WOWO’s Baby Boomer Listeners are Online Too

by | Sep 22, 2016 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Collective Wisdom, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard

A great article from Mediapost that I read this week was about Baby Boomers defying certain stereotypes, especially when it comes to tech and online activity.

Numbers show that Baby Boomers are a valuable customer that you can reach online

Numbers show that Baby Boomers are a valuable customer that you can reach online

Since 1/2 of WOWO radio’s huge audience is the Baby Boomer generation, it makes sense to share this with you and as WOWO is my radio station that I work for and it also helps explain what I shared earlier regarding Why Does A Radio Guy Also Sell Digital Marketing Solutions.

Here’s a few highlights:

  • Of the many misconceptions about baby boomers, perhaps the one most perilous to marketers today is that those in the demographic aren’t tech savvy. In fact, according to a 2016 Boston Consulting Group survey, boomers’ top 20 favorite brands include Amazon, Apple, Dell, HP, LG, Samsung and Sony. In my own personal experience as a Boomer, I use Amazon weekly and have bought products from Dell, HP, LG and Samsung. (Sorry Apple & Sony).
  • …contrary to stereotypes, aging doesn’t cause us to lose long-term memory. Instead, the change is a reduction in memory recall. For marketers, repetition is an effective way to ensure messages are properly processed and later recalled. This is why the Custom Audience Targeting with Digital Display Ads I offer works well, just like the ads I air on WOWO for my advertising partners.
  • In fact, a study by visual engagement analytics firm Sticky found that baby boomers engage with digital ads significantly longer than do millennials. Again, this explains the success I’ve seen with my advertising partners who are inviting older adults to their websites.

Want to know more?  Let’s talk.

What Happens When I Google You?

by | Jun 30, 2016 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Media, ScLoHo's Web World, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

Our previous article talked about making sure you put together a marketing strategy plan by asking and answering the right questions in the right order.  But hand-in-hand with that, I also need you to consider, What Happens When I Google You?

I do this all the time.  Before I meet with someone, I ask Google to find out whatever it can about that person or business. googlevoicesearch-listening

I’m not the only one who does this.   With the advances in our mobile tech to be able to search simply by talking, this is quickly becoming the norm.  So it doesn’t matter if you Google others, others are Googling  you.

Back to the question, What Happens When I Google You?

The worst that could happen is a bunch of negative results on page one.2016-06-26 (2)

But right behind that is no results on page one.

google-no-emoji

According to the internet, you do not exist.

I find this too often with business people that are wanting to promote their business.

In the olden days, before the internet, you needed a physical location and a phone number to be legit.$_35

Now you need to be found online.  That’s more important than a street address and phone number.

2016-06-26 (3)

And if you are on the first page with a link to what you want people to find when they Google you, excellent!

2016-06-26 (1)

You need to invest in more than a Facebook page, you really need to pony up the cash and buy your own domain and create at least a landing page that you control and is about you.

Let’s review:

  • People will Google you to learn about you
  • Negative results about you are bad
  • Not being found at all is also bad.
  • You have the power to be found by creating your own spot online

Need help?  Talk to me.

 

 

Two Ways To Target Your Advertising

by | Mar 25, 2016 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard

Wrapping up a three-parter on mass media and advertising with a smarter way to spend your marketing budget.

First we looked at the changes in mass media and then we explored the idea of mass media marketing today.

Today, I’ll show you how to pick the advertising mediums that make sense for you.

It’s all about targeting. z

If I am selling funeral insurance, I don’t want to spend my advertising money delivering my message to teenagers.

If I am selling orthodontics, I don’t want to spend my advertising money delivering my message to people with dentures.

Mass media has specific information about their individual audiences.  I can tell you the age range of all of the Fort Wayne radio station audiences and the number of listeners to each station according to the latest data that I get twice a year.  Mix that information with the other sources and I can give you recommendations for what stations to consider based on who you want to reach with your message.

There is one other way to target that is possible due to the advances in technology.  I’m talking about online digital ads.  Imagine if you could pinpoint your advertising to only be seen by people who are interested in what you have to sell? Would that be of value? 

I see you’re nodding your head in agreement.

There are multiple ways I can do this that is independent of what I do with my radio stations, however, it may make sense to do both and have me handle the coordination of everything.

After all, you have a business to run.  You have your area of expertise that people are paying you money to provide.  I have mine too. My area of expertise is to help you target your advertising messages to invite people to spend their money with you.  Contact me for help.

Are There Any Timeless Marketing Rules?

by | Oct 6, 2015 | Marketing and Advertising Insights

Last week I gave a presentation to about 40 business people and I mentioned the phrase, Timeless Human Relationship Principles.  So today I’m going to share with you some of those but rephrase them as Timeless Marketing Rules.ScloHobookgs

They are based on Human Relationship Principles.

  1. People like it when you talk to them. Better yet, talk with them, not at them. If your advertising is yelling, shouting, screaming, or simply annoying, stop it and get real with people.
  2. People don’t like to be SOLD something.  But they usually will accept and welcome help BUYING something.  Big Difference.
  3. If you want people to show up at something but you don’t invite them, they won’t show up. This is one huge principle I preach about advertising.  You have to invite people to become customers.
  4. There is truth to the concepts of reach and frequency.  Reach is how many different people will see/hear your message.  Frequency is how often each individual person will see/hear your message.  One day I’ll write about this again, or you can ask me about how to apply reach and frequency to your marketing.
  5. However, one tip on frequency right now: One invitation is rarely enough.  That’s why we don’t sell one commercial and expect results. That’s like going on just one date and expecting them to marry you then and there.
  6. People want to trust other people.  They want to trust you and your business and the stuff you sell.  Your marketing and business practices need to consistently build trust.
  7. You need to communicate with people using the medium they prefer.  Some people like texting, some never leave a voicemail.  Others use twitter, some rarely read their email. These human relationship principles and timeless marketing rules don’t change with technology. That’s why they are timeless.  But you need to be aware of individuals communication preferences.

I’ll dig more in depth into each of these in the days ahead.  Your Comments and Questions are always welcome.

Old Fashioned & New Tech

by | Jul 9, 2015 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo

A couple days ago my wife and I got to speak with and see a couple of grandkids and their Mom who live a few hundred miles away.  As we spoke with Nora, her brother Oliver and Mom, Rachael, it was effortless.  These little ones think nothing of Google Hangouts, Skype, or Facetime.  The technology makes something like old fashioned face to face conversation real.

"O" and his mommy

“O” and his mommy

For #TBT also know as #ThrowBackThursday, an article I wrote 7 years ago from the ScLoHo archives:

When I first entered the media world I was a 16 year old high school student who was paid to babysit a radio transmitter and take meter readings every two hours.

The Federal Communications Commission required a properly licensed individual to be on site at all times when a radio station was on the air.

This was 1976.

35 years later, due to a combination of rule changes working hand in hand with tech changes, this type of job no longer exists.

Radio stations still exist, however.

The best ones still use human beings talking and sharing local events and information, just like they have for decades.

Now, think about your business.

What are the old fashioned elements that will be required to keep you successful for decades into the future, even with new tech popping up every few years?