by Scott Howard | Mar 17, 2025 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Really? The Personal ScLoHo, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo
One of the best marketing tips I can give you is the title of this article and podcast episode: Make it Personal.
Despite all the new tech and capabilities of AI generated stuff, it’s people you need to connect with.
This is my anniversary week. Kathy and I met 25 years ago and married on St. Pat’s Day a year later.
I’ve never had an ongoing daily relationship with anyone for 25 years. Sure, my kids who are now 40 or close to it, I’ve know longer but they are all over this country with their own families and so it’s a bit different since they are under their own roofs, different from Kathy and I who share a roof and whole house for 2 and a half decades.
My challenge to you is to make sure your advertisements and marketing messaging is as one-on-one personal as your best human relationship connection.
Think about the characteristics that sustain that relationship.
How can you mimic that and avoid “ad-speak” in your marketing?
Earlier this month I touched on this as part of a presentation I made to local business people and I’ll share in more detail what I shared with them in an upcoming article and podcast episode. In the meantime, take a fresh listen and look at how you and your business present themselves and make a list of both the good and bad as it pertains to Making It Personal.
by Scott Howard | Jun 10, 2024 | Really? The Personal ScLoHo, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo
Marketing is more than advertising and your brand is more than your logo.
Despite the rise of A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) it’s people that make everything happen still in one degree or another.
The people in your organization interact with others and how ever that occurs, it matters.
Perception is reality in many cases.
One way to create a positive perception is to give of yourself.
Sure, money is nice but you have more valuable resources than just money that you can give.
You have talents, skills, wisdom and experience and if you have some time to share you can make a difference.
I’m going to share my story but it’s only an example of what might be possible for you. This is not about “how great Scott is”.
April 2003 was the month that I returned to radio fulltime in Fort Wayne, Indiana in a role that I had not done before in Indiana… advertising sales and marketing consulting.
Eight years with one group of stations, followed by 3 different jobs in succession that I stuck with 10 months each before joining Federated Media at the end of 2013.
In 2020, I stepped into management and then at the end of 2023, returned to sales.
As a way to balance my life, one of the things I’ve done is to give of my time to organizations that I could help. Returning to sales last year gave me control over my time again that I had lost a bit of while in management.
I’ve served on a couple of boards of non-profits, marketing committees of others and leadership roles outside of my paid work. I’ve had the opportunity to speak to students at several colleges and universities too. Last fall when my position changed and I found myself out in public more, it was fun to meet up with many old friends and acquaintances that I hadn’t seen much of since Covid. Sometimes, it’s simply seeing a need and stepping up to help. Sometimes it’s being available when someone needs help or an ear to bounce an idea off of.
I guess what i’m saying is that you and I have the same 168 hours a week and we get to choose how to spend the hours and minutes of our lives. You and your team need a healthy life balance and perhaps one way to achieve that balance is to do what I’ve learned works for my life and simply give of yourself. Be open to serve and have an impact. Not for the recognition, but because you are needed.
Does this inspire you to evaluate the way you spend your time? I’d like to hear your story. Drop me a note to Scott@ScLoHo.net
by Scott Howard | Jun 3, 2024 | Sound ADvice, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo
The last few weeks I’ve been sharing my Sound ADvice newsletter content on my website and podcast and I’ve got another one to share. This time I’m also going to include content that wasn’t in the Sound ADvice newsletter too. And if you want to receive my free newsletter in your inbox, send me an email to Scott@WOWO.com
It was the famous line from the movie Field of Dreams, “If you build it, they will come”.
Today, good employees want more than a good paycheck; they want to “enjoy” where they work. So, the new hiring mantra should be… “Make it fun and they will come”.
Attracting, hiring, and retaining good employees is as difficult as it’s ever been. Last summer i reviewed 400 applicants in order to hire 2. Because we are very particular with finding the right person for the openings we have, we also make a diligent effort to keep them and culture is a key component.
If you have a “fun” place to work, exploit, promote, and tell people about it. They will come.
If you don’t, start building the “fun” culture today.
Study after study has proven that companies who put fun into their company culture are more successful.
Here are some startling statistics that may make you want to consider “intentionally” creating a fun and happy work environment:
- Companies with happy employees outperform their competition by 20%
- Happy salespeople produce 37% greater sales
- 36% of employees would give up $5000 in salary to be happier at work
- Happy employees take 10 times fewer sick days
It only makes sense that happy people are more productive. The obvious rings loud and clear, but the fact is, most companies don’t intentionally create a fun culture. It either happens or it doesn’t.
To put “fun” into your culture, first, start by recognizing it won’t happen on its own. It’s you, the owner or manager, who needs to implement a plan to have fun! Come up with fun or positive events plotted throughout the year, either monthly or quarterly. If you are struggling to come up with ideas, create a “fun idea” team and let them bring ideas to you!
It can be as simple as implementing “Casual Fridays” or “Bring your Pet to Work Day” and can be as deep as paid company trips. Having a company picnic in the summer and a Christmas party around the holidays is not enough in today’s competitive work environment.
In today’s extremely competitive recruitment and retention environment, businesses must make every effort to not only attract new employees but also retain the ones they have.
If YOU make it fun…they will come and Stay!
If you’d like to start putting more “FUN” into your business culture, click here to read 12 Ways to Create a FUN Work Environment.
P.S. If you are currently looking for better success with your recruitment efforts, reach out to me, Scott Howard. I can help guide you on how to target better-qualified candidates.
Some of the additional information beyond what was sent in my Sound ADvice newsletter is based on some conversations I’ve had recently and a special training session that our company, Federated Media conducted this summer.
Culture is more than fun and games, it’s also the interaction between staff and particularly between employees and their bosses. In 2013 the company I worked for had a management change in the department that I worked in. Within 5 months, I decided to return to radio because of conflicts. But it wasn’t just me. Within 18 months the entire digital marketing team resigned due to bad management including a couple of my co-workers who’d been with the company 10+ years.
This year, I’ve had conversations with a half dozen people who had similar situations. They were happy in their jobs and then management changed and it was not a good match. That led to career changes for the employees and their former companies had to find their replacements.
Federated Media’s C.O.O. Brad Williams brought back an advanced training program that he personally presented to all the full-time staff at our company. It took several meetings as we were limited to 20 participants each. This was an adaption of a program from Wilson Learning on Social Styles. End goal was for each person, no matter what their title or position to be able to identify their own style and that of others so we could improve our relationships with each other. This was a full day investment for everyone and for Brad, multiply that by at least 5 days, one for each group, plus travel and preparation.
Culture is the Key to attracting and retaining your team. Are you purposefully creating a culture that works?
by Scott Howard | Sep 26, 2017 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Media, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard
What is the very best form of advertising? I was asked a similar question recently.
I belong to a business networking group that limits membership to just one person from each business category and I sort of occupy two categories. Radio Advertising with WOWO Radio & Digital Marketing with Federated Digital Services.
If I had to choose just one, not both of those categories, which one did I want to hold onto, is what I was asked to consider. I was even told that I don’t need to decide now, but in the future that might be a choice I have to make.
I knew the answer without hesitation and this may surprise you.
But before I share with you, what I told them, I’ve got a little story that demonstrates the why behind my answer.
The purpose behind your advertising and marketing is to build profitable relationships.
I have a retail store that has consistently used my radio station, WOWO for three years. Before I met them, they would never commit to any advertising to more than 2 months. This business is over 40 years old, but moved to a new location a few years ago. So why do they advertise with WOWO every month? Because our listeners tell them that they were told by Pat or Charly to visit their store.
Here’s another story:
I work with a Doctor who took over two practices last year. We started by using a Custom Audience Targeted Digital Display advertising campaign and he saw his practice grow. I could show him the number of visits to his website that were produced by his digital advertising campaigns. Then we decided to expand and add a few ads on WOWO radio. I visited him 10 days after his radio ads began and his first words to me is that he has people telling him that they heard about him on the radio.
I could tell you a few more stories but I think you are starting to catch on.
If I had to pick between selling only radio advertising campaigns on WOWO or selling only digital advertising campaigns online… I pick WOWO Radio for the Win.
This is not to downplay the power of the digital marketing campaigns that I’ve run for some of my advertising partners. Earlier this year, one of my advertising partners was able to track 482 leads in just a couple of months that were generated from the Custom Audience Targeted Digital Display advertising campaign we created. This was more than they could handle and leads were not being handled properly. That company wasn’t prepared to take care of the business we were sending their way. Digital can work when properly executed from beginning to end.
But let me remind you:
The purpose behind your advertising and marketing is to build profitable relationships.
And for some businesses, getting clicks and leads online is exactly what they want. However, most local businesses that I work with want reassurances that their advertising investments are good investments and when you get people telling you they heard your name on the radio, that is reassuring.
Face it, most of us are not going to tell a business person that we are in their store because we saw their digital ad. Digital ads aren’t personal in that way. At least yet. One day, I’ll probably get served a digital ad that says something like, “Scott, are you ready to buy this phone? Click here.” That will be kind of creepy.
The reason for the success of many advertisers on WOWO is the human relationships that are developed. Our loyal listeners feel a fondness for our talk show hosts who are on the air every day. They connect because they are what we call actively listening which is different than passive listening like you often do with a music radio station that is simply playing in the background.
That fondness matures into a trust factor between the WOWO listener and the radio station and the station personalities. On a scale of 1 to 10, our WOWO radio personalities score 7’s, 8’s sometimes 9’s or 10’s with listeners on the friendship and trust factor. That’s higher than some of the people you have as Facebook friends, right?
Every other form of paid advertising simply doesn’t rank as high in creating trust. Television could come close if the local personalities could create an authentic advertising message, but that is rare. Newspapers don’t connect and bond, neither do most magazines. Billboards are just signs but rarely do they make a human connection that includes an emotional bond that happens with our WOWO radio hosts.
The answer to the question of what is the very best form of advertising, for all the reasons I just mentioned, I firmly believe in most cases it’s a message on WOWO Radio for local businesses in the Fort Wayne area.
Digital advertising is growing, it’s the bright and shiny object that more and more businesses are pouring money into but as you see, there are plenty of challenges.
And there’s more to your advertising success than just running ads on WOWO.
Here’s what I told my friends last week. In my left hand I held my smartphone which represents digital advertising. In my right hand I held a piece of paper with the WOWO logo, to represent the radio advertising options I offer.
If I had to choose, please cut off my left hand (digital) and leave my right hand (radio). I’m right handed and to be forced to write with just my left hand could get messy.
Fortunately, I can offer both hands.
But more important than what I have in my hands, the radio and digital advertising options, is what’s in my head and heart.
That’s where I have the knowledge, wisdom and hands on experience of the last couple of decades to help craft a marketing plan designed specifically for your success. And that’s the heart of it all.
Want help? Ask me.
by Scott Howard | Jun 28, 2017 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard
Sharing the motivation behind why you do what you do is powerful. Do you know your WHY? Here’s mine.
I want to help people make smart advertising and marketing choices.
Actually it’s bigger than that.
I want to help people achieve their dreams so they can feed not just their bellies, but their passions too.
Some of those dreams and passions are actual businesses and with my background, that’s often the area I can help the most.
So perhaps it’s a combination of those two statements that make up my why.
The THINKING ScLoHo
I recall several years ago a co-worker of mine was always trying to figure out how to make money online. Mike was looking at creating websites that were similar to eBay at the time and he couldn’t figure out how to make it successful.
Another friend of mine, Tim, is very talented in graphic arts and he was looking to create and sell a custom advertising pop-up that he figured out that was pretty snazzy. Problem was it was a few years behind the times and not what businesses wanted or for that matter, should want to create a positive online experience.
One more friend, I’ll call him Sam to protect his real identity, invested lots of money in buying custom domain names. I don’t know how much money and don’t want to know but it was too much especially after he kept doing it after I told him that’s not a good investment. His concept was to resell internet domain names to companies that would want them and in theory, it was a good idea, but… The idea was too late. Since Google and the other search engines continue to tweak themselves towards perfection, the domain name for your website is not as important as it was when Sam first had his idea.
What did Sam, Tim and Mike have in common? Their why was to make money online.
That was as deep as they thought it through.
Making money is neither good or bad, money is merely the stuff we use to trade for other stuff we need or want.
The Bible says, well, let me quote Chris Brown from the Stewardship.com website:
1st Timothy chapter 6 verse 10, For the Love of Money is the root of All Evil. Raise your hand if you’ve heard this verse misquoted all the time as saying money is the root of all evil. I have! But it’s just not true. It’s the love of money that gets us in trouble. Our attitude toward money is the problem, not the money itself. Money is morally neutral.
It comes back to the motivation behind it all. It’s all about the why. Your why.
The SKEPTICAL ScLoHo
I once had a dentist as a client that offered new techniques and procedures and I was impressed. At least I was initially. Then he kept finding “problems” that no one else had found with my dental health, and each “problem” he found meant more and more expensive procedures. My gut told me to get a second opinion and I did.
My current dentist could not find any of the “problems” my previous dentist warned me about and while he didn’t want to bad mouth the other guy, it was clear to me that the motivation behind my former dentist’s recommendations were his self-interests, not mine. His why was wrong.
Most of the people I meet with who are in business are good people. They have a good why that motivates them to do the right thing all the time.
Like I said earlier my why boils down to helping people make smart marketing and advertising decisions, because that is my area of expertise that I’ve learned over the years and continue to learn more and more every week. I usually sign my emails with the signature, Here to help, and the phone number I give people to connect with me is a vanity number I selected years ago. The last four digits spell HELP on a traditional phone keypad.
The HAPPY ScLoHo
Once you understand my why, and I understand your why, we can have a deeper and better relationship to help you accomplish your goals. Want help? Let’s talk.
PS:
This talk about What’s Your Why? was inspired by a couple of people recently. In 2014, Shannon Allen of Federated Digital Solutions would share Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle TED Talk that goes into this concept. Here’s a link to the 5 minute version. Oh, and here’s a link to a sales expert that I found when Googling Simon that has a few additional caveats when applying this concept.
David McBee of Simplifi, one of our internet vendor partners, recently talked about the concept in a webinar I watched this year.
And over the weekend, the Golden Circle message was included in the sermon at my church as part of the message delivered by Dr. Tom Ahlersmeyer (June 25, 2017).
I figured it was time for me to talk about it too.
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