duane Christensen / 1 Comment

radio advertising

Image courtesy of “vectorolie” / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Radio advertising’s superpower is long-term branding for a business. When a local Sioux Falls business wants to build a brand, be remembered, and reach a lot of people, there is nothing better than a good, consistent radio advertising campaign. Warning: You can’t release just any kind of radio ads out into the world…it has to be well-thought-out and strategic (which is our specialty). So, what can a consistent radio advertising plan do for you? Let’s get right to it. You like lists, right?

1) Awareness of your business. You become a choice to those who didn’t know about you.

2) Change perceptions about your business, service, or product…where perceptions need to be changed. Which will allow you to attract more customers and increase your sales. Duh, right?

3) Cause people to remember certain words or phrases when they need what you sell. And we anchor those words or phrases to your business name…so they contact YOU instead of a competitor.

4) Cause people to “FEEL” and “SEE” what it would be like if they were your customer. Get them to like you before they have ever bought from you.

5) Brand your business. When people think about, hear, or see your name, they KNOW WHAT YOU STAND FOR (or against)…and they feel good about that. Which immensely increases the chance YOU will be the business they choose to BUY from.

With all of the above 5 things cranking, you then get…

6) Consistent business growth. By consistently saying the right things to a whole bunch of people, you’ll keep attracting new faces. So, if you treat people right, and keep most of your current customers…your sales will continue to grow. You won’t have to wonder “how are we going to make some extra sales this month?” You won’t have to discount your services or slash prices of your products to get new business. You’ll be attracting the profitable people – not the wishy-washy ones who have to get everything on sale.

This stuff works. I have clients who’d love to tell you about it.

Let me know if you’d like to talk with me about marketing your business in the Sioux Falls area.

Radio advertising has received a bad rap by a lot of business owners. But only because they didn’t do it right. They didn’t understand radio’s superpower. And the advertising people they talked to in the past…didn’t understand how to unleash radio advertising’s superpower.

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media

Sioux Falls  SD

605-940-7984

duanechristensen.townsquareinteractive.com

Fancy and Expensive Doesn’t Equal Good Marketing

/ Duane Christensen / 1 Comment

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

The Great Eraser of Advertising

/ Duane Christensen / 2 Comments

The Great Eraser of Advertising

Sioux Falls Radio Advertising

The great eraser of advertising is SLEEP.
Image courtesy of “Maggie Smith” / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The great eraser of advertising…is sleep. And I’m going to give credit to my understanding of this…to Roy Williams at the Wizard Academy in Austin, Texas. When I went there for 3 days, years back…he literally changed how I looked at the world. And of course he also changed my understanding of how advertising works.

So, the great eraser of advertising is sleep. Every night we go to sleep, our brains purge all the junk out of our brains. It starts putting things like the hundreds of irrelevant marketing messages you were exposed to today into the proverbial trash bin. If it didn’t do this, our brains’ estimated 2500 terabytes of memory would fill up pretty fast. To put it another way, your brain has the potential to store about 2 trillion pictures of cats. Ha! But this is an estimate. Our brains are amazing and we’ll never truly understand how and why it does things.

So, how do we get a consumer’s brain to start remember the plumbing ads for Bob’s Plumbing? Or the mattress ads for the Princess Pea Mattress Factory?

For starters you need repetition to overcome the brain purging every night we sleep. You’ll need enough ads airing on the radio so that the average listener hears a certain radio ad 3 to 4 times per week. And after looking at radio listening habits across the nation, that equates to running 21 to 25 radio ads per week between 6am and 7pm. It’s the closest we can get to a formula when it comes to radio ad scheduling. Of course, there are other options regarding an ad schedule and the best use of your budget. And we can’t forget to take into account your competition and how much they’re advertising to the public.

This is how you get people to start remembering a business’ radio ads. Repetition is the first step towards branding. Just like Pavlov’s dogs, remember? The meat paste and the bell ringing and the drooling?

But getting the dogs to drool when they heard the bell wouldn’t have happened if Pavlov didn’t use meat. If he used lemon juice or Windex, he wouldn’t have got the results he did. In branding a business, there must be a message that’s pleasant and relevant shared with the radio listener that’s tied in with the business itself. You want to associate something good or something helpful with doing business with the particular advertiser who’s trying to get advertising results.

Otherwise…you’re just spouting words across the airwaves that nobody cares about – and will never have the chance to be remembered when people need what the advertiser offers. Amazing results from advertising will come when your ad is of the branding or relationship building nature that has a chance of making someone feel warm and fuzzy in a sense, when they hear it. And when you repeat those kinds of ads over and over, consistently, in a long-term plan, that’s when the “true branding” starts happening.

Then, your ads must also use words that aren’t boring us to death. They need to tell a story. They need to give us useful information. They need to “connect” with us and include a strong emotional element. We’re emotional beings. We like to do business with those we like and trust. Therefore, radio ads should always be increasing the listeners’ chances to like and trust an advertiser before they’ve ever even met them. Then, when the listener actually HAS a plumbing problem… when they’ve had enough of their sore back in the morning… they’ll definitely have Bob’s Plumbing and Princess Pea’s Mattress Factory among the top prospects or hopefully THE top choice for them to call.

Great advertising comes from the words you use…and the manner in which they’re used. I feel like I’m pretty darn good at that. Let me know if you’d like to talk about making your mark on Sioux Falls and the surrounding area. Thank you. Have a great day!

Duane Christensen
Results Radio Townsquare Media
Sioux Falls, SD
605-940-7984
duane.christensen@results-radio.com
http://duanechristensen.townsquareinteractive.com/