The Timeless Truths in Marketing

The Timeless Truths in Marketing

by | Apr 28, 2020 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard

2020 is not the year we were expecting when we were making our resolutions a few months ago is it?

State after state has issued some form of stay-at-home order to protect their citizens from Covid-19.

While I just stated the obvious, I’m going to delve into the not so obvious.

The advertising and marketing principles that are timeless.

Some of you are wondering what to do with your ads.

Should I switch to a different medium?

Should I change up my message?

Should I just stop and wait until things return to normal?

Let’s take those three questions one at a time.

Should I switch to a different advertising medium?  If you are doing online marketing and it was working for you before then the answer is probably no, if it is working, continue.  If you were using billboards there are less cars on the roads so you are probably getting less viewers than you were promised.

Speaking of viewers, has TV viewing skyrocketed with everyone staying at home?  Yes, a month ago, at the end of March, both broadcast, over the air and cable viewing jumped 30%.  But then something else happened too that is still going on.  The TV series that were still in production for this season had to end their seasons early because the virus shut down the studios.  The real benefactor of all this extra screen time has been the streaming services like NetFlix and their competitors with little or no advertising.  That doesn’t help you out as an advertiser does it…

I will tell you that with the insider knowledge and data that I have access to, radio listenership is actually up.  Stations like mine, WOWO radio with their news and talk format have seen tremendous increases and a big portion of that increase is coming from the smart speakers we all got the past couple of years.  Alexa is becoming radio’s best friend.  Contact me and I can share with you the specifics on the increased listenership to WOWO radio and how we can get your business in front of thousands of consumers every week.

The next question is, Should I change up my message?  Probably but not in the way you are thinking.  If you think your ads need to say that your business has instituted safety measures, or you are now cleaning more than before, you are just like all the others advertising right now.  That is if it’s your main message.  You need a stronger message, one that tells consumers why they should give you their money and not give it to your competitor.

Here’s the Timeless Truth in Marketing that is really important right now. You need to follow Human Relationship Principles in your advertising.

Human Relationship Principles are the principles that we instinctively are drawn to because we are human.  We want to feel good about others, to trust others, to believe that the others are going to be honest and have a good heart.  Does your advertising and marketing reflect this type of message?  Or are your ads filled with gimmicks and cliches?

Four years ago I wrote about Human Relationship Principles in Marketing and I invite you to follow this link and read it again.  It’s timeless.

Now the last question. Should I just stop advertising and wait until things return to normal?  The answer is a qualified no. If you can afford to, keep advertising.  Many companies will stop.  This means your share of voice will increase, if you continue.  Here’s an example:  Six restaurants are all advertising and dividing up the audience 6 ways in proportion to the number of ads each place is airing.  What if 3 of those stop advertising?  Now instead of dividing the audience 6 ways, you are only carving it up into 3 and everyone who is still inviting listeners to eat their food, will win.  Meanwhile the ones that stopped advertising, have a good chance of going out of business since they stopped inviting people to spend their money with them.

These Timeless Truths about Marketing have been around not just for a few years or even decades.  They are centuries old and will be even more important as we adjust to what the rest of 2020 and this decade has in store for our way of life.

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Learn From The Best

Learn From The Best

by | Apr 7, 2020 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo Sales Tips, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, Uncategorized, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard

It’s a weird and wacky world out there right now.

We are hearing stories about the record number of people who are filing for unemployment, the devastating stories of people dying from this mystery virus that we have yet to get a handle on because it is new to the medical and scientific community.

Some of us are working from home, other are at home trying to figure out how to occupy their time.

As business owners and managers, I understand you want some answers, but the answers to the questions you really want aren’t available yet.

We don’t know what the final tally will be healthwise or financially. We are living in the middle of a movie and this is not your typical romantic comedy or action flick where we know the good guys always win.  This is real life, your life, my life and the lives of the people we work with and live with.

You want answers, you want solutions, and while I wish I could give you a road map to follow exactly…

I can’t because each of you have different circumstances and variables that will determine the steps to take.

Instead I am going to take a moment and share with you some resources that I shared with my team.

Near the end of February, I was offered and accepted a promotion to become the General Sales Manager of WOWO Radio. WOWO is one of a dozen stations owned by Federated Media in Indiana  and the past few years the WOWO Local Sales Team has been the largest producer of revenue for our company.  I’ve been part of that team for nearly 7 years.

Less than 4 weeks after the promotion to lead, manage and coach our team, Black Friday hit.  It was my wife’s birthday March 13th and the orders to stay at home were causing businesses to scramble and try and figure out what to do next. 

One of the things I prepared for my team was a list of some resources that have helped me over the years. With the extra time you have and your desire to find some answers, this list of resources could spur your thinking and creativity.

In 1986 I made the switch from having fun and being creative as a radio personality in the programming side of the business, to needing to learn how to apply that creativity and fun to the money making side of the business, the advertising, marketing and sales side.

Roy H. Williams:  https://www.mondaymorningmemo.com/  I subscribe to this and have fun digging into the “rabbit hole” in each memo.

 

https://harveymackay.com/ Has a bunch of resources and I’ve read and recommend his first two books, Swim and Naked.

 

https://www.gitomer.com/ has free stuff you can sign up for.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Positioning-Battle-Your-Al-Ries/dp/0071373586  Is a book I bought when I first started in the advertising side of radio in Detroit.  Great stuff.

 

I subscribe to Art’s emails: https://businessbyphone.com/

 

And circling back to Roy Williams, some of his partners also write great stuff that you can subscribe to: https://wizardofads.org/articles/

 

I  also have over 1400 articles and over 150 podcast episodes that I’ve created at my own website: https://www.scotthoward.me/ and I update with fresh material every single week.

I have been learning for over 30 years and continue to soak up wisdom from others.

I also have a weekly newsletter called Sound ADvice that is free and delivered to your email Wednesday mornings if you sign up for it.

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Work From Home Tips

Work From Home Tips

by | Mar 31, 2020 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard

Preparing for WFH

If you google search “WFH”, you will learn that there are approximately 16 different acronyms for WFH. But due to our recent events, the two most recognizable are “Work from Home” or “Working from Home”. 

Before COVID-19, it was estimated that 8-million US employees worked from home regularly.  Today, that number has multiplied many times, and some say that it may be the “new normal”.

WFH sounds simple.  However, if it were, wouldn’t everyone be doing it? The fact is, it’s not simple. It’s not convenient. It’s not always feasible or the best situation, and by most standards, it’s not as productive as working in a normal office or work environment.  

Because of our current circumstances, today many business owners have either chosen to or have been forced to take the office home.  Whether you have already made the transition or are considering it, it’s imperative that you keep the days as normal and as productive as possible.

WFH comes with many distractions. Getting the most out of every hour and every day is critical, even if it’s a short-term situation.  To help you get the most out of your employees, I have a list of 8 rules for working at home.  Applying these rules in some shape and form will not only help you be fair to your employees but at the same time, keep them productive.

Rule #1 is Hold them Accountable.  While you don’t want them feeling untrusted, it’s only fair that you expect a good day’s work for a good day’s pay. 

Rule #2 is having them Set a Schedule.  WFH comes with many easy distractions. Having a set schedule will keep them on task and give them daily goals.  

Today’s technology (Google Hangout, Zoom, GoToMeeting, YouTube videos and many others), many of which are free, allows us to have face to face meetings and conversations.  Rule #6 is Start each Day Off with a Video Conference. Make this a positive experience. You might consider starting every morning with a short online meeting.  They can be brief with an agenda that looks something like this:  

1) Good Morning with a positive quote

2) Good news from yesterday (positive comments about customers or work situations, celebrate positive things that happened)

3) Challenges that they are facing by working at home or with customers, etc. 

4) Share positive ideas and comments (ways to improve – what they are thankful for)

5) Motivational or training videos

Everyone hopes that our current situation will be short-lived. In the meantime, if you would like to see all 8 Rules for Working From Home click here. We hope you find them helpful.

Stay Safe – Stay Healthy – Stay Strong!

What I just shared with you is from my weekly Sound ADvice email newsletter that is sent every Wednesday morning to people like you who request it.  Each week there are either some marketing tips, business tips or often some of both along with a link to get more details.

I lead a sales team for one of Federated Media’s radio stations in Fort Wayne Indiana.  Because we already had a hybrid Work From Home business model for our sales teams, some of what the WOWO Radio sales staff has been doing hasn’t changed.  However we are also tasked with having regular face to face in-person meetings with our advertising partners and prospective clients.  That has changed and we are working to adjust.  No, I’m not doing daily video sales meetings with our team because that would be too disruptive since we weren’t meeting daily in person previously.  Your business environment and set-up could be different. 

Behind the scenes, those of us in management are having twice weekly Zoom meetings to brainstorm with each other ideas and how to implement them.  We are living in the middle of history right now, like being in the middle of a movie and not knowing how it will end.

I do know this however:  The term Short-Term Pain for Long-Term Gain seems appropriate as we all make adjustments.   On the programming side of our radio operations, my afternoon talk show host, Pat Miller and our anchor of Fort Wayne’s Morning News, Kayla Blakeslee are both broadcasting from make-shift home studios.  We have limited staff coming to the radio station and we are closed to the public so prize winners are being mailed their winnings.

But life goes on.  We are launching new advertising campaigns for new advertising partners.  We are updating and adjusting the messages from our long time advertising partners and if you or your business wants to be on WOWO Radio, contact me.  Scott@WOWO.com is my email and we’ll get it done.

 

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What Is The Value Of Free?

What Is The Value Of Free?

by | Mar 10, 2020 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Collective Wisdom, Sound ADvice, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

One Small but Powerful Word

…but wait, if you call now, you’ll receive a second set of (fill in the blank)  absolutely FREE!  Buy two – Get one FREE!  Free Delivery – Free Interest. Free this – Free that!

There’s a reason some of the top advertising copywriters in the world lean on the word FREE… It Works!

One of the “prime” reasons Amazon and all online shopping has become so popular so quickly is in large part due to two words, “FREE DELIVERY”.  But the appeal of “free” extends far beyond online marketing.  Free is a powerful and compelling purchase motivator in virtually every business category.

In his book, Predictably Irrational, Dan Ariely tested the word “free” with candy, specifically, Lindt’s Truffle and Hersey’s Kiss.  When the Lindt Truffle was priced at 15 cents and the Hersey’s Kiss priced at 1 cent, 73% of participants choose the Lindt Truffle. When a different group was offered the same products each for a penny less, Lindt at 14 cents and Hersey’s for free, 69% chose the Hersey’s Kiss.

But using the word FREE comes with caution; using it too much or without a compelling offer can lead to the risk of customers being suspicious.

In my 23 Free Strategies to Increase Sales, one of the strategies is to offer a free “buyer’s guide” online or at your location. Consumers today are hungry for knowledge and want to reassure themselves they’ve made the best possible buying decision based upon that knowledge. This tactic can attract new prospects and guide them to prefer the features of the products you sell.

Have you considered what free strategies you might employ to increase your sales?

One of my advertising partners, Anthony Realtors offers a Free 151 step buying guide. When I first saw this offer on their web page, I thought it was a typo, but it wasn’t.  I never realized that there are so many steps to successfully marketing a home.  This buying guide also acted as a measuring stick, a point of comparison because most realtors don’t do most of the 151 items on this list.

To receive a FREE copy of the 23 Free Strategies you can use to increase your sales at little or no cost to you, click here! 

I also have another free offer for you.  Nearly every week, I have an email newsletter with tips like what you just read that is delivered to your inbox Wednesday mornings.  You can add yourself to the mailing list by filling out the form below, for Sound ADvice.

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Little Things That Make a Big Difference in Your Business Success

Little Things That Make a Big Difference in Your Business Success

by | Mar 3, 2020 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, Sound ADvice, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

Big Returns on Little Things

In today’s business economy you need referrals and repeat business more than ever! Nothing impacts the way your customers feel about your business more than the way you and your people treat them.

Ensuring that your people create a positive customer experience every time is no easy matter, and often it’s the “little things” that delight or annoy your customers.

 Google the name Bruce Barton, and you’ll find he was an author, congressman, and founder of Betty Crocker, and he is credited with saying, “Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think there are no little things.”

It’s oftentimes the little things that proved the biggest rewards!

People, not businesses, nor products, create the customer experience, and it’s that experience that will dictate your referral and repeat rates.

Little Thing #10 from our 10 Little Things for Big Paybacks is, Everything Rolls Downhill. The way you treat your staff is the way they will treat their jobs and your customers! Respecting your staff also reduces absenteeism and internal theft rates. To create a culture where your employees are more apt to do the little things makes the job fun. Celebrate successes, have staff-only events and offer employee pricing to them and their families.

Our company recently partnered with our outside consultant on a program to Up Our Culture.  What do you and your company do to create a positive environment for both your team and your customers?

If you need some ideas take a look at this list of 10 Little Things For Big Paybacks, click here.

And if you would like more Sound ADvice for your business like this, fill out the form below.

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