sioux falls advertising

“Where Should I Advertise?” is the WRONG QUESTION

/ Duane Christensen

If you’re finally ready to shake up the world and make big things happen with your advertising… BUT… your first question is “Where should I advertise?”… then, you’re asking the wrong question. You’ve just skipped about 6 steps.

You should be asking yourself, “What can I SAY to people that will cause them to want to do business with me?” Only then… should you ask the question of where to advertise.

People don’t care about what you have to say in your ads until you’re saying something that’s relevant to THEM or something that entertains them. And what usually entertains people is Humor or a good Story. We all love a good story.

When you want to finally make your advertising work… let’s sit down and discuss your situation. I’ll help you understand the most important factors that make advertising work, plus all the little variables in the formula that can make or break an advertising campaign.

But beware… because I will talk to you about the mighty benefits of branding your business. If you only have the marketing mentality of “I need a fat and instant ROI with every ad investment I make” …then you will be disappointed and forever chasing something that really doesn’t exist. Not profitably anyway.

Of course, there are exceptions – but I’m writing to all those local businesses who have tried just about every kind of advertising and nothing has ever worked worth a crap. You’re frustrated, fed-up, and ready to flick the next Media Salesperson you talk to right in the brain.

Advertising that always brings instant results is the kind that only plucks the low-hanging fruit. Meaning, it’s just the tiny group of people who only need you at this very moment. And most of your competition is advertising TO THAT VERY SAME TINY GROUP…. giving you an even tinier slice of that low-hanging fruit.

But when you advertise consistently with a relationship-building message that engages emotions and causes people to like and trust you, then you’re advertising to that extremely LARGE group of people who may not need you now, but most of them will in the future. When you “brand” your business properly, those people will remember you when they need you. They’ll be more confident in doing business with YOU… even when your competitors try grabbing them as low-hanging fruit with their intermittent advertising.

When you BOND with people in your relationship-building ads, they’ll remember you because of how you made them feel. Because you spoke to them about THEIR NEEDS… not yours.

If you only “shoot from the hip” or “roll the dice” periodically with your “Act Now!” type of advertising, you’re just hoping and praying that people choose you based on luck… or price. Sounds like a bad bet to me.

So, I said that you need to figure out your message and your strategy FIRST. But you might not know how to do that. That’s ok. But neither do most other media and marketing people. Most of them know how to place a media buy and that’s it. And those salespeople hand off some client notes to a “creative” person, and they come up with a pile of garbage that doesn’t work.

I’ll help you with your advertising strategy. Your message. Your plan.

“Trying this… and trying that”… is getting a little old, isn’t it?

Duane Christensen

9 Yards Marketing

duane@9yards-marketing.com

Radio page: https://www.9yards-marketing.com/radio-advertising.html

Call or text: 605-940-7984

Emotionally Engaging Advertising

/ Duane Christensen

How emotionally engaging was the last digital ad you saw?

Everything Apple, iMac, iPhone, iPad, Macbook And Apple Watch

Photo by Stokpic

Not very, right?

I’m not saying digital ads have no benefit… I’m just saying they don’t have much on their own.

A good radio campaign will engage your prospect emotionally.

First, let’s understand why emotion in advertising is king.  If we didn’t buy emotionally… every person would drive the ugliest, cheapest car that effectively got them from Point A to Point B.  We would all wear the same generic shirts, pants, and shoes.  We would never get excited about a new 60-inch TV, we would just say, “That’s overkill.  It’s unnecessary.”

But you know that’s not who we are.  Emotion is involved in almost every decision we make.

Back to emotion in advertising…

Doesn’t it make sense that we create ads that are emotionally engaging, then?  Of course it does.  Yes, a picture can create emotion… but what happens when a voice tells us a story and engages us in something that we can relate to?  What happens when you put the proper music to match the mood we’re trying to set?  Theater.  And that’s what good radio is… a theater of the mind.

Logic in ads can only go so far.  Emotion is what will take it farther than you thought was possible.  But what if you’re a pencil pushing, logical, type of business owner?  About half of you are.  Well, that just makes my job a little tougher is all.  I have to convince you that people are emotional beings and that you’re going to get more bang for your buck if you choose advertising options that can deliver an emotional and engaging message.

How easy is it to dismiss a digital ad?  Pretty easy.  That’s why you have to put even more work into digital ad “creative”.  And your digital ad should just be another memory anchor of your “sound” advertising.  You know… the emotional kind.  It should all work together.

Not satisfied with your digital advertising immediate results?  Stop trying to make people buy now.  Be yourself, be sincere, be emotional… and people will begin to remember you and eventually love you and do business with you.  You can’t force success.  It’s earned.  It’s for sure not a magical “digital” formula.

Whenever you’re asked to buy any kind of online or offline advertising, just ask yourself:  Is it emotionally engaging?

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media – Sioux Falls, SD

P.S.  I actually sell and create digital ads and campaigns (not just radio).  But I’ve never sold them by themselves without an emotionally engaging radio advertising strategy to be the primary driver of the complete marketing campaign.

Sioux Falls Marketing

/ Duane Christensen

You have tons of Sioux Falls marketing options.

Marketing Sioux Falls

Image courtesy of “Stuart Miles” / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Marketing options in Sioux Falls can make your head spin.  It’s daunting.  But let’s define marketing in regards to trying to attract more customers or increase sales.  Marketing… is anything you do inside or outside your business in an attempt to make a buck.  That could mean flyers on windshields, sandwich boards, signage in your store, improving your online presence, advertising on the radio, joining a networking group, etc.

Advertising is something you pay for where you’re “renting” an audience.  Radio has an audience.  TV has an audience.  Billboards have an audience (kind of – people don’t “choose” to use billboards – they’re just kind of in the way).  The Internet has an audience.  Advertising is a part of your marketing.

Back to marketing in Sioux Falls.  Consider your competition in town.  Are you one among many?  Or are you light on competitors?  That will be a big factor in how intensely you need to market or how much you need to invest in your marketing.

The biggest problem I see is that there are “marketing people” and “marketing firms” who don’t have a lot of experience in helping people improve their overall marketing efforts.  They just have their own toolbox to sell which may or may not be a bit of good for anyone.  They’ve just been told by their bosses to go sell their services.  Then, the creative people will create some fancy graphics.  Or the production department will put together some ads.

Do you see the problem?  There is a huge gap in there that needs to be filled with thinking, communication, research, and then finally a smart marketing STRATEGY for the business.  Because without that…you’re not doing the most you can with your marketing budget.  You might be throwing a lot of dollars in the dumpster, so to speak.

Marketing in Sioux Falls can be fun!

I’m serious!  Once we put a great plan together for you…and hammer out a good strategy for you and a first set of ads for the first few months…then, all we have to do is keep our ear to the ground.  You’ll start seeing new faces, consistently.  You’ll talk to more people.  Then, I just keep writing more ads and tweaking the overall strategy.  After a year, you could be truly amazed at how your business has changed.

Part of the fun will be that you will NOT have to constantly worry about where your next customer will come from.  I’ll be on the side working for you.  I’ll be doing my own research for you.  You’ll have a new radio ad at least once a month.  And that’s important because if you run the same ad more than that…the effectiveness of that ad drops off sharply.  You have a lot to tell the public.  So, we’ll keep your ads fresh, persuasive, and entertaining.

I like to help businesses see the bigger picture.  Marketing in Sioux Falls is not about trying this and trying that.  It’s about figuring out the best way to position yourself among your competitors.  Marketing is a process.  It’s not an inconsistent series of events that may or may not work.  Sioux Falls is still a nice size where word can travel pretty fast.  We can help you become a household name in town.  If you’re interested in talking, just give me a shout.

Not only Sioux Falls – you’ll also be marketing to the surrounding rural area.

This isn’t like a direct mail campaign to a few Sioux Falls zip codes.  You’ll be reaching an entire area.  Not just portions.  You won’t have to hope and pray that your direct marketing is getting to the exact people who need your service at this precise moment.  You’ll be getting your business name and what you stand for into the brains of the public, and we’ll make sure the ads are sticky enough so they remember you.  This is mass media.  You’ll be reaching a ton of people.  And here’s why that’s GOOD and why you do NOT have to “target” so narrowly with your advertising…

Everyone is an “influencer” in some way.  Even if your exact perfect potential customer doesn’t hear your ad… how many people are in that person’s “circle”?  People talk.  People chat about anything and everything.  And if we feel we can help a friend or family member out by mentioning a business we heard about…we will.  Decisions aren’t made in a vacuum.  If a husband doesn’t hear the plumbing ad…the wife still could have.  And the wife is sleeping with the husband.  They talk.  So, when there’s a plumbing issue, guess what happens?  They talk about who to contact.

When I said you don’t have to target so narrowly…that’s not entirely true.  We’ll target the right people (profitable potential new customers) with the message we communicate in your ads.  We target through the message…not exclusively through the avenue in which you advertise. Which is much more effective.

Advertising isn’t like a vending machine.  You can’t just put in money and automatically get something in return.  We need to actually sit down and think about this for a moment before you pull the trigger with your checkbook.  I won’t let you advertise with me until we know we’ve created something with the potential to do great things.

I’ll produce a campaign for you that will make a difference.  And if I don’t think that’s possible…I’ll tell you.

When we start working together, I’ll make your Sioux Falls marketing not seem so confusing and help you wade through your endless marketing and advertising options.  I’m not saying radio is the best of the best when it comes to local advertising.  But I am saying that I’ve learned quite a lot in the past many years I’ve been doing this, and I’ve seen my clients grow consistently year after year.  I know that radio advertising can make great things happen.  I know businesses who are “famous” in Sioux Falls and they put 85 to 90% of their marketing budget into radio at Results Radio.  We do it different here.  I do it different.  I care about your results.  I care that what we’re doing with your investment is giving you a return that will cause you to LOVE your radio advertising.

I’ll stop now.  I get a little passionate about this stuff.  : )

Have a great day!

Duane Christensen

(Chief paper clip organizer at Results Radio Townsquare Media)

Sioux Falls Radio Advertising blog

P.S. Let me know if you’d like to sit down and discuss your options. I’m not the “salesy” type. Just the “nice, helpful guy” type. Marketing in Sioux Falls doesn’t have to be so scary, confusing, frustrating, etc.

How To Be Overcharged For Web Services

/ Duane Christensen

advertising marketing sioux falls

Image courtesy of “debspoons” / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Now… I’m not exactly sure this local company is being overcharged by one of my favorite local advertising agencies… I’m only 97.5% sure of it.

Here’s something I read on this particular advertising agency’s website. Their words are in bold in the paragraphs below.  My breakdown of their words is in RED)

 

[______________ company] partnered with us to increase their profits. (Because this agency used the words “partnered with us”, I would automatically NOT want them as my ad agency. They also said “profits”. It bugs me. I’m pretty sure the company didn’t call up this agency and say, “We’d like to partner with you to increase our profits.” Sure, maybe I’m being nit-picky, but it just bugs me, ok?!  We developed a website for them on an easy to use content management system, and we drive traffic to their website through Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing. [____________ company] is now ranking number one on the popular search engines!  (This agency is hoping business prospects reading this are not “with it” in the “Interwebs” language – because which keywords is this company ranking #1 for? Even I can build a website and get any local company to rank #1 pretty fast and easy for an obscure enough keyword. Bottom line – just be honest with us, please. And I searched the top 6 or 7 keywords and different variations of those keywords that most people would type into Google – this business was not even close to ranking #1.)

We also support their social media efforts, keeping top of mind awareness with their followers. (First of all, this company is not in an industry where people are breaking down doors to Like their Facebook and Twitter pages – aside from their wives and mothers. But this agency I’m sure told them they needed a consistent social media presence. And that they’re really good with social media, and they’d be more than happy to handle it for them. Of course, charging them a stupid amount of money for absolutely zero value in return.) We track their incoming traffic, so [_____________ company] can see exactly what their marketing dollars are providing for a return on their investment.  (So, technically, yes, if you add to someone’s website traffic, that’s a “return” on investment. But this industry that I’m naming unnamed, is one where there’s not a ton of competition. And the competition they do have…don’t have a lot of web marketing going on at all. So, getting more traffic to the website, and showing them the numbers is great. But it wasn’t difficult for them to do, yet they’re charging a pretty penny for it. They’re slick. And I’m not a fan of “slick” advertising agencies and marketing people.) 

Isn’t that almost PSYCHOTIC that I looked into those two small paragraphs so deeply? I know. Dude, get a life. I needed a break- and had half an hour to spare, ok? And I don’t like it when small business owners get taken advantage of.

ANYWAY… 

  • Please be careful before you buy any kind of marketing service or advertising.
  • Ask TWICE as many QUESTIONS as you think you should.
  • Sleep on it. Then, ask more questions.
  • Keep your “radar” up for buzzwords that mean nothing.
  • Keep your “radar” up for sales-ey type of talk. Look for sincerity.

Gotta run.  Have a great day!

 

Duane Christensen

Your favorite marketing dude at Results Radio Townsquare Media

Sioux Falls, SD

605-940-7984

duane.christensen@results-radio.com

Advertising on the Radio

/ Duane Christensen

Is advertising on the radio right for you?

In my experience, advertising on the radio can work wonders.  Radio can make local businesses famous.

I get calls like,

“I’m wondering what kind of ad package I can get on your stations.”

OR… they’ll ask if we have any “specials”.advertising on the radio

So, here’s what I say.  I tell them, if you’re looking for an ad package, you must already have a good strategy and the first few months of a radio campaign hammered out.  Pause.  More pause.  “Well…..I’m just looking to see what kind of rates I can get.  Because I can get some cable ads for real cheap.”  Oh, so you don’t even care if the ads work or not.  More pausing.

No…I don’t actually say things like this on the phone or in-person… I’m a little nicer or more subtle. But allow me to continue my pretend phone call…

So, after a few more questions from me, I tell the caller you can always find cheap rates…but not always find results.  If they’re interested in hearing more…I set an appointment.  If they’re not.  Then, I’ll send them to someone who’s willing to just sell cheap rates and ads that don’t work.

Is advertising on the radio right for your business?  It probably is.  Do some research on how many people listen to the radio…and how many hours a week.  I could tell you, but you won’t believe me.  The bottom line is that MOST people listen to the radio.  There’s something about free entertainment that people seem to love.  And free entertainment will never die.

Are you reaching enough people by advertising on the radio?

Ok, I’ll share some numbers with you.  Around 90% of people 13+ listen to AM/FM radio.  And that’s about 4 and a half times MORE than all other online radio options combined.  So, yes, AM/FM radio is still one of the greatest places to be with your advertising.

Now you know that radio has listeners.  A lot of them. Enough listeners to grow your business nicely.  But there’s a catch.  You can’t just throw any old twaddle onto the airwaves.  (I just learned a new word.  Twaddle.  I like it.)  The key to making your radio work is the message you communicate to the listeners.  Do they care about YOU and your business?  No.  Do they care about how you can help them?  Yes.  That’s the first thing to learn.

Oh…I forgot to tell you something.  Forget everything you’ve ever heard, seen, or read about advertising.  I’d be willing to bet what you think you know about advertising…will help put you out of business because of squandered ad budgets.

There are old rules that were once followed.  Like these…

1) Make sure your business name is mentioned at least 5 times in the ad

2) Put your phone number in the ad multiple times

3) Add your EXACT address to the ad (such as 2753 W. Doofus Blvd.)

4) Get a professional voice to make your ad sound like an ad

5) Always put music behind the voice

6) Make sure the ad sounds like a national ad

I’m sure there are a ton more…but they’re all equally ridiculous.  There is no formula for writing a radio spot.  If you want a formula, try this.  Try to make your ad NOT sound like an ad.  Why?  Because we’ve been pounded with twaddle 🙂  for years and years and decades and decades.  There are so many horrible ads hurtling towards us every day…our brain tells us to PLEASE not remember them.  Because they’re all soooo dumb and of no benefit to you.  Seriously.  Our brains are pretty smart.  It has the best built-in “crap” filters that you could never imagine.

The CHALLENGE to make your radio ads work to their FULL and OUTRAGEOUSLY ENORMOUS POTENTIAL is to fake out the brain.  You have to say things in your ads that your prospect’s brain won’t expect.  What I mean is that it can’t be predictable.  PREDICTABILITY in your radio ads will KILL your results.  That’s probably the most important thing to remember.

The problem is…you don’t know which words to use.  And you can’t begin to know which words to use until you form a smart advertising/marketing strategy.  And forming a smart strategy begins with your competition.  You have to stand apart from your competition.  Be something different.  Find a strength of yours that is not their strength (or at least they don’t advertise it) and THAT might be a superstar ad strategy for you.  Strategy formulation also trickles down into knowing WHO your customer REALLY is…and what they actually care about.  Or what they perceive to care about.

It’s tough for a business owner.  Or for an employee of a company that is “tasked” with the side duties of handling the marketing.  It’s tough because advertising and marketing isn’t what you KNOW.  You’re an entrepreneur.  I’d suggest finding an advertising guy or gal like myself (which is someone who tells you like it is – not some ad rep/order taker) and start spilling your guts to them so they can start creating a profitable strategy and advertising campaign for you.  This person must be a writer and a thinker.

Anyway…what was the question?  Sorry, I’m a smidge passionate about this stuff.

Is advertising on the radio right for a business like yours?

The answer is YES.  Advertising on the radio is good for you as long as you have something good to say.  Radio can work wonders for good businesses.  I’m a real life witness of that every day.  And radio can work all on its own.  The people are THERE.  They’re listening.  When you find the right thing to say to them…great things will happen.

And don’t be spreading your ad budget around to a bunch of different places! “Sprinkling” doesn’t work. You need to “douse” audiences. The “MEDIA MIX” talk is all B.S. You don’t have to advertise in 6 different places all around town. Start with a popular radio station (or two) …and “own” it. Make it impossible for people to have NOT heard your ad at least 3 times in 7 nights sleep! (That’s a technical / neurological thing with roots in the “Pavlov’s Dogs story” that ensures you’re doing that BRANDING thing right – but I’m not explaining all of that right now)

There are a bunch of local Sioux Falls advertisers who have put at least 85% of their total advertising budget into Radio…at Results Radio Townsquare Media. Who are they? I know you’ve heard their ads. And there’s a reason why they’re “Top Of Mind” in Sioux Falls and the surrounding 60 or 70-mile radius.

Ready? Let’s get to work!

Duane Christensen

Results Radio Townsquare Media

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

605-940-7984

duane.christensen@results-radio.com

You Know All About You, but…

/ Duane Christensen / 2 Comments

Why in the heck would you listen to an advertising guy like me about ways to advertise your business? After all… you know 100x more about your business than I do – even after I do some research!

Let me ask you this – who keeps you in business? Your customers, right? And they are just like me. They don’t know as much about your business as you do – so what you think may NOT be important to them, very well COULD be.

What usually happens in advertising is that you want to tell people all these “things” about your business. All of the things you think they want to know. Your products, your services, how long you’ve been in business, you are quality, your address, your phone number, your website, that you’re on Facebook, etc. But the honest to God truth is… they don’t really care about that.

Is that a tough one to swallow? It’s ok. It doesn’t mean that advertising can’t work. It just means you’re saying the WRONG THINGS to them in your advertising. This is where the power of sound comes in so handy…

A radio ad campaign allows you to start talking to a big group of people about things they CAN care about. They care about doing business with a company whom they feel really understands them. That you know the problems they’re facing. That you can be depended upon to deliver what their hard-earned money pays for.

So, the ads that really make a difference, are the ones that convey trust in a “Non-Ad” sort of way. It talks to them about how you’ve maybe helped someone else in the past. How you went the extra mile because that’s the kind of business you are. It’s not about who, what, when, and where. It’s about WHY. Why should they do business with you? Why should someone buy from YOU instead of one of your competitors who offers the same exact products or services?

Radio is great then, because inserting a story into your ad is so helpful. People love stories. And no other ad medium can deliver a better story-filled message than Radio. A good story is hard to ignore. We’re intrigued. Why want to hear the end of it.

What kind of stories about your business, your customers, or yourself would be of interest to people? That’s when a good advertising person on the outside can help. What YOU may not feel is important, I might tell you differently because I’m just like your potential new customers. We know we can get what you sell from many other places. So, tell your prospects things that will lean them closer to doing business with YOU instead of a competitor. Make them feel good about you. Help them connect with your business.

I’m a Radio marketing guy in Sioux Falls. And I can create an interesting, creative, and persuasive radio campaign for you that will move the needle. I can help your business tell people the things that they’ll care about. I’ll ask the questions that your prospects are wondering. I’ll ask the questions that you may not think are important – but they are. I’ll ask the questions that you didn’t think anyone cared about – but they do.

Advertising successfully is all about telling people things that THEY would like to hear… not what YOU would like to tell them. 

Duane Christensen

Sioux Falls Radio Advertising blog

Local Branding: Part 2

/ Duane Christensen

Here’s the final piece of my branding video —

 

Did I clear anything up for you? Did I confuse you more about advertising or branding? I’d like to know. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or if you’d like to talk about your unique situation. Thanks!

Have a great day!

Duane Christensen

Sioux Falls Radio Advertising blog

 

I’m a marketing guy, ad writer, and business grower at Townsquare Media in Sioux Falls. I’m on a mission to help local businesses get more from their advertising bucks. I also wrote a  a no-nonsense book about how to take a bigger slice of market share with better advertising. It’s called “Take a Bigger Slice”.

Local Branding: Part 1

/ Duane Christensen

The ultimate level in local advertising: Local BRANDING —

Stay tuned for Part 2…

You probably noticed that I mentioned Non-Fat Advertising. It’s my own little brand that I’m building and is the platform in which I share marketing advice with people all over the world.

Have a great day!

Duane Christensen

Sioux Falls Radio Advertising blog

I’m a marketing guy, ad writer, and business grower at Townsquare Media in Sioux Falls. I’m on a mission to help local businesses get more from their advertising bucks. I also wrote a  a no-nonsense book about how to take a bigger slice of market share with better advertising. It’s called “Take a Bigger Slice”.

Buying Bad Radio

/ Duane Christensen

You might think that “Radio” is “Radio”. And when you buy Radio advertising, you may feel the wise choice is to pick the station or stations with the lowest advertising rates – or find a stellar ad package where you buy 1 and get 1 free. After all, you’d be saving money, right?

Here’s the problem with buying radio ads in that fashion…

You could buy the cheapest radio ads in the world, but they’re still EXPENSIVE… if they DON’T WORK. The best way towards getting advertising results will be with the CONTENT of your ads.

Your advertising person should emphasize the unwavering importance of the strategy of your ad campaign. And about the ad itself. The message you communicate to the public will always be the biggest factor of whether your radio advertising works or doesn’t work.

The hefty portion of our training is all about writing the best ads. Not about winning awards and being creative… but focusing on being persuasive and making an impact with our clients’ ads.

Here are 3 kinds of ads, which would you rather have?

1) Cheap ads

2) Glittery and Creative ads

3) Cash-register ringing ads

That doesn’t mean you can’t also have a creative ad that gets great results. But we focus on the “results” part first. And it also doesn’t mean you’ll never find a less expensive ad that can get results. You just need to make sure that the people you’re buying radio advertising from, actually KNOW how to write a good radio advertising campaign.

Have you ever had an advertising person give you a “spec” ad before they’ve ever learned anything about you or your business? You might even think it’s clever or funny. But that “spec” ad will never hold a candle to a well-researched ad campaign where the ad rep or ad writer asked you a lot of good questions and dug deep for the “good stuff”.

Look for an advertising person who can give you a proven track record. Ask for references… and then call those references to hear what they have to say.

For example, if I moved to an unfamiliar city to open a new business. I’d want to hear from local business owners who are getting great results from their advertising. When all the ad reps started calling me, wanting me to advertise with them, I’d definitely ask for a list of their happy clients. And I encourage you to do the same right here in Sioux Falls.

So, give me a call. And ask me for my list of happy advertisers. Have a conversation with them, business owner to business owner. Ask them about what radio has done for their business and ask what I bring to the table that they really appreciate and enjoy.

Of course, I’m not perfect. I’ve had my share of failing ad campaigns. But it was usually because I wrote ads that the business owner wanted to hear and insisted upon, instead of writing ads that their potential new customers would like to hear. I’ve LEARNED from my 14 years here. I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t. I’ll help you avoid “buying bad radio”.

So, when you’re ready to grow and take a bigger slice of the market… let’s get this party started!

Have a great day!

Duane Christensen

Results Radio / Townsquare Media

Sioux Falls

I’m a marketing guy, ad writer, and business grower. I’m on a mission to help local businesses get more from their advertising bucks. I also wrote a  a no-nonsense book about how to take a bigger slice of market share with better advertising. It’s called “Take a Bigger Slice”.

More Marketing in Sioux Falls

/ Duane Christensen

How do I explain how to market a small business in Sioux Falls?

Ummm…that’s a tough one. It’s best left for a one-on-one conversation with you. Radio might not even be the best option. Whether it IS or ISN’T, I’ll tell you. I’ll be honest with you.

Marketing is about taking a product or service and trying to make a few bucks. Marketing for YOU could be getting in front of as many people as possible to share the goodness that you can offer. OR you might offer something more niche, where only a small select group is your target audience.

RADIO will help a business most when a large portion of the population will need what you offer at some time in the future. Radio ads are like an army of tiny salespeople.  What kind of businesses would benefit from a good radio ad campaign? Plumbing and HVAC, check. Grocery stores, check. Mattress or furniture stores, check. Fitness centers, check. Restaurants, check. Even psychological services, attorneys, dentists, lawn care, landscaping, or a sewing store can benefit from radio.

There are a few businesses in which I will recommend something different though. Maybe they’re exclusively targeting people who have a combined household income of  $200, 000 or more. Then, I’d say go with Direct Mail. Or maybe you’re a one or two-person shop. You might not be able to afford a radio campaign at this time. BUT… every situation is different. We need to have that one-on-one conversation to discuss a good plan for you.

RADIO is great because it can reach a lot of people. But the best thing about radio is how you can AFFECT people with a good radio campaign. You can change perceptions. You can make people feel most comfortable with YOUR business by saying the right things in your radio ads. Don’t settle for the same old radio ad that sounds like a newspaper ad read into a microphone. It’s not gonna work.

Radio advertising done right will cause the listeners to feel good about you. When we find the right things to say in your ads, you will experience a tipping point. Meaning, there is a building up period in which your messages are starting to stick into people’s minds. You’ll know when your tipping point has arrived. You’ll feel it. Your cash register will reflect it.

So, when you’re wondering about marketing in Sioux Falls… let’s see if radio is a good fit for your business. Let’s sniff around and come up with some amazing ways to get people to love your business. If radio IS right for you, I know that I can help you achieve your tipping point and start growing like you never thought you could. It’s exciting when that happens.

And when you look back on all those years of being frustrated with local advertising… you’ll wonder why you didn’t call that Duane guy sooner.  : )  But I’ll be honest with you. If I don’t think something will work, I’m not going to let you do it. I’ll help you understand what works and what doesn’t.

Here’s to your business growth!

Duane Christensen

Sioux Falls Advertising blog

Townsquare Media – Sioux Falls

I’m a marketing guy, ad writer, and business grower. I’m on a mission to help local businesses get more from their advertising bucks. I also wrote a  a no-nonsense book about how to take a bigger slice of market share with better advertising. It’s called “Take a Bigger Slice”.