So you have dollars to market your business or product, but are you using them wisely?
You need to have a SIGN in front of your store or on your building. Is spending the money to WRAP your building with additional signage that screams your name and the various sales doing you any additional help to increase your traffic and sales?
After all, the only people that will see the sign on or in front of your shop, not to mention all of those sales signs are the people that are driving past your location. After awhile, your building and signage become a blur at 55mph.
So you’re stepping it up by hiring “Sign Holders”.
Again, the only people that are being exposed to the sign holder are the ones driving past them, and unless they are at a red light, they cannot read all of the words that are on your 3′ X 5′ sign. Effective Billboards are not cluttered with words and use a font that is large enough to be read from a distance and just like your building: are only seen by those driving past it.
Take the money you’re planning to “wrap your building” or to hire “sign holders” and apply that towards a radio advertising campaign that can bring attention to your product, store, website, and even you other marketing tools. Regardless to my location, as long as I am listening to the radio station, I will be exposed to your message.
There are a lot more people listening to the radio than those that are driving by your location or past your sign holders.
While El Porton and Chipotle are on the same street, I always stop at El Porton because it’s the first Mexican Restaurant that I see. What if I heard an ad from Chipotle on the radio a block before? That might have jogged my memory to try them for a change.
I’ve been in the Radio Business since 1999. My professional opinion is that an effective advertisement sells me on the experience/benefit and not on a price. It also needs to stand out from the other ads, especially the competitors, without attacking them. Ads that bash the competition don’t really impress me. It’s like Political Mud Slinging – not thanks.
Example:
“This tablet is $300 and it will change the way you get things done. It’s way better than the iPad, since it allows you to attach a key board, it stands on it’s own, you can add a mouse, watch movies, do your laundry…..Save your money you’d put on the iPad and get the MyPad for just $300 and receive a protective case. The MyPad comes in five colors and you can mix and match the keyboards. Stop in to your local Big Box Store and pick one out today!”
Vs.
“The other day my daughters and I entered a room where there were five other screaming kids running all over the place. Once we settled in and their snacks were passed out, I asked my girls which movie they would like to watch. As I started up the movie, the other kids had stopped screaming and running around as they gathered around the tablet. I didn’t have to worry about them spilling or dropping it. The adults were able to go about our business while the kids enjoyed a movie. Chandler’s Tablet, only from the Chandler Store at adamchandlermedia.com.”
I’m playing on the experience that all parents have been in and can relate to. I didn’t mention a price as my goal for the add is to get them to my site. I’m banking on the ability of the tablet to quiet down SEVEN kids would motivate the parents to check out the website. Whether they buy the tablet or another item doesn’t matter, but getting them to my site where I hope my videos on the products and services offered DOES sell them on an item.
So consider putting your “Sign Holder” and “Building Wrap” money into a radio advertising campaign with a message that promotes an experience, benefit, and not a price point. Your competitors can do the same thing, but can they match the EXPERIENCE that YOU offer?
Another example:
I work with Henry Brazilian Jiu Jitsu on their marketing needs. They are a small business with a small niche audience and an extremely small marketing budget. However, they understand that they need to have their name out there. Every time Connoisseur Media has offered the Bid On Bloomington Program, Bill Henry has supplied various gym membership levels to be placed on the auction block. When the memberships were won in the auction, he received an advertising schedule to promote the school, which he used to sponsor weekend shows on I-ROCK.
After redesigning his website and adding relevant content to it on a weekly basis, he used his sponsorship status to draw traffic to his site with a special offer that was given on the radio. While people were not driving past his school or stopping in to check out the classes, they were visiting his website more and contacting him through his website with the promo code given on the radio station. He also followed up on those e-mails.
I have never understood why a business would not return a call or e-mail from someone that is looking for more information to become a customer, but that is for another blog.
Bill used the radio station to increase the traffic to his website where he used testimonials from his current students as well as videos of his students competing and training in class to help inform people about his school while being in the comfort of their own home. The promo code was for a really good offer: 30-Days of free training that is worth $100.00. Bill has been able to increase the number of new students by using the radio station to get people to his website.
It’s now up to Bill to provide these possible new students with an experience that will make them want to continue their training.
Whether you’re a Jiu Jitsu school, Mobile Phone store, Car Dealership, or a restaurant: Radio will get people there, but it’s up to you, your staff, and your product that will provide the experience that can turn the listeners into your consumers and repeat customers.