| |
| |
|
WebsiteAlways |
|
Take Your Radio Ads to the Next Level
Most small businesses do not have a high powered advertising agency to produce award-winning radio commercials for them. Most award-winning radio commercials win for the wrong reasons anyway. Radio commercials should sell the benefits (not features)of your business/product and should be on the same page with print, TV and billboard. A major problem in business advertising today is the lack of coordination of a campaign where all media are targeting the same message. The newspaper ad says one thing and the radio commercial doesn't seem to fit anywhere. Wasted money. Hit 'em with the same message across the board and you increase your reach. Radio commercials at smaller radio stations are typically created by the radio salespeople or the announcers. In most cases, neither are trained at selling benefits. It's your money and you shouldn't spend it on amateurish and/or totally ineffective commercials. The biggest mistake many business people make is letting the station staff come up with the commercial copy and finished product. When they play it for you, you can tell they really love it. They wrote it, maybe they voiced it. It's me, me, me. They love all the fun they had making it. They don't know squat about selling benefits. Effective radio commercials Remember Tom Bodett for Motel six? A great campaign, it was Tom delivering the benefit for staying at the motel with a little music in the background. Award winning. And Motel Six business shot off the charts. Benefits sell. Yet few local radio people would be comfortable with a straight voice Tom Bodett style ad. They want you to feel like you are really getting something for your money. so they produce a grand scale dud. Here are BIG Mike's tips for better commercials Don't Do It Yourself You may be able to write it, after a little practice, but don't get fooled into thinking you can do it better than a professional announcer. The radio people will want you to voice it because some of your fiends will tell you they heard you on the radio and you will be convinced radio works. Phooey. That's an old way to sell ads. The high powered ad agency worked with David Orreck for several days to get those vacuum cleaner commercials to sound like one-takes. Avoid two-voice "slice-of-life" ads Many are made by dragging the receptionist into the studio to play the wife or mother and the result is something that sounds like the junior high school drama class made it. Steer clear of characterizations The last of the great character actors on radio was Mel Blanc and he died 20 years ago. An 18 year old kid trying to sound like a crusty ol' sea captain doesn't get it. Don't try humor - it ain't funny Remember the main reason to advertise, WIIFM, What's In It for Me, that's what they want to know. Sell benefits. Take a poll, no one cares about a cutesy commercial, they care about what's in it for them. Yet, every radio station in the country has at least one would-be Bob Hope who thinks he can out-funny the pros. It doesn't work. Consider how you feel when you hear one on the radio. It sure doesn't explain why you should visit the store, unless it is to punch out the owner for being so stupid. Ditch the lame humor for real substance 90 Seconds into 30 Won't Go. The power of the pause is important in radio commercials. Too many radio people take you literally when you tell them what you want in your commercial and try to get it all in one ad. Instead, ask them to create several that will rotate on the air. Take your time to explain the benefits. Don't buy anything longer than 30 seconds Some station price 60s double what they charge for 30 seconds, other plus up the 30 rate by 20 or 25 percent. Either way, you don't need a 60. Make two 30s and get more exposure and save more money. Heck, if you can say the entire Lord's Prayer in 20 seconds, you can sure sell your benefits in 30. Ask for an out-of-market voice These days with email audio attachments, many radio stations share voices around the country. You can get a voice thousands of miles away that will do ads only for you. In turn the station announcer who would have done your ads, does one for that station, an even trade. The exchange takes only seconds, no one does any more work and the cost to the advertiser is zero. Be sure your radio ads sell the same benefits at the same time as your newspaper, shopper and other print and billboard ads. Plan your advertising well in advance, just like the other parts of your business. For more about advertising, get my article "Cable Ads 5 Bucks!" Send a blank eMail to MailTo:CableAds@BigIdeasGroup.com ©2005 BIG Mike McDaniel All Rights Reserved Mike@BIGIdeasGroup.com BIG Mike is a Professional Speaker and Small Business Consultant with over 30 years experience, http://BIGIdeasGroup.com Subscribe to "BIG Mike's BIG Ideas" Newsletter MailTo:subscribe-956603364@ezinedirector.net
MORE RESOURCES:
Advertising - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Is Your Advertising... Sexy? Ever hear the term 'sexy' advertising? It's not necessarily what you think. Sure, some people's idea of sexy advertising is hot babes in bikinis spraying beer all over each other, but that's overtly sexual and not what we're about to discuss here. 10 Tips to Use Giveaways Effectively Walk around any trade or consumer show and you will be able to collect a bag full of advertising specialties, or giveaway items all designed to promote. But look a little more closely. Direct Response Advertising; Radio vs TV Radio advertising vs. television advertisingMany new advertisers assume that they should start on radio and "move up" sometime later to TV. Books, Bibles and Fast-Talkers Every community has 'em. Fast talkers who roll into town with a clever idea to sell to people in business. How To Create A Better Brochure Having a quality brochure makes a positive impression on a potential customer. It gives the appearance that you're serious about your business. Secrets to Get Free Advertising The opportunities to get free advertising for your product or services are limited only by your own imagination and energies. There are so many proven ways of promoting your objectives without cost that it literally boggles the mind just to think of listing them. How To Make Your Advertising Work! Many believe that when it comes to advertising, it's a necessary evil.At least that's how some businesses approach it. 16 Ways to Make Your Business Cards Unforgettable Every time you hear someone say "May I have one of your business cards?" you should get excited. I know I do. 3 Simple But Powerful Off-Line Advertising Strategies There are several ways to advertise and get the word out about your business online and the best of them include f-ree search engines, pay per click search engines, writing articles, utilizing press releases, doing joint ventures/ad co-ops, and posting to message boards and forums related to your target market.But one advertising method that's neglected by most online marketers is off-line advertising. Get Free Radio Advertisement Here's a neat trick to get lots of radio advertisement time, TOTALLY FREE! Imagine.. Media, the Internet, Yellow Pages, and Your Business If you are reading this article, chances are you could use a little extra money. With the advent of the internet and the migration of advertising dollars from print to electronic (and this time, it's the real thing, I swear! Not one of those 1999 tech busts!. 15 Tips for Better Yellow Page Ads Yellow Pages advertising is one of the most popular forms of advertising in the country today. Almost every home in America (96. Increase Business By Being Nice I have been reading articles on increasing sales using search engine optimisation as well as writing them for a very long time and I have not seen many which point out the best way to increase sales.The answer is obvious yet often overlooked; you just have to be as good to your customers as you would expect any other site owner to treat you. For All Those People Who Struggle With Benefits and Features For Everyone Who Has Ever Struggled Sorting Out Benefits From Features - "SWAT Them!"SWAT is not actually an acronym. It is a compaction of the question "so what?"You see, one of the biggest problems that even experienced copywriters and marketers fall into is being clear on what benefits their product or service actually delivers to their customers. Double Your Sales Potential With Double-sided Business Cards Swapping business cards is one of the most basic and common forms of networking in the business world. With something that is so common practice, people often hand out cards blindly while not really thinking about what the card does AFTER you hand it out. 50 Surefire Business Card Tips Business cards are one of the most powerful and inexpensive marketing tools you can use. Here are 50 surefire tips to make the most out of your business cards:Your business card must communicate more than just your contact information. 10 Simple Techniques To Make Your Ad Get Powerful Attention 1. Make your ad's keywords and phrases standout by enlarging the text. 3 Things Every Yellow Pages Advertiser Needs to Know Too many business owners and marketers know that Yellow Pages advertising has an incredible amount of potential? but they don't quite know how to take advantage of it.Fortunately, it's a mystery that's solved pretty easily once an advertiser knows where to turn for advice. How to Write B2B Ads That Catch Customers Are your business-to-business ads working for you? If they are not making sales, are they at least generating interest in your company? Are they making an impression on your potential customers by making you stand out in a crowd? If not, then you should take a look at this article and get those ads working hard for you.Don't just fish for customers, catch them!1. Top 9 Reasons To Advertise Advertising is not for every company. But some require it because their market is big and constantly changing and evolving.
|
| Interesting articles | Home | site map | Link |
| © 2006 |
