by Scott Howard | Oct 29, 2018 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard
How long are you and your business planning on staying around?
Are you here for the short term or long term?
That’s an important question that we as consumers want to know.
As we enter the holiday season there are certain types of businesses that are seasonal and by the very nature of their type of business are short term.
Others plan on being long term but the business fails and they end up being short term.
Those aren’t the types of businesses I’m talking about.
Recently a tent and truck came to Fort Wayne, Indiana, set up in the parking lot of a shopping mall with a sign that advertised 20 ribeye steaks for $25.
Instant scam alerts went off in my head and most people. But not all people.
First off, this is a scam and I have no idea how the company behind this has stayed in business.
Maybe it’s a loss-leader? You know where a company sells something at such a low price that it seems unbelievable, but it’s just to get you to also buy something that they make money with.
Maybe, but, no.
Sunday I did my research by simply Googling 20 ribeye steaks for $25 and found the company behind this short term stunt. Homestead Steaks out of Missouri. Here’s a link to the Better Business Bureau complaint page about them.
This company has been around for 10 years so you might think they are a long term company, but don’t be fooled. They operate with a short term business plan. Come to a city, like Fort Wayne, set up shop and advertise online and elsewhere to get as many suckers as they can for a few days and then leave town before their sucker customers discover they were scammed.
Their business plan is simple. Con as many people into buying sub-quality frozen “meat” that is worthless and probably dangerous to consume. Keep moving from town to town so your customers can’t get their money back when they discover your offer of 20 ribeye steaks for $25 really was too good to be true and all the food you sold was a rip-off.
Now let’s look at an honest business that sells meat. Jamison Specialty Meats in Fort Wayne.
Jamison’s is a prime example of long term. In business since 1946, they were the place my parents went for corned beef when I was growing up and we still visit for the good stuff.
The whole business model at Jamison’s was built on quality, and trust. They have earned that trust now for multiple generations because of the quality and the way they run their three locations in Fort Wayne.
That’s long term thinking, not short term.
There are some long term businesses that might seem short term because they are seasonal. A couple of examples are Darlington’s Holiday Warehouse which is only open in the couple of months leading up to Christmas. There are also some temporary Christmas tree lots that pop up but some of them I consider long term because they return year after year and develop a loyal customer following.
The determining factors I look for in determining if a business is long term or short term is the honesty and integrity of the people in charge.
A short termer is only looking out for themselves. Get as much money as possible fast and they could care less about the customer. Like the 20 ribeye steaks for $25 people.
A long termer is also looking to make a profit, but not by ripping people off and scamming them. A long termer wants to build a positive reputation with their customers and make money because they are honest and offer a good product or service.
Mr and Ms Business Person, which one are you? If you have the long term mentality, even if you are just a few years old and want help growing, let’s talk. And if you are a short-termer, please just go away.
I do my best to protect my WOWO radio listeners from short termers and welcome long termers with open arms.
by Scott Howard | Oct 23, 2018 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Fort Wayne, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard
WOWO Radio, the radio station I work for and one of the stations I grew up listening to has promoted our News and Program Director, Kayla Blakeslee. Starting Wednesday 10/16/18, Kayla has become the new host of Fort Wayne’s Morning News on WOWO.
What makes this newsworthy is the history of WOWO and the future of WOWO.
WOWO has been on the air since March 31, 1925, one of a handful of AM radio stations that were on the air, in the early days of broadcasting. 1190 AM has been the place to find WOWO all of my life, but that move to 1190 didn’t occur until about 20 years after they first signed on at 1320AM and later on 1160AM.
Bob Sievers was the morning man for WOWO from the 1930’s until the 1990’s. Bob was who I woke up to in the 70’s and honestly, I lost track of who was on in the mornings when I moved out of state in 1986. When I returned to Fort Wayne 20 years ago, it was Macy in the Morning. I worked with Dave Macy for awhile at another station in Fort Wayne after he left WOWO.
Over time, WOWO evolved from being what was known as a full service radio station that had radio personalities that played music and had news to becoming a full time news and talk station the past 20 years. For the past 14 years, Charly Butcher has been the host on Fort Wayne’s Morning News on WOWO. Charly unexpectedly passed away this summer while on vacation. Charly is legendary because he actually came to Fort Wayne in the 1980’s and worked on the air at our sister station WMEE before making the switch to WOWO in 2004.
Charly was just 61. and we expected him to continue into his 80’s as he was full of energy and loved what he did on the air with WOWO and in the community. His loss was a shock and loss not just for the staff and his family, but for the thousands of people who listened to him for years.
At first we had local broadcast veteran Steve Shine who was Charly’s vacation fill in host, alternate with Kayla Blakeslee to cover the hosting duties. But both of them had full time positions already and when WOWO got an offer from former WOWO News Director Mike Wilson to fill in for 4 weeks, we took it.
Mike gave us some breathing room. He was not available to take the position long term, but having a month to review applicants and make a decision for the future of WOWO was a blessing.
When I found out that Kayla was going to be taking over, about a week before it was public, I was happy.
The initial reaction on WOWO’s text line and social media was also very positive. Here’s one of the Facebook comments:
Kayla was the obvious choice for the ‘morning drive’ at WOWO. Congratulations to Kayla, and to Federated Media for having the hootzpah to put a lady in that slot!! Nice going, everyone!!
In doing some research, a friend of mine, Blaine, only found one other woman who has been the morning host on a major news talk radio station in Boston, and her duties were that of a co-host, not the main anchor, or ringleader as I like to refer it to.
I honestly don’t think that the radio industry is sexist however Kayla is breaking new ground as the first female news host on WOWO. This is different from being a news anchor or news reporter, WOWO has had women in that position for years. Women on the air hosting a radio show on WOWO is not new either. Carol Ford was on in the late 1970’s when WOWO played music.
Kayla also represents a generational change. Kayla is in her 30’s and quite frankly, she’s at the age when a lot of people start listening to news/talk radio. Being a member of the millennial generation creates a lot of positives. For example, she has the ability to relate to the 2nd largest generation because she is one. Baby Boomers are still the largest but as we age, the number of living Boomers is declining.
Kayla
Kayla hosting Fort Wayne’s Morning News also presents a fresh opportunity for the local business community for advertising opportunities. Our radio program hosts, Pat Miller, Rick Wolf and previously Charly Butcher offer the crème de la crème of advertising opportunities in Fort Wayne with Live Testimonial and Endorsement ads on WOWO. These are usually the most effective and impactful ads available anywhere. Ask me about them.
Kayla has been doing a recorded version of these testimonial endorsement ads for a few years taking advantage of her trusted name recognition as the WOWO news and program director, but now we are able to take the next step and do Live Testimonial and Endorsement ads with Kayla on Fort Wayne’s Morning News on WOWO. These are limited and if you and your business want to see if you qualify, please contact me right away. Email Scott@WOWO.com, that’s Scott@WOWO.com.
The Future of WOWO is in good hands with Kayla and the Fort Wayne Morning News team starting the day for thousands of listeners every morning. The legendary Bob Sievers and Charly Butcher would both be proud as we are in the midst of history in the making at WOWO.
by Scott Howard | Oct 9, 2018 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Collective Wisdom, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard
I read a lot. Not as many books as I used to before the internet, but I read all kinds of stuff. I read everyday. I bet you do too.
Sometimes I am asked by business people, what is the best day to advertise? Everyday is my usual answer.
Recently I was reading an email update to a blog I subscribe to from the Zimmer Radio group of stations, headquartered in Joplin, Missouri. A dozen years ago I worked with someone who had come from that company and that’s how I became familiar with Zimmer. They don’t compete with me or WOWO Radio or any of the stations at Federated Media and they have some good marketing ideas.
The article that caught my attention this time is titled 3 Reasons Consistency Is Critical for Your Home Improvement Marketing. But the 3 Reasons apply to nearly any business.
Here they are:
- Consistency Builds Trust
- Consistent Advertising Spurs Customer Action
- Consistent Quality Service Drives Customer Loyalty
Let’s dig deeper and how this works with your advertising. Everyday that I hear your message on the radio, you are planting a seed. That seed, that nugget about you and your business gets stored away in my brain even when I am not needing your services.
Auto Collision Service in Fort Wayne is the first place I think of when someone asks me about an auto body shop. City Glass has top of mind awareness for custom glass in Fort Wayne, with me. I could continue but let me tell you why these businesses come to mind. First, they advertise consistently on WOWO radio which is not only the station I work for, I also spend more time listening to WOWO than any of the other 20 stations in Fort Wayne. I trust WOWO and I trust these local businesses because they have been consistent with their marketing messages on WOWO.
Customer Action due to consistent advertising, I see this over and over again. In my life I had our HVAC system, that’s our heat and air conditioning for our home, replaced by Doc Dancer Heating and Cooling because I heard Pat Miller talk about them week after week after week. I really didn’t have an immediate need to get it replaced, but the advertising prompted me to take action. Over time, your consistent advertising messages can do the same for your business.
Consistent Quality Service Drives Customer Loyalty is a part of your marketing that goes beyond the advertising world. I frequent a couple of local coffee shops every month. The Firefly on the northside of Fort Wayne and the Mocha Lounge on the southwest side. These two coffee shops have had tremendous changes over the years, it’s the nature of their business to have some staff turn over. But I must say, it is the consistent quality that keeps me coming back. Not just in the coffee, but in the way they treat their guests, their customers, like me.
My original statement, Everyday is the Best Day, applies to doing things consistently and continuously. The most successful advertisers on WOWO radio are the ones that start and don’t stop.
I can apply this principle to nearly any size advertising budget too, want to know how? Contact me.
by Scott Howard | Oct 1, 2018 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo Sales Tips, ScLoHo's Fort Wayne, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard
It’s still September as my fingers tap out these words. They are words of Irony and a couple of Marketing lessons for you and me. First, I’ll share with you the full meaning of the title of this article and podcast, followed by a couple of examples and together we can be better with our advertising and marketing.
George Berkeley was an Irish philosopher who lived 300 years ago who is credited with asking the question,
“If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?”
The answer we know is yes, but when you apply this to the business world, and we might say no.
If you open your business but don’t tell anyone, do you really have a business?
If your business depends on having paying customers, but you do nothing to invite people to become your paying customers, how long will you have a business?
That’s the reason for my Tree Falling In The Woods title to this piece.
I have been consulting with several businesses that need to hire employees. Business is good, but the unemployment numbers are making it tough to expand. Seems like all the good employees are already working.
However, I know that good employees will change jobs and companies if there is enough of a reason to switch. It happens a lot. But here’s the problem that I keep seeing over and over again. The companies that have openings are not letting people know about the openings. Or they are doing a half-assed effort to let people know. The advice I give them is to create a page on their website that lists openings first, then we can send out invitations to people inviting them to check it out.
Unless you do both of those things, you will fail.
Using the tree analogy…
First you have to have a tree, which in this case is a place online that lists job openings you want to fill.
Then you need to invite people to see the tree and make some noise about it, sort of like the sound of the tree falling.
Now here’s a couple of examples I have observed and I’m going to call out some of my friends.
First, my friend Kevin Mullett. Kevin has been organizing and running a monthly event in Fort Wayne for several years now, called the Social and Marketing Breakfast – Fort Wayne. This event has been going on 11 months out of 12 for quite awhile. It’s almost always the last Tuesday morning of the month from 7:30 until 9am and is held at the same place 10 months each year.
The September event is planned for two days from right now. Remember I am writing this a couple of weeks before you are seeing it or hearing it on the podcast.
As of noon on Sunday not one invitation has been sent. Kevin uses Eventbrite and shares it online with Twitter and Facebook.
The topic for the September breakfast is Marketing Mistakes. Kevin invited me to sit on the panel to field questions and I said yes. Unfortunately, this event has multiple marketing mistakes itself.
The September event is number 81, so Kevin has been hosting these for over 7 years. I used to be a regular, but not so much in the past couple of years. Why? Because I didn’t get the invitation in time.
I’ll do a follow up story on this event and believe me, I love Kevin like a brother, or else I would not call him out on this.
Here’s the lesson to learn for all of us if you have an event or series of events that you want people to attend: Invite. Invite again. Invite as many was as possible. Send reminders. Don’t stop.
Next on my list of real life examples is a restaurant in downtown Fort Wayne. It was the darling of their many patrons for years. The place was called Calhoun Street Soup, Salads and Spirits. The owner Donna and her team created something special out of nothing. It even was nicknamed CS3 and had a back room for special events called the Tiger Room. I’ve been there countless times, it was the place my wife and I would visit about 3 times a month on Saturday nights for dinner, it was that good.
However this summer, Donna lost her lease. The place shut down. End of Story? Not really.
Donna had been working on another place, a tea room with a different kind of vibe to it, right across the street from CS3. Some of the staff joined her at the new place, some stayed behind because the old CS3 was going to be transformed into a new joint.
I visited the new place a few times. They are open for business with a limited menu as they make some upgrades but they will have their grand opening as Welch’s Brew House in October, I’ve been told.
Right now, the place is dead. No outside signage except one small sign on the sidewalk.
There was public outcry when the old CS3 was closing in August. That would have been the prime time to let people know that a new name and menu was coming to let all of those regulars and semi-regulars know that all was not lost.
One of our favorite waitstaff is still there, that’s how I know some of this insider information, but the general public is generally clueless.
I feel sorry for the crew that is working at Welch’s right now. With maybe 10% of the customers they had under the old name and ownership, it’s got to be hard to make a living.
So again, another lesson about invitations. If you don’t invite people to your business, they won’t come. Welch’s missed some excellent opportunities to set the stage for their grand opening and in the meantime, all those old CS3 regulars, about 90% of them have changed their dining and drinking habits by finding a different place to eat and drink. Invite. Invite again. Invite as many was as possible. Send reminders. Don’t stop.
And the last lesson for today applies to me and the people who work directly in either sales, advertising or marketing.
It’s the same lesson: Invite. Invite again. Invite as many was as possible. Send reminders. Don’t stop. If you are like me and looking to connect with potential customers, you have to Invite. Invite again. Invite as many was as possible. Send reminders. Don’t stop.
As a member of the advertising sales team at WOWO radio, I have a whole toolbag of goodies we can use to help you on the radio and online. Let this be your invitation to contact me.
by Scott Howard | Sep 24, 2018 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Fort Wayne, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard
Changing your logo won’t make you rich.
Advertising your brand might be worthless.
Instead, if growing your business is important, focus on Connections and Relationships.
I do a lot of reading and observing. I take pride in the fact that I have a pretty diverse circle of friends of all ages. Some are in their 70’s pushing 80 and others are just old enough to vote in the next election.
Personally, I have worked in show business and as an entry level material handler in a factory. I enjoy my relationships with millionaires and with people who are working multiple jobs to make ends meet.
What’s this have to do with branding, marketing and advertising your logo?
Let me tell you.
We the people of this United States value a few things over everything else:
- Trust
- Honesty
- Hope
I’ll go deeper.
We want to Trust that when ever we are going to spend money on something, that we are paying the right price, not getting ripped off with a bunch of hype and advertising promises that aren’t really true.
We crave Honesty in our business dealings. We understand that no one is perfect, but when something happens that needs fixed or corrected. don’t weasel your way out of it. Be honest. Do what you can to fix the problem. By the way, you will earn greater loyalty by fixing a problem for someone than if everything went smoothly the first time.
Also we want to be optimistic in this country of ours. No matter what we are buying, we want to have hope that the purchase we are making will improve our lives. This is the Hope I am talking about. The new car, and the box of cereal, both purchases are based on Hope to fill a need or desire.
Here’s a couple of ways to implement these three values:
First off, live them. Not just you, but everyone in your business. The front line clerks and staff that deal with the public, your customers everyday need to convey Trust, Honesty and Hope in their actions and attitude. You need to model it and live it so it can be passed down the line.
This is what builds relationships and relationships build your business.
I call this your Internal Marketing. It’s what you do to give your customers a good feeling about being your customer.
Your External Marketing is about making that initial connection outside of your business location. It’s about inviting people to check you out, inviting them to browse your place and look around. Doesn’t matter if it is online or in person, the same principle applies.
Your External Marketing includes your paid advertising. You need to be consistent in conveying Trust, Honesty, and Hope in your ads that reflect the customer experience that you have built in your company.
I’m going to tell you why I work in the radio industry and not some other form of media or advertising sales. It has a lot to do with what I have just said. And it is more true right now with where I work at WOWO Radio in Fort Wayne, Indiana compared to nearly any other place I have worked in media.
As a former radio personality, I experienced first hand the power of listeners making a connection with the voice on the other end. My first wife and mother of my kids, met me because I was on the radio.
When a radio personality does it correctly, he or she can create an intimacy with individual listeners that is as strong as a lot of in-person friendships.
Television personalities can do this too to a certain degree, but studies have shown that the bond isn’t as personal as radio personalities can create.
What about social media advertising? Billboard advertising? Newspaper, magazine, placemat, direct mail advertising? Those are just ads. There might be a bit of connecting, but certainly not relationship building.
The kind of relationship building via radio advertising with WOWO occurs on many levels. Long time listeners to the station consider WOWO as a trusted source of news and information as they have been a leader in providing that since before I was a kid and have continued the past couple of decades as a news and talk radio station. That trust in the station is also transferred to the businesses that advertise on WOWO.
A deeper level of trust is established when one of our personalities talks about your business, in either a short sponsorship message or as a personal endorsement or testimonial. Man, those types of ads are extremely powerful because they combine all the elements we’ve been talking about today. Trust, Honesty and Hope thru Connections and Relationships.
Want to know more? Let’s talk. Drop me a note to Scott @ScLoHo.net.
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