Go Ahead Im Listening

In today's fast paced environment, interaction with family and friends is often relegated to a few left over minutes here and there, leaving many people feeling isolated.

Radio fills the gap. Radio provides a one on one emotional experience. It creates a connection that is a personal and unique experience for each listener. It's just you and the voice on the radio, speaking to you.

TV and print media are mass media. Eliciting an emotional response from print is almost an impossibility. TV is emotional but not personal. You know it's you and the thousands of others who are watching, besides which it's beyond the budget of many businesses.

As an advertiser, you have an opportunity to speak directly to your customer, using words and phrases that have meaning for them. Radio can relate messages that have synergy with campaigns in other media, but shouldn't be written in the same style. Effective radio is a conversation with the customer. It's your chance to tell a story.

How interesting would you find a story that started with the company name or, " We have friendly, knowledgeable staff. Stop in and see us. We have 20 colours of sofas in a variety of sizes and styles." Boring isn't it? So why do so many advertisers do it?

It's easy to talk about your business and what you want to sell. It takes more time and effort to find out what your customer wants and talk in terms of their buying motivation, but it's worth it. It's easier to get quick results by announcing a sale, than it is to build a relationship with the consumer. Where do you think those sale shoppers will be when your competition is having a sale, not at your business I bet?

Another of radio's great strengths is its ability to reach a defined market segment. When you buy newspaper advertising, you buy the whole and very general readership, all the demographics and special interest groups. Now it's not a bad thing to reach more people, but if you have a limited budget you can spend it very quickly in your daily paper, on one ad,?. one day, ?.one time. That's not great frequency and just hit and miss reach. What if your best prospects don't read the paper on the day your ad runs?

Radio gives you an opportunity to target the age and interests of your segment of the market. With a budget large enough to cover the cost of a reasonable sized ad in your daily newspaper, you can buy a whole week of radio commercials.

Don't get put off by commercial prices at the top stations. It is not about reaching a huge number of prospects a few times. It's about reaching a smaller number of listeners enough times for them to think they know and like you, and want to do business with you. Spend time and money creating a message that conveys a message your customers can relate to.

Have you ever bought something you just had to have, and then gone home and explained logically to a family member why it was an essential? You bought on emotion and justified with logic, the same thing your customer does. Forget generic when it comes to radio. This is one time it pays to get personal.

In the US the norm is 60 seconds for a radio commercial in Canada 30 seconds. If you've got a great story to tell and you're a good storyteller, then use 60 seconds otherwise the shorter commercial is better. The only thing worse than boring the listener for 30 seconds, is boring them for 60. Frequency to raise awareness for your business name and purpose in speaking to them can be achieved economically by adding a schedule of sponsorships and/or 10-15 second messages.

This is an example of a 30 second radio script that connected with the customer. How do we know it was good? Sales increased.

Unbeknownst to your co-workers, you are a connoisseur. Sure, you have tattoos and a problem finding your inner-self, but you crave adventure and You! Know! Food! So, in this world of new awareness, reward yourself with a world of flavours. Wrapzone. An ambrosia of foods, and devilish sauces harmoniously heaped on a tortilla. The silver gift wrap is free every day! Experience-Full-Fillment. Wrapzone.

On radio, as in all your advertising, you need to keep it simple. A soliloquy well read is much more effective than something with too many words, multiple focus, lots of sound effects or a conversation between a two or more people.

Points to remember:

Radio is an opportunity, use it to your advantage, some of your competitors never will.

Negotiate; the price isn't always the price.

Don't get too hung up on the price per commercial. Ask for pre-emptable no charge commercials to augment your campaign.

Find out when your commercials will run. If you choose a station based on the number of commercials included in a package make sure they are not bumping up the numbers by running them all 6pm ? 5am.

If you have a small budget focus on one daypart to increase the number of times a listener hears your message.

Writing and production are included in the price but that doesn't mean the message they create for you will be effective. You need to be involved in the creative process.

You can be too creative. Don't make listeners strain to try to figure out what you are saying.

If you haven't got the budget to do a heavy enough campaign to make an impact, save your money until you do.

Ask how the station schedules their commercials. If they have long commercial blocks you have to work especially hard to stand out from the 5 or 6 (or more) other messages.

Keep your message simple.

Nancy Fraser worked in radio for over 20 years. She owned and operated her own specialty retail store, and held Management and Sales Executive positions in media and communications. Free information and tools on effective advertising and marketing are available in Notable News at http://www.notable-marketing.com

---

Google News Updated : Sat, 30 Aug 2008 06:25:42 GMT Hurricane Gustav plows through Cayman Islands - The Associated Press BBC News Hurricane Gustav plows through Cayman Islands The Associated Press - 35 minutes ago GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands (AP) - Hurricane Gustav plowed through the Cayman Islands toward Cuba, gathering strength on a journey that could take it to the US Gulf Coast as a fearsome Category-3 storm three years after Hurricane Katrina. Video: Gustav Set to Batter Cuba, Enter Gulf of Mexico AssociatedPress Now a hurricane, Gustav heads for Cuba, eyes US AFP ABC News - BBC News - The News-Press - New York Times all 6,453 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 30 Aug 2008 05:50:29 GMT Boeing Communications Strategy May Goad Machinists Into Strike - Bloomberg Washington Post Boeing Communications Strategy May Goad Machinists Into Strike Bloomberg - 2 hours ago By Susanna Ray Aug. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Boeing Co. may have miscalculated when it made direct appeals to workers during contract talks, goading union leaders to call for a strike next week. Union Urges a Strike at Boeing New York Times Boeing union leaders recommend strike MarketWatch guardian.co.uk - Wall Street Journal - Bizjournals.com - The Associated Press all 1,165 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 30 Aug 2008 04:17:12 GMT Obama Takes the Fight to McCain - New York Times ABC News Obama Takes the Fight to McCain New York Times - 2 hours ago By ADAM NAGOURNEY and JEFF ZELENY DENVER - Barack Obama accepted the Democratic Party presidential nomination on Thursday, declaring that the “American promise has been threatened” by eight years under President Bush and that John McCain represented a ... Republicans Keep a Wary Eye on Gustav, NFL: Campaign Notebook Bloomberg A Middle-Class Tax Cut for McCain National Review Online Boston Herald - Richmond County Daily Journal - WNBC - Seattle Post Intelligencer all 3,409 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 30 Aug 2008 04:06:26 GMT Millions Are Displaced by Floods in India - New York Times BBC News Millions Are Displaced by Floods in India New York Times - 1 hour ago Villagers navigated floodwaters on Friday in Jankipur, India. Aid workers said the official death toll, currently at 12, was low. An antipoverty agency estimated that 2000 people had died. Bihar displaced die as boat sinks BBC News Twenty feared dead as rescue boat capsizes in India floods AFP Los Angeles Times - Reuters India - CNN - Hindu all 608 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 30 Aug 2008 04:52:03 GMT Forbidden fruit: learning to drink responsibly - Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times Forbidden fruit: learning to drink responsibly Los Angeles Times - 5 hours ago Regarding alcohol, middle and high schools' only message is 'just say no.' That leaves alcohol education to parents and, increasingly, colleges, where newfound freedom can send students off track. College Presidents Stand Up for Common Sense? I'll Drink to That Wall Street Journal Lower drinking age means lost lives The Star-Ledger - NJ.com New York Daily News - Chicago Tribune - Kannapolis Independent Tribune - KXRM all 152 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 30 Aug 2008 01:23:19 GMT Mother of missing Fla. toddler arrested again - The Associated Press ABC News Mother of missing Fla. toddler arrested again The Associated Press - 54 minutes ago ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - The mother of a missing Florida girl was back in jail on check fraud and theft charges just over a week after being released on bond for charges related to her daughter's disappearance. Video: Casey Anthony Could Be Returning to Jail AssociatedPress Mom of missing Fla. girl arrested again WLOS FOXNews - MyFox Springfield - WPEC - United Press International all 1,729 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 30 Aug 2008 05:31:03 GMT Palin nomination may be John McCain's bid to woo Clinton loyalists - New York Daily News BBC News Palin nomination may be John McCain's bid to woo Clinton loyalists New York Daily News - 28 minutes ago BY MICHAEL SAUL and DAVID SALTONSTALL Sen. Hillary Clinton embraces supporter at Democratic convention after releasing her delegates to vote for Barack Obama. Michelle Obama: Bringing back the brooch Los Angeles Times Obama's message moves iReporters CNN New York Times - Washington Post - Wall Street Journal - Boston Globe all 10,049 news articles Publ.Date : Sat, 30 Aug 2008 05:57:15 GMT RSS2Blog RSS Parser

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Crazy Ads? Maybe Youre Just Out of The Demo!

My father called me to complain, again. He's 82 and... Read More

The Truth in Advertising

Most of us have seen at least a dozen different... Read More

How to Breathe New Life into Your Advertising Campaign

If you haven't made many sales or perhaps none at... Read More

Marketing Messages with Add Zest & Appeal

Boring is one thing you can't afford to be when... Read More

Print Advertising: Knowing What To Put In Your Ads

So you've decided to run a print ad in your... Read More

Change, or Reinforce?

Do you know about the distinction - and it's a... Read More

Just What Are Consumers Thinking?

Research would indicate that consumers don't know what they're thinking.... Read More

The First UK Man To Become a Human Billboard an Interview

Advertising on humans using tattoos is rapidly kind of freak... Read More

LED Moving Message Displays

LED's are becoming more and more popular in all kinds... Read More

Wheres Me Pot of Gold and Lucky Charms?

We already know this from our history books. If you... Read More

Humor in Advertising

Many of the most memorable ad campaigns around tend to... Read More

Why Your Ads Aren?t Working

The president of a manufacturing company recently asked me, "Why... Read More

Creating a Winning Logo

Creating a logo to get you noticed.When you're branding a... Read More

Tips On Writing a Successful Ad

When knowledge is based on truth it is powerful!When it... Read More

Ten Secrets for Getting FREE Advertising

The opportunities for getting free advertising for yourproduct or services... Read More

Whats On Your Business Card?

A professional business card says more about you and your... Read More

Business Cards: Why Waste Valuable Space?

So many business people neglect this valuable asset that may... Read More

Persistant Advertising Will Do No Harm!

From my experience, I've been on many discussion groups and... Read More

Why People Fail in Mail Order

Mail order is a very complicated business. Every phase must... Read More

Become a Storyteller Not an Advertiser and Watch Your Traffic Increase

When you read the newspaper, do you read advertisements as... Read More

Can I Write and Print My Own Business Brochures and Business Cards?

If you have a computer and a printer, preferably one... Read More

Advertising Agency In Boston: Tips and Tricks

The big news on Wall Street last year was the... Read More

If You Invest Money on Advertising, then You could Save Thousands through this Simple Little Secret

A few years ago, I analysed the statistics of where... Read More

Secrets to Get Free Advertising

The opportunities to get free advertising for your product or... Read More

Hit Them With Benefits

More about advertising from BIG Mike McDanielIt makes no difference... Read More