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I Want My Pot Roast NOW!

/ Duane Christensen

Great success with your Radio Advertising is like a pot roast.

You’d love it if you could cook a pot roast in 10 to 20 minutes…but you’d be disappointed. You’d love it if your Radio Advertising worked at its maximum level within the first week or month you’re on the air with your radio ads…but you’ll be disappointed.

That delicious pot roast takes some time to fully cook and bring forth all of its juicy, meaty goodness. And it’s the same for your radio advertising…

Image courtesy of "-Marcus-" / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of “-Marcus-” / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

But it’s well worth the wait when you bite into that roast. And your radio advertising will be well worth the wait when it starts getting into the minds of the listening audience (and sticking).

Let’s compare this to Direct Mail – the microwave popcorn of advertising.

Direct Mail gives you almost everything it can give you…immediately. Heck, “they” even say you’re supposed to commit to at least 4 mailings to a particular list before you can see any real results. So, why would you only do Radio for a few weeks and then abandon it when you’re disappointed?

What radio does that any Print advertising cannot do…is settle into your memory. Branding. You can become “the one” most people remember when they need what you sell. Wouldn’t that be cool? You can be “the one” people FEEL BEST ABOUT when they need what you sell. Do you know what the glorious results of that are? It means growth. It means you don’t have to put a “special offer” or discount into every ad. More profits. Better customers who value what you stand for, not people only looking for “a deal”. And that happens because of SOUND. You can stick into someone’s head with a good message faster and more sticky by using the power of Radio sound and repetition. (think Pavlov’s dogs – bell ringing)

How long is your product or service buying cycle? Which means how often to people need you? Every week? Every year? Ever 5 to 10 years? Your answer depends on how fast your advertising will work. If you’re selling mattresses, I’m going to make you a much happier advertiser with Radio versus your print advertising or Direct Mail campaign. Are you a remodeler, home builder, plumber, roofer, garage door company, farm implement dealer, furniture store, glass company? Same. Not everyone needs you today or next week or next quarter…that’s why it makes more sense to take the road to branding and getting into your prospects’ minds as one of the best, safest, most trusting place to buy from when they need you. You can’t make that happen with Direct Mail or the newspaper or a billboard.

You can’t do that with a crappy Radio message either. That’s why I focus on crafting a radio ad campaign strategy that lays the foundation for getting people to feel most comfortable with YOU…instead of any of your competitors.

So, let’s be patient and do it right with a tasty pot roast instead of settling for pop tarts or microwave popcorn. Let’s start the conversation. Give me a buzz and we can discuss your unique situation.

Side note: When you’re on the Radio…any Direct Mail piece you supplement your Radio campaign with will have more impact. Just make sure you have a bold message to share. Get noticed. People aren’t waiting patiently for your next advertisement. Every radio ad, postcard, thank-you note, etc., needs to pack a little punch.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media – Sioux Falls

605-940-7984

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

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 Sioux Falls market.

I’m a 39-year-old ad writer, radio marketing guy, and business helper. I’ve been learning and growing at Results Radio since 1998. I’d like the chance to show you what we can do for you.

That Big Group Of People You Forget About

/ 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

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

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!

Small Business Advertising: Horsepower & Flavor

/ Duane Christensen / 1 Comment

What if you decided to give $20 to the first 100 people who called a special phone number? No strings attached. You call…you get twenty bucks.

  • So, would an online ad work to advertise this cash giveaway? Absolutely.
  • Would newspaper work? Yup.
  • Would Radio work. You bet it would.
  • TV, Billboard, or Facebook ads? Dang right it would.

All advertising mediums give you access to an “audience”. You get access to PEOPLE. When you buy advertising space or spots, you are renting an audience. Some ad mediums just have bigger audiences than others. It’s part of the reason why one might cost more than the other.

Image courtesy of "M - pics" / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of “M – pics” / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

So, doesn’t that help you realize that all advertising mediums can work? All you’re trying to do is reach people with a persuasive message.

Think of it this way…

The Porsche 911 Turbo – everything about it drips performance, class, and testosterone. But what if the legendary Porsche engine is replaced with something you would find in an old Yugo? Performance just went down the toilet. It’s the same with your advertisements. The MESSAGE IS THE ENGINE. The message is what drives your advertising success. Without a message that has “beefyness” to it…you might as well save your money.

But before you just pick an ad medium to get your message across, you need to understand that each have different ways to be most effectively used. Some allow you to use a lot of words. Others are for short, direct messages where the point you’re trying to make doesn’t need a lot of explaining. Radio and TV can tap into emotions and make a huge impact when used properly. Personally, I like Radio most of the time versus TV for small businesses. It’s easier to produce an ad. And cheaper. Plus, you can make people visualize whatever you want in a Radio ad.

The greatest branding gets us emotionally involved. Print and Internet advertising can make things happen pretty fast when you use a picture of a product, a punchy headline addressing a problem, a possible solution, and a sweet bonus offer at the end. They each have strengths and weaknesses and

Image courtesy of "lemonade" / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image courtesy of “lemonade” / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

have different rules to be followed regarding placement, the number of ads you buy, and the length of time you run those ads.

Just remember that the message is what drives advertising success. Give your message some FLAVOR! Are you going to serve up some high school cafeteria turkey loaf? Or would you rather give them a piece of Mom’s blueberry pie that causes them to sit back, shut their eyes, and roll them back into their head? If you want above average advertising results, you have to advertise with horsepower and flavor.

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media (marketing rep)

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Dough Can Only Be Stretched So Thin

/ Duane Christensen / 1 Comment

A business owner in Sioux Falls asked me for some advice the other day. It was about the ad they place in one of the free local magazines every month. He said a quarter page ad cost him $400 that he’s never seen any response from…and he wondered what he could get on the radio for $400.

I asked him if he was spending his ad budget in any other places. He said yes. So, all-in-all, his budget is about $2000 a

month for advertising right now…spread over about 5 different advertising mediums. And all in print.

I asked him what he was trying to accomplish with his advertising. He said “I just want more people to know about our business and to consider buying from us instead of someone else.” I said, “So, you’re trying to use your $2000 to reach as many people as possible in the most effective manner to help attract new customers and increase your sales?” And he said, “Absolutely!”

I told him that spreading his budget around to different places wasn’t doing him much good. It was too thin. A very few number of people are exposed to his different print ads. He admitted that he thought that’s how he was supposed to advertise. I explained to him that people are people. It doesn’t matter really WHERE you advertise…just as long as you’re making an impact on a decent-sized group of people with your advertisements. He also admitted that his ads didn’t seem to be making any impact at all.

So, here is my recommendation to him. Take that $2000 per month and put it towards a long-term ad schedule on a large radio station. The listeners are there. Tens of thousands tuning in every day. And you’d be able to run many ads every week ensuring that people heard the ad. So, you have the “reaching people” part covered.

Then, we get to work on creating ads that are dang near impossible to be ignored. It’s easy to miss a print ad. But if you have an engaging, creative, smart ad airing week-in and week-out…your message WILL be getting into the EARS of a heck of a lot of people.

I said we also have to think of our ad strategy. What makes his business better? How does he treat customers better? What kind of experience does he provide that his competition would find it tough to match? You have to look at the whole competitive picture. And you have to always focus on what a prospect would like to hear…not necessarily what YOU would like to tell them.

We want people to think of his business FIRST when they need what he offers. And a good, focused radio campaign can achieve what he had hoped was possible, but he just hadn’t found the solution yet.

I’m excited for him. He got it. He called to cancel some of the little advertising expenditures he was doing in other places around town. When he added them all up, he came to about $2000 per month…which can now be invested in a more planned and strategic manner. AND start seeing an actual response and return from his investment.

So, if you’re stretching your dough too thin, and not seeing a lot from it…I have a better way to help you start growing consistently. Year after year.

Thanks for reading. Have a great day! I’d love to help you out when you’re ready.

Duane Christensen

Sioux Falls Radio Advertising blog

Why Radio?

/ Duane Christensen

What IS a radio advertisement?

I’d say that it’s kind of like a print ad or a billboard…brought to LIFE…and on steroids.

Radio is entertainment for listeners.  Some are actively listening…others have it on in the background.  It’s company.  People use radio as a companion.

How else can you effectively reach a large number of people over and over and over in such a way?  I can’t think of any.  TV isn’t like radio because people watch TV programs, not TV stations.  My TV habits are all over the place.  One show here, another there.  Different stations.  And they’re all on my DVR to watch whenever I want.

The key to effective advertising is getting your message to people repetitively.  And you can’t predict when they’ll need you or when they’ll be ready to buy.  That’s why it’s important to brand your business.  Branding isn’t just tattooing your business name on their brain.  It’s giving people a feeling or set of words to remember whenever they hear your name.

Branding can’t be done with print (it’s tough to do without sound).  And it’s pretty darn expensive to do it on TV (I’m not talking about small cable stations).  Sooooo, I’ll bring you back to radio.  Radio allows you to communicate with your prospect multiple times within a one-week period.  When you do that, you’re starting the branding process.

When radio is done right, I can’t think of a more cost-effective way to guide people towards your business instead of your competitor’s.  If you can…I’d consider working for that ad medium instead of radio.  But I don’t see anything out there yet that works better.  So, for now, I’ll be right here at Results Radio.

Have a great day!

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media – Sioux Falls

605-940-7984

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

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 Sioux Falls market.