How WOWO Radio & Digital Marketing Solutions Work

by | Jun 23, 2016 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard

I have an incredible job.  I get to help businesses succeed.ee

My area of expertise is marketing, media and advertising, something I’ve been doing in Fort Wayne since 2003 and actually for a couple decades before that.

Many businesses struggle with not having enough customers and they don’t know the most effective way to invite people to become their customers.  That’s where I come in.

I have two media platforms to work with and depending on the needs, we may use WOWO radio or we may use a digital solution to use the internet.

Right now, I’ll outline the most common methods that I just presented to someone this week:

WOWO Radio has been on the air for 91 years and is the most listened to radio station in Fort Wayne, Indiana by grown-ups.  100,000 weekly listeners is the number we are told by the radio rating/survey people.

WOWO is an excellent way to reach a mass audience.  With our news-talk format, listeners do not tune out when commercials come on and as a result, we have countless success stories from our advertising partners.  Ask and I’ll share some with you.

The digital marketing solutions are also an extremely effective way to invite potential customers to your business.  I can target ads to reach the specific criteria of people that you want to expose your business to.  I’m not limited to just our area, I have one campaign that is nationwide.  Another is targeted to only certain zipcodes.

With the digital marketing solutions offered by Federated Digital Solutions (the online division of our parent company), I can create a very specific and targeted campaign that is only limited by the parameters we decide.

It’s the combination of these two marketing solutions using WOWO Radio and Digital Marketing that allows me to help you succeed by connecting your business with new customers.

Want more details?  Let’s talk.

The Power of Partnering

by | Jun 21, 2016 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

As I was preparing to write this a few days ago, so many examples came to mind, actually flooded my mind that I am going to limit the focus and let you expound and apply it to your situation.

The Power of Partnering is a Human Relationship Principle.pexels-photo-104337

When two people find ways to work together, often it’s not a simple addition equation, there’s a multiplying effect.

Let’s look at this through a marketing lens.

A donut shop and a sandwich shop opened a couple years ago near me. You might think that they are competitors for my food money when I’m hungry.  Which is true.

But there’s another dynamic going on at the same time.

I know have twice as many reasons to pull into their shared parking lot.

Last time I was there I got a sandwich from the sandwich shop.  Without the bread, just wrapped in lettuce.  And coffee from the donut shop.  It was a low-carb lunch to go.

Sticking with the subject of food for a second, the power of partnering goes back to my childhood days of having peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  A PB&J is so much better than just a jelly sandwich or just a peanut butter sandwich.  Whoever created that food partnership was a marketing genius.

Marketing partnerships this summer that I’ve been involved with include the recent BBQ Ribfest.  My radio station, WOWO jumped in with both feet.  Ribfest is easily one of the top ten festivals in town, and with some folks it’s their favorite.  Ribfest spent advertising money with us and WOWO was the only radio station featured in their print advertising.

While most smart media outlets will at least mention Ribfest from a public relations and community involvement slant, for us it also involved a news story for 24 hours on opening day, social media posts including live broadcast on Twitter/Periscope of two of our radio personalities during the celebrity judging event on day two of Ribfest.  Then a 15 minute Facebook Live walk and talk tour of Rib Alley to talk with the vendors.  All of this was above and beyond any formal agreements.

Another marketing partnership I’ve been working the past year is with WOWO radio and the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. They spend money with us to advertise some of their concerts, they also give us tickets for additional exposure.

This year they asked WOWO if we would like to be their radio marketing partner for a free outdoor Patriotic Pops concert they will be doing on July 3rd and we agreed it would be a great fit.  If you attend, you’ll see the WOWO logo on the big screen at Parkview Field that day.  And if you attend any of the upcoming Philharmonic Concerts in the 2016-17 season, you’ll see an ad for WOWO in the program book.

I’m working on some other marketing partnerships for this summer too, but this idea of Partnering goes beyond the advertising partnerships and food partnering I’ve mentioned.

The Power of Partnering applies when I ask a friend for a recommendation for a __________. It taps into our Human Relationship Principles of wanting to help others.  I was asked by an old friend of mine for some assistance in teaching a class on social media.  As we talked, I realized there was someone else I knew who would be better at doing what she needed and so I connected them.

There’s a biblical reinforcement about being the giver found in the book of Acts, and we know from our own personal experiences the positive feelings we get when we help someone.  It’s a powerful Human Relationship Principle, this Power of Partnering, isn’t it?

 

3 Keys to Successful Marketing

by | Jun 17, 2016 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

I was talking with a friend of mine 8 years ago and we came up with these 3 keys to successful marketing that can increase your business ten-fold.

No matter what vehicle you use for advertising and promotion, this still matters.key-colorful-matching-number-68174

3 Keys to Marketing

 

  1. Think like a customer. Too often we know all the ins and outs of our business and we have our areas of expertise, but that does not translate into what the customer wants. A long time ago someone pointed out that folks that buy a drill, really want the end result, a hole. If your drill can make it easier for me to make a hole, great. But don’t try and get me to care about all the technical stuff about the drill.
  2. Everything is a part of your marketing. Perception is reality. Cigarette butts on the ground near the front door; the gum smacking receptionist; the attitude of the head honcho; these are just as important, (or more) than your paid advertising.
  3. Dig Deep and Find Your Niche. I was in a meeting filled with business leaders and owners today and they were trying to describe their niche. Words like Customer Service, and Prices, were heard. Look, everyone is supposed to offer that. If you don’t then you are on the fast track to failure. Dig Deeper, and discover what makes your Customer Service different than your competitors. Sometimes this is not easy. Do it anyway.

Updated from the ScLoHo 2008 archives

Please Don’t Send Lazy & Stupid Emails

by | Jun 15, 2016 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo Sales Tips, ScLoHo's Web World, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

A co-worker asked me recently what I do to prospect.  In other words, what do I do to find new advertising partners.

My answer is different than what I would recommend others do because each of us have different connections and personalities and there is no “one-size-fits-all”.

One thing all of us have in common, is we need to be inviting people to do business with us, and the methods we use should be relevant to us and our potential customers.

Last week I received an email that was both lazy and stupid.

Lazy because the person did absolutely nothing to qualify me for his service.  And Stupid because, I now have a negative opinion of him and his company.  Here, take a look:

2016-06-10

I use email as a communication tool.  I use it as a prospecting tool.  I never would send an email like Brian sent, and neither should you.  I’d like your feedback on why this email is lazy and stupid, or perhaps you think it’s okay. Either way, leave a comment, I’d like to know your thoughts.

The Women Who Listen To WOWO Radio (part 2)

by | Jun 13, 2016 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Collective Wisdom, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard

WOWO Radio has more Baby Boomer women listeners than any other Fort Wayne radio station by at least 10,000.  That was one of the items I pointed out in our last article.

Baby Boomer women control the biggest pile of consumer spending still and for the next 7 to 10 years. portrait-monochrome

Let’s continue with part 2 in a series from Mediapost, How To Connect With Baby Boomer Women.  Here’s the highlights that I can help you and your business with WOWO radio:

1. Don’t forget the purchasing power of self-employed Boomer women. Recognize that she is working and wants to find meaning through work as long as she can.

2. Avoid using the word “retirement.” She wants to connect with her aspirations through the increased freedom to choose how and where she will contribute through the full utilization of her skills and abilities.

3. Engage her in dialogue; she wants to establish an authentic relationship with you and your company.

4. Don’t make assurances on which you can’t deliver. Tell her what you’ll do for her, not how great you, your product or company is.

5. Listen to learn what is motivating her. The most important question you can ask is “What are you hoping your planning for the future will allow you to achieve.”

6. Don’t be afraid of a spiritual slant in your messaging. Survey results show 44% of Boomer women are turning to sources other than organized religion for spiritual guidance.

7. Although not very happy about it, she can laugh at the physical effects of aging. You can successfully use a “women like her” to comment humorously on conditions and circumstances only one of her own would fully understand.

8. Baby Boomer women are more active than you may think. Your images should reflect her full level and range of engagement in life.

9. Avoid using a single relationship to define her. She may be managing health care for her parents but she’s not only a “caregiver.” She’s also “grandma” but she would define her life much broader. The brands of suppliers who best support her multi-relationships underlying her purchases will win her business.

10. Cater to her desire to learn. Link your brand and products to opportunities to learn more about issues and concerns she faces every day. Her focus has shifted to experience, rejuvenation and personal growth.

11. Don’t talk down to her. What she didn’t gain through formal education she gained through experience. Insult her intelligence at your peril.

Want to know more?  Contact me.