One Size Does NOT Fit All

One Size Does NOT Fit All

by | Aug 7, 2019 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Collective Wisdom, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard

Sometimes business people want a proposal from me before we even talk about what they need or want.

That’s like going to a doctor and sayin, “Just give me some pills, the kind that everyone else is buying”.

That is more than ridiculous, it is stupid and dangerous.

But I don’t blame the business people who ask, I blame the advertising sales people who walk around selling packages.

Before I get to far ahead of myself, this is part of my continuing series I am doing this summer based on Roy H. Williams Advertising Oversimplified.

Today I am examining his 6th point:

Two ways to use mass media:(A.) Used consistently, mass media will cause your company to be the one customers think of immediately – and feel the best about – when they finally need what you sell.(B.) Used short-term, mass media will give urgency and importance to a special event when you purchase high repetition for a period of time, usually between 1 and 14 days.

I actually prefer to do the A Option because it is really what most businesses need.

However I can do Option B when it makes sense.

What’s the reasoning between the two?

Mass Media, or at least the mass media that I work with, WOWO Radio in Fort Wayne, has a larger mass of listeners than your business can handle.

But that’s okay because we as a group of people don’t really do most things at the same time.  We buy a car only when we want to buy a car or have to buy a car.  We buy gas for our cars only when we need to, not everyday, and not at the same place.  Advertising can not change this… usually.

So the purpose for advertising with the A Option is to create Top Of Mind Awareness for you and your business.  In nearly any buying opportunity, I have a choice of what to buy and where to buy.  

The last time we were selling our house, I had a problem because I knew 26 realtors, none of them were favorites of mine, so instead of listing our house with any of them, I invited all of them to find a buyer for my house.  The one who brought us a buyer, earned his commission.

That’s not the way it should work.

Go back to the car buying situation and I have had a favorite used car dealer that I have bought a half dozen cars from.  He usually gets the first opportunity to sell me my next car.  Dale is Top Of Mind with us.  However the last two cars I purchased from someone else because Dale, my favorite used car dealer did not have what I wanted.  The last two cars I bought from other dealers that I also trusted, but it was a combination of the right car from a reputable dealer that got me into those last two cars.

Top Of Mind Awareness and Preference is what you build with a regular advertising schedule on mass media like WOWO Radio.  It’s up to you to be able to convert the people we send you into paying customers.

Option B that Roy talks about I also use when appropriate.  A great example is a concert.   Right now I have a concert promoter from Canada that is bringing in a group next month and once the concert is over, there in no need for them to advertise.  So we have a more focused short term game plan in place.

A problem I see with many of the advertising sales people out there is that they don’t understand what I just shared with you regarding when to use Option A and when to use Option B.

In many cases, the best is a combination of the two options, and that takes strategic thinking, research and planning.  Very few of the ad sales people that try and get you to buy their “packages” go through this planning and thinking process.

I do.

And I can help you.

Just contact me:  Scott@WOWO.com

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The Mass Media Myth

The Mass Media Myth

by | Jul 17, 2019 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Collective Wisdom, ScLoHo's Web World, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard

Continuing my series based on Roy Williams article about Advertising Oversimplified with my thoughts on points 2 and 3…

Roy talks about Mass Media and targeting your advertising message:

They call it “mass media” for a reason: it reaches the masses. Consequently, you can’t really target using mass media. (TV, radio, billboards)

But don’t worry about that. Use mass media anyway. Targeting is overrated and ridiculously overpriced.

I just got my hands on the latest ratings for radio listenership and I’m going to use that to prove Roy wrong.

Sort of.

Since I have my hands in both the traditional mass media and the new digital media worlds, I know a thing or two because I’ve seen a thing or two, (to borrow the tag line from Farmers Insurance ads.)

I’m going to clear up some misconceptions about targeted digital ads first.

The people selling you these highly targeted ads are liars. Most of them don’t know they are lying because they don’t dig deep enough to see who those targeted ads are really going to.  When I sold them, I only dug deep enough to see the good stuff, but when I looked deeper, below the surface, I pretty much stopped selling targeted digital ads.

Why?  Because all the targeting and algorithms and “stuff” just wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

For example, when I examined the response rate of a targeted campaign and saw where we were getting clicks and somewhere from locations that we did NOT target, I started to see the cracks in the not-so-perfect world of targeted digital ads.

Heck you probably have seen so-called targeted ads when you are online, maybe playing a game on your phone and you keep getting ads for dog food which you’ll never buy because you don’t own a dog.  True story.  That was my story recently.  You probably can come up with your own now that I’ve pointed this out to you.

So the alternative to digital ads that are targeted is to use mass media, as Roy mentioned.

Mass media reaches the masses.

In the most recent radio rating survey for Metropolitan Fort Wayne, Indiana, they listed the area has a population of 460,900 people age 12 and older. The radio station with the most weekly listeners had 141,202 listeners. while the station with the smallest audience had 4,936 weekly listeners.

That’s a huge difference.

However there is more to the story than just the number of listeners.  Each station has a format that attracts fans as listeners and those fans/listeners have characteristics about them.  The station with the largest audience is mine, WOWO radio with a news and talk format. Also in the top 10 are a Pop Music Station, a Country Music Station, a Rock Music station, a Public Broadcasting station,  a Contemporary Christian Music station,  a Classic Hits Music station, a Soft Pop/Rock Music station, a Hip-Hop Music station and a Classic Rock Music station.

That’s just the top 10 of 29 stations that had enough listeners to get mentioned in the Spring Rating period.  There are also another dozen stations in the area that didn’t make it because their weekly audiences are even smaller.

The point is that each of these radio stations have an audience that you can target with your advertising simply by advertising on the stations that have the target listeners that you want to invite to your business.

You can target with mass media.

I’ll even give you a deeper example that I have with my station, WOWO.

We just launched a new weekly feature and a new weekend talk show that is focused on health news.

My friend Lee Kelso, whom I’ve known since we were in our early 20’s, is now WOWO radio’s health news correspondent.

WOWO radio’s audience of 140,000+  has less than 1,000 teenagers and less than 7,000 18 to 24 year olds.

That means 95% of WOWO’s audience is age 25 and older.

When we reach the age of 45, our interest in health and well being increase significantly compared to when we were in our 20’s.

WOWO’s audience of people age 45 and older is 70% of our listeners.

Once a week on Tuesday Mornings at 7:10, Lee Kelso reports with his 5 minute HealthCall feature during Fort Wayne’s Morning News with Kayla Blakeslee.  Lee also does another report on Health most Thursday afternoons during a segment on the Pat Miller Program also on WOWO Radio.   Our news department also uses Lee’s stories in their regular newscasts.  

All of this HealthCall stuff that Lee Kelso does during the week reaches the masses of people who listen to WOWO each week.

That’s one way we’ve combined mass media with a targeted message matched with an audience that has a significant number of listeners who are interested in the targeted health messages.

But wait, there’s more…

We have now launched an hour long Saturday morning talk show called, you guessed it: HealthCall Live! 

Hosted by Lee Kelso, HealthCall Live features interviews with health care professionals and listeners call in and ask the doctors questions.

The Saturday HealthCall Live radio show on WOWO is very targeted.  If you don’t care about health, then you’ll find something else to listen to during that hour.  But if a doctor or health care practice wants to target their message directly to the people they want to serve, this is it.

See, mass media, when used properly can also be targeted media if you work with someone who knows how all this works.

(That’s me, waving my hand.)

Want to know more?  Contact me: Scott@WOWO.com

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Summertime – Fun Time!

Summertime – Fun Time!

by | Jul 2, 2019 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard

Regardless of what part of the country you live in, North or South, East or West, for most, summertime is a fun time and a great time to launch and execute promotions for your business.

The next time you are planning a significant event or promotion, consider the power of live radio remotes. 

But let me also include a word of caution: If you’re not REALLY having an event or promotion, DO NOT have a live remote broadcast. Live remote broadcasts can be one of the most exciting and profitable traffic builders you can buy, if…  you don’t expect your remote to be the event but, use it to promote your event.

All too often advertisers depend on and expect radio personalities, station vehicles, tents, swag (prizes) and the immediacy of live broadcasts to create a successful event.  There is more to it than that!

Sure, a small percentage of people will show up simply for the “free stuff” and the excitement of having a radio station and personality at your business, but the goal of an event or promotion is really three-fold:

1)    Drive immediate traffic

2)    Increase sales for that specific event or promotion

3)    Increase awareness to your business

…and a bonus is reason 4) Residual business.  A well-executed event powered by a live remote broadcast can drive more traffic in the select days that follow the remote than it did the day of the remote.

The remote broadcast should not be about the radio station.  It’s key that the majority of the focus be on the specials you have for this specific event.  Giveaways and registrations are great and can add excitement, but make sure they play second fiddle to the business and the promotion.

At Federated Media, the company I work for, I have a couple of exceptions to all of this.

The first is Station Events.  With our 6 radio stations, through out the year, we have our events that your company can be involved with. Take for example the Rock n Brew event that had over 2 dozen brewers take part in an event at our downtown baseball stadium.  Our rock radio station 98.9 The Bear was the host station last month and we did some live remote breaks from the event that featured some of the sponsors and participants.  This is different from having a live radio remote at your business location.

Another example of a Station Event that I take part in is our Fort Wayne Job Fairs.  Again this event is hosted by Federated Media and we use the promotional power of all our stations on air and online to invite candidates to our event that we hold in the spring and fall each year.  About 30 companies pay to have a booth at the event.  

Here’s the other exception I’ve been doing successfully for the past several years in partnership with Doc Dancer Heating and Air Conditioning. Around the first weekend of March, a promoter puts on the annual Home and Garden Show at the Memorial Coliseum.  Over 100,000 people attend to visit the booths of over 100 companies and one of those companies is Doc Dancer.  Friday afternoon, we have our afternoon talk show, the Pat Miller Program broadcast live from the Doc Dancer Heating and Air Conditioning booth at the Home and Garden Show on WOWO Radio.  What makes this an exception to a traditional Live Radio Remote Broadcast is that instead of broadcasting from the business site of Doc Dancer, we broadcast from a huge event that Doc Dancer is a part of and where we know there are going to be a heck of a lot of people.

Live Radio Remotes are not for every business and there are certain things to keep in mind before saying yes.

If you would like to see a guide titled “12 Tips to Successful Remotes” click here, and Good Luck with your next event!

 

 

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How Much Does It Cost To Advertise on WOWO Radio?

How Much Does It Cost To Advertise on WOWO Radio?

by | Jun 6, 2019 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard

Most of the business people I talk to these days are listeners to one of the radio stations I work with but they are not necessarily advertising partners with me, yet.

A big question that comes up is, “How Much Does It Cost To Advertise on WOWO Radio?”

When I started this year, I decided to focus my time and energy on working with people who listened to the radio station I work with.  In years past, I was also offering digital online services that I can also help you with through our digital department.  I will still do that, but the first criteria I am looking for is that you are familiar with WOWO.  If you listen to WOWO, we have a common bond, because I am also a fan and listener.

There are at least a half dozen factors that come into play when coming up with an answer to your question, “How Much Does It Cost To Advertise on WOWO Radio?”

Let’s take a look at them:

  1. Time of Day Your Ad Runs.  Certain times of the day cost more than others.  Nearly every time I work with a business, I place their ads in one of the most listened to times of the day for our radio station.  Why?  I want your advertising message to be heard by as many listeners as possible that can become your customer.  According to the latest rating information I have, over 118,000 people in the Fort Wayne area listen to WOWO every week.  Over 90% of them listen weekdays between 5 in the morning and 6 in the evening.  About 30% of them listen after 6pm. Ads that run during the day cost more than ads in the evenings on WOWO because of the audience size.
  2. Inventory.  We are very straight forward with our prices and use a supply and demand system. Every week or two, I get an updated rate card. This rate card tells me:
    1. How many ad slots we have sold and how many are still available
    2. It is divided by the different shows that air each week and also has a different rate for each week.
    3. If a show is 85% sold out or more, it will cost you $100 for your commercial to air.  If we are 100% sold out, we will still put your ad on WOWO, but you will have to pay more.  $125 up to $200, depending on the demand. 
    4. When inventory is tight, then ads that were bought at a lower price risk getting bumped.  I see this happening a lot a few times every year.
    5. There are times when commercial advertising inventory is less than 85% sold out and our prices are lowered to reflect that when it occurs.  However, that has become much more rare.
    6. My pledge to you is to get you the best price for your advertising campaign that takes all of this into consideration. Which brings me to another factor that determines the cost of advertising on WOWO Radio:
  3. Type of Ad. At WOWO, I have more options than nearly any other radio station I have worked with. Here’s a listing of some of the types of ads I may have available for your business with WOWO:
    1. Recorded 60 second ads
    2. Recorded 30 second ads
    3. Recorded 15 second ads
    4. Recorded 10 second ads
    5. Streaming ads heard online during our radio shows
    6. Live 60 second endorsement ads
    7. Live 10 second news/weather/sports sponsorships ads
    8. Recorded 5 to 10 second sponsorship ads
    9. Live Remote Broadcasts
    10. 30 minute (or longer) radio shows and podcasts
    11. Special Feature Sponsorships
    12. …Some other idea we come up with and get approval for 
  4. Number of ads. I do not sell one ad.  This is not worth your money or my time.  It is not effective, it is not the best practice by anyone’s standards.  Instead, I create campaigns that include numerous ads.  Now when I say ad, I am talking about the actual airing of an ad. When I am putting together a schedule for your advertising campaign, I prefer to air at least 10 ads per week in a 3 or 4 hour radio show that airs 5 days a week.  That means you are buying a majority of the show and reaching a majority of the listeners. I will gladly explain this to you in person and I’ll probably write another article and podcast on this subject.
  5. Talent Fees. This is a fee that is paid to an air talent or production talent that goes above and beyond the money spend on the air time for your ad airing on WOWO.  Those 60 second live endorsement ads you hear on WOWO, the radio host is getting paid extra for giving their endorsement and testimonial for those ads. Again, I’ll go more in depth in the future.  We also have a talent fee for writing ads if we use certain copy writers and producers on staff.  I usually don’t do this, but if there is a fee, we pass that along.
  6. Extras… Need a jingle?  I have connections.  Want to be a presenting sponsor for an event? We may have that event available for sponsorship.  Want to have one of our national talk show hosts record your ad?  That is also available under the right conditions and for a fee.

Bottom line is, if you need help, let’s talk and see what makes sense.  My goal is to make it profitable for you to become an advertising partner with me. 

And the real bottom line regarding, “How Much Does It Cost To Advertise on WOWO Radio?”  I have advertising partners who spend over $100,000 per year and some that spend $30,000 a year or less.  Contact me, Scott@WOWO.com

As a side note:

I work primarily with WOWO Radio however, I also can help you with our local ESPN Sports Talk Station and with our companies Rock Station, 98.9 The Bear.  These are 3 of the local radio stations owned and operated by Federated Media in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  I can also connect you with the appropriate Federated Media co-workers that handle advertising on our other stations, WMEE, K-105 and BIG 92.3.

 

Looking for more free marketing tips?  Sign up for my free Sound ADvice newsletter below:

 

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7 Sales Secret Tips

7 Sales Secret Tips

by | May 14, 2019 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo Sales Tips, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard

Every once in awhile, it’s good to take a look at what has helped you become successful and today is one of those days.

In 2009 I wrote and published an article on 7 Sales Secrets that generated some national attention.

I was 6 years into my position as an advertising sales person with a group of radio stations and saw that there were lots of reasons why people were not successful and I wanted to do what I could to help them succeed.

These 7 Sales Secret Tips apply to you if you work for someone else or are running your own business and they are timeless, not matter what the technology changes that have taken place or will occur in the future.

I’ve updated these tips for 2019:

The 7 Secrets are neither original, nor secret.

1. People don’t want to buy what you are trying to sell them.They want to buy a solution to their problem/need/want. The classic example is people don’t buy a drill because of the shiny black handle. They buy a drill because they need to create a hole. What is the other persons real problem/need/want?

2. Price is not important. Value is all that matters. While there are limits to what someone is willing or able to spend, if your customer sees no value in what you are offering, there is no price cheap enough to overcome a lack of value. You can discount yourself out of business and you can also train your customers to only buy from you when you offer a discount.  The companies and people that having staying power go beyond price and offer value, Do you?

3. Objections can lead to a yes. An easy “yes” means you either know your client very well, or you’re just being an order taker. I know it sounds harsh, but objections are conversation starters, and these conversations can lead to customizing a solution to their problem/need/want.  I rarely have a package or program that I “pitch”. Instead I know why options I can offer.  Do you know the difference? Which leads us to…

4. You have to listen and learn, more than smile and sell. I do my homework and am prepared with research about my customers and their business. I also look at their competition and we talk about them. We talk about their goals for the future, their past history, what they have done that was successful and what didn’t work too. Too often salespeople are only focused on what they have to sell instead of seeing how they can help their customers. If you are focused too much on what you want, it will show and you can actually repel people from buying from you.

5. Your customer knows more than you give them credit for. We live in an information age with easy access via the internet. Your customer has done their research. However…

6. Your customer knows less than they think they do. Just because the information is available, doesn’t mean they know how to use interpret it and use it to their advantage. That’s where you come in as the expert. Which means that you better know your stuff inside and out. You are personally responsible for your own education, not your boss. Be your very best. You need to also talk with your customers in such a manner that they understand.  Don’t limit yourself to insider jargon.

7. Relationships are forever. Apply the Golden Rule. Treat others with the same honesty and respect that you would like to be treated with. Keep relationships alive with your customers, potential customers and even those that may never become your customers. After a few years  I had developed relationships that began paying off in ways I would have never imagined. Now that I have more than 16 years in the media and marketing world in Fort Wayne including working for WOWO radio since 2013, I am enjoying the fruits of my years of cultivating my own brand and reputation.  How about you?

That’s it. A half dozen plus one Sales Secrets, that shouldn’t be secret. Your comments are always welcome.  Reach me at Scott@WOWO.com if you would like my help or have more to add.

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