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Casual Articles - Take Your Radio Ads to the Next Level
Should We Believe the Experts? (Part I) e doesn't explain why you should
visit the store, unless it is to punch out the
owner for being so stupid. Ditch the lame humor
for real substanceD. W. Griffith is regarded by many as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. More than anyone of the silent era, he recognized the potential of movies as an expressive medium. During that time, his achievements were momentous. In 1915 he finished the feature “Birth of a Nation,” regarded as the first masterpiece of cinema. In 1919 he finished the movie “Intolerance” (1919), which marked a new standard in filmmaking. His next two movies, “Broken Blossoms” (1919) and “Way Down East” (1920), sealed his reputation as America’s preeminent director. According to James Agee, "To watch h 90 Seconds into 30 Won't Go. The power of the pause is important in radio commercials. Too many radio people take you literally when you tell them what you want in your commercial and try to get it all in one ad. Instead, ask them to create several that will rotate on the air. Take your time to explain the benefits. Don't buy anything longer than 30 seconds Some station price 60s double what they charge for 30 seconds, other plus up the 30 rate by 20 or 25 percent. Either way, you don't need a 60. Make two 30s and get more exposure and save more money. Heck, if you can say the entire Lord’s Prayer in 20 seconds, yo Business Ethics 101 Most small businesses do not have a high powered
advertising agency to produce award-winning radio
commercials for them. Most award-winning radio
commercials win for the wrong reasons anyway.Sometimes life provides us with character-defining opportunities that remain with us forever. If we're lucky, that is. These events, which occur in both our professional and our personal lives, are significant not for their particulars, but for what they say about who we are and who we are not. It is who we become as a result of these experiences-not the experiences themselves-that is most important. This is because these "choice points" articulate our values, clarify our character, and define our integrity.I had one such experience many years ago when I first relocated to Seattle. I Radio commercials should sell the benefits (not features)of your business/product and should be on the same page with print, TV and billboard. A major problem in business advertising today is the lack of coordination of a campaign where all media are targeting the same message. The newspaper ad says one thing and the radio commercial doesn't seem to fit anywhere. Wasted money. Hit ‘em with the same message across the board and you increase your reach. Radio commercials at smaller radio stations are typically created by the radio salespeople or the announcers. In most cases, neither are trained at selling benefits. It’s your money and you shouldn't spend it on amateurish and/or totally ineffective commercials. The biggest mistake many business people make is letting the station staff come up with the commercial copy and finished product. When they play it for you, you can tell they really love it. They wrote it, maybe they voiced it. It’s me, me, me. They love all the fun they had making it. They don't know squat about selling benefits. Effective radio commercials Remember Tom Bodett for Motel six? A great campaign, it was Tom delivering the benefit for staying at the motel with a little music in the background. Award winning. And Motel Six business shot off the charts. Benefits sell. Yet few local radio people would be comfortable with a straight voice Tom Bodett style ad. They want you to feel like you are really getting something for your money. so they produce a grand scale dud. Here are BIG Mike’s tips for better commercials Don't Do It Yourself You may be able to write it, after a little practice, but don't get fooled into thinking you can do it better than a professional announcer. The radio people will want you to voice it because some of your fiends will tell you they heard you on the radio and you will be convinced radio works. Phooey. That’s an old way to sell ads. The high powered ad agency worked with David Orreck for several days to get those vacuum cleaner commercials to sound like one-takes. Avoid two-voice "slice-of-life" ads Many are made by dragging the receptionist into the studio to play the wife or mother and the result is something that sounds like the junior high school drama class made it. Steer clear of characterizations The last of the great character actors on radio was Mel Blanc and he died 20 years ago. An 18 year old kid trying to sound like a crusty ol’ sea captain doesn't get it. Don't try humor - it ain’t funny Remember the main reason to advertise, WIIFM, What’s In It for Me, that’s what they want to know. Sell benefits. Take a poll, no one cares about a cutesy commercial, they care about what’s in it for them. Yet, every radio station in the country has at least one would-be Bob Hope who thinks he can out-funny the pros. It doesn't work. Consider how you feel when you hear one on the radio. It sure doesn't explain why you should visit the store, unless it is to punch out the owner for being so stupid. Ditch the lame humor for real substance 90 Seconds into 30 Won't Go. The power of the pause is important in radio commercials. Too many radio people take you literally when you tell them what you want in your commercial and try to get it all in one ad. Instead, ask them to create several that will rotate on the air. Take your time to explain the benefits. Don't buy anything longer than 30 seconds Some station price 60s double what they charge for 30 seconds, other plus up the 30 rate by 20 or 25 percent. Either way, you don't need a 60. Make two 30s and get more exposure and save more money. Heck, if you can say the entire Lord’s Prayer in 20 seconds, you The Top 5 Business and Consumer Telecom Scams , neither are trained at
selling benefits. It’s your money and you
shouldn't spend it on amateurish and/or totally
ineffective commercials.Telecom scams and fraud continues to be a multi-billion dollar problem for the U.S. consumer and for business organizations. As the telecom industry changes, so do the methods of scam artists. The best line of defense is to be aware of the current scams and types of telecom fraud that are popular and often easily carried out by scam artists.Below is a list of the top 10 telecom scams and fraud alerts that you should know about. Aimed at both businesses and consumers, these tactics have cost victims 10's of millions in losses in the last year alone.#1 - "Do Not Call List" Sc The biggest mistake many business people make is letting the station staff come up with the commercial copy and finished product. When they play it for you, you can tell they really love it. They wrote it, maybe they voiced it. It’s me, me, me. They love all the fun they had making it. They don't know squat about selling benefits. Effective radio commercials Remember Tom Bodett for Motel six? A great campaign, it was Tom delivering the benefit for staying at the motel with a little music in the background. Award winning. And Motel Six business shot off the charts. Benefits sell. Yet few local radio people would be comfortable with a straight voice Tom Bodett style ad. They want you to feel like you are really getting something for your money. so they produce a grand scale dud. Here are BIG Mike’s tips for better commercials Don't Do It Yourself You may be able to write it, after a little practice, but don't get fooled into thinking you can do it better than a professional announcer. The radio people will want you to voice it because some of your fiends will tell you they heard you on the radio and you will be convinced radio works. Phooey. That’s an old way to sell ads. The high powered ad agency worked with David Orreck for several days to get those vacuum cleaner commercials to sound like one-takes. Avoid two-voice "slice-of-life" ads Many are made by dragging the receptionist into the studio to play the wife or mother and the result is something that sounds like the junior high school drama class made it. Steer clear of characterizations The last of the great character actors on radio was Mel Blanc and he died 20 years ago. An 18 year old kid trying to sound like a crusty ol’ sea captain doesn't get it. Don't try humor - it ain’t funny Remember the main reason to advertise, WIIFM, What’s In It for Me, that’s what they want to know. Sell benefits. Take a poll, no one cares about a cutesy commercial, they care about what’s in it for them. Yet, every radio station in the country has at least one would-be Bob Hope who thinks he can out-funny the pros. It doesn't work. Consider how you feel when you hear one on the radio. It sure doesn't explain why you should visit the store, unless it is to punch out the owner for being so stupid. Ditch the lame humor for real substance 90 Seconds into 30 Won't Go. The power of the pause is important in radio commercials. Too many radio people take you literally when you tell them what you want in your commercial and try to get it all in one ad. Instead, ask them to create several that will rotate on the air. Take your time to explain the benefits. Don't buy anything longer than 30 seconds Some station price 60s double what they charge for 30 seconds, other plus up the 30 rate by 20 or 25 percent. Either way, you don't need a 60. Make two 30s and get more exposure and save more money. Heck, if you can say the entire Lord’s Prayer in 20 seconds, yo Creating Attention Grabbing Headlines ble with a straight
voice Tom Bodett style ad. They want you to feel
like you are really getting something for your
money. so they produce a grand scale dud.Headlines play a crucial role in the success of your business. Your subject line must get your prospect interested enough to read your copy! An effective headline, whether in an email, ad or book, will literally force your potential customers to want to learn more.There was a book, for example, titled "The Art of Controversy" which was not selling very well. The author changed the title to "How to Argue Logically". The sales shot up to 30,000. Nothing else was changed in the whole book! This is the power of a good headline!So, how do you go about writing that attention-grabbin Here are BIG Mike’s tips for better commercials Don't Do It Yourself You may be able to write it, after a little practice, but don't get fooled into thinking you can do it better than a professional announcer. The radio people will want you to voice it because some of your fiends will tell you they heard you on the radio and you will be convinced radio works. Phooey. That’s an old way to sell ads. The high powered ad agency worked with David Orreck for several days to get those vacuum cleaner commercials to sound like one-takes. Avoid two-voice "slice-of-life" ads Many are made by dragging the receptionist into the studio to play the wife or mother and the result is something that sounds like the junior high school drama class made it. Steer clear of characterizations The last of the great character actors on radio was Mel Blanc and he died 20 years ago. An 18 year old kid trying to sound like a crusty ol’ sea captain doesn't get it. Don't try humor - it ain’t funny Remember the main reason to advertise, WIIFM, What’s In It for Me, that’s what they want to know. Sell benefits. Take a poll, no one cares about a cutesy commercial, they care about what’s in it for them. Yet, every radio station in the country has at least one would-be Bob Hope who thinks he can out-funny the pros. It doesn't work. Consider how you feel when you hear one on the radio. It sure doesn't explain why you should visit the store, unless it is to punch out the owner for being so stupid. Ditch the lame humor for real substance 90 Seconds into 30 Won't Go. The power of the pause is important in radio commercials. Too many radio people take you literally when you tell them what you want in your commercial and try to get it all in one ad. Instead, ask them to create several that will rotate on the air. Take your time to explain the benefits. Don't buy anything longer than 30 seconds Some station price 60s double what they charge for 30 seconds, other plus up the 30 rate by 20 or 25 percent. Either way, you don't need a 60. Make two 30s and get more exposure and save more money. Heck, if you can say the entire Lord’s Prayer in 20 seconds, yo Managing Flat File Storage Needs: A Case Study ionist into
the studio to play the wife or mother and the
result is something that sounds like the junior
high school drama class made it.For the manager of the Building Records unit at a major west coast public University, the document storage problems were critical. The problem wasn’t justifying budget for more space. There was no more space to be had.The Facilities Management Department must preserve and keep accessible more than 40,000 original plans and drawings. Many of the documents date from the University’s founding and were hand drawn by Architects and Engineers long gone. These include architectural, structural, civil, mechanical, plumbing, electrical and other drawings for site development, infrastructure, Steer clear of characterizations The last of the great character actors on radio was Mel Blanc and he died 20 years ago. An 18 year old kid trying to sound like a crusty ol’ sea captain doesn't get it. Don't try humor - it ain’t funny Remember the main reason to advertise, WIIFM, What’s In It for Me, that’s what they want to know. Sell benefits. Take a poll, no one cares about a cutesy commercial, they care about what’s in it for them. Yet, every radio station in the country has at least one would-be Bob Hope who thinks he can out-funny the pros. It doesn't work. Consider how you feel when you hear one on the radio. It sure doesn't explain why you should visit the store, unless it is to punch out the owner for being so stupid. Ditch the lame humor for real substance 90 Seconds into 30 Won't Go. The power of the pause is important in radio commercials. Too many radio people take you literally when you tell them what you want in your commercial and try to get it all in one ad. Instead, ask them to create several that will rotate on the air. Take your time to explain the benefits. Don't buy anything longer than 30 seconds Some station price 60s double what they charge for 30 seconds, other plus up the 30 rate by 20 or 25 percent. Either way, you don't need a 60. Make two 30s and get more exposure and save more money. Heck, if you can say the entire Lord’s Prayer in 20 seconds, yo 15 Sure-Fire Yellow Page Headlines Guaranteed to Get Attention e doesn't explain why you should
visit the store, unless it is to punch out the
owner for being so stupid. Ditch the lame humor
for real substanceI’ve been advising and counseling businesses on their Yellow Page advertising since 1976. During that period, I’ve placed ads in every media imaginable and consulted to over 7000 businesses. With those credentials, I feel capable and confident in recommending the easiest way to achieve a more successful marketing program. Whether it’s a newspaper, magazine, Yellow Page ad, or direct mailer, the headline is always king. It not only is the first thing seen, it sets the tone for the entire promotion that follows. Yet creating one, is the critical procedure that’s often overlooked.I’ve s 90 Seconds into 30 Won't Go. The power of the pause is important in radio commercials. Too many radio people take you literally when you tell them what you want in your commercial and try to get it all in one ad. Instead, ask them to create several that will rotate on the air. Take your time to explain the benefits. Don't buy anything longer than 30 seconds Some station price 60s double what they charge for 30 seconds, other plus up the 30 rate by 20 or 25 percent. Either way, you don't need a 60. Make two 30s and get more exposure and save more money. Heck, if you can say the entire Lord’s Prayer in 20 seconds, you can sure sell your benefits in 30. Ask for an out-of-market voice These days with email audio attachments, many radio stations share voices around the country. You can get a voice thousands of miles away that will do ads only for you. In turn the station announcer who would have done your ads, does one for that station, an even trade. The exchange takes only seconds, no one does any more work and the cost to the advertiser is zero. Be sure your radio ads sell the same benefits at the same time as your newspaper, shopper and other print and billboard ads. Plan your advertising well in advance, just like the other parts of your business. For more about advertising, get my article "Cable Ads 5 Bucks!" Send a blank eMail to MailTo:CableAds@BigIdeasGroup.com
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