RELENTLESS RADIO

 

Author:	Greg Lhamon
Published:	January, 2000

 

Selling radio is perhaps the most unique form of sales. Unlike any other form of sales, in radio you must create the product you sell. A copier salesman just sells copiers. He doesn’t have to build them. The same can be said for selling cars or life insurance, even long distance. A product has been created, the salesperson just sells it.  As a radio salesperson, on the other hand, you must be able to look across the table at a prospect and sincerely say, “I know how to bring customers into your store. I know how to make you money. I can make this work.” Then, of course, you need to be able to deliver on your promise.  While there is no magic formula for advertising success, there are some common elements that successful radio campaigns share. I have compiled these elements into what I call the “Five Keys to Radio Advertising Success.” When these “Five Keys” are present in a campaign, your chances of success are greatly improved. Key #1: A Demo Match  The customer base of the business must match the listening audience of the radio station.  Action Point: If the audience isn’t right for the client, turn down the business. It’s a matter of integrity. Key #2: A Good Offer  In order for listeners to respond, the product or service must be in demand and priced favorably. When a product is in demand people will pay an absurd price for it (Tickle Me Elmo, for example). If on the other hand, nobody wants the product, even a drastically reduced price may not sell it.  There must be a good balance between product demand and appropriate pricing. For example: Coca-Cola is the best selling soft drink in America today. In other words, there is demand for the product. However, if a supermarket is advertising Coke six-packs for $4.99, they are not going to sell many six-packs, regardless of how good the campaign is. The price is simply not attractive.  Action Point: If a client gives you a poor offer, tell him so. Do not let the client handicap the campaign before it even starts. Key #3: A Compelling Message  The commercial must speak to the felt need of the listener. A felt need is an intense emotional urge to fulfill an unfulfilled desire. This desire has little to do with logic.  My wife and I recently purchased a new couch. Although we agreed on which couch to buy, we purchased it for entirely different reasons. Dedee wanted this particular couch because the colors and style matched her personality and it made our living room more attractive. I wanted it because when I laid down on it, it was long enough to fit my 6’ 5” frame.  So why did we really buy this couch? Was Dedee simply buying an attractive piece of furniture, or was she really buying the look on everyone’s face when they walked into our living room? Was I just looking for a comfortable couch, or was I really buying a good place to take a nap as I watched football on Sunday afternoons?  If the commercial doesn’t speak directly to the felt need, it won’t be effective.  Action Point: Tell stories. People listen to stories. People relate to stories. More importantly, people remember stories.  Key #4: Sufficient Frequency  You must run plenty of commercials in order to move a listener to action. In Advertising Research: The State of the Art, Charles Ramond writes, “Unless an individual is reached often enough, within a short enough interval, there’s little point in reaching him at all.” It’s better to reach 10 people and persuade them 100% of the way, then to reach 100 people and persuade them only 10% of the way.  Action Point: Run 25-30 commercials per week running Monday through Saturday 6a-7p. It’s a sufficient number of commercials to do the job with very little waste.  Key #5: Sufficient Duration  The campaign must be consistent over time. Every business owner you will ever meet has had an advertising campaign in place at one time or another that would have been wildly successful, if he had only stayed with it. Advertising is not magic, it’s arithmetic.  Jay Conrad Levinson writes in his book Guerrilla Marketing Attack, “I tell my clients not to expect results from the marketing for the first 13 weeks. After 13 weeks, they can expect some positive results from the marketing. And every week thereafter, those effects should be better than the previous week with rare exceptions. The honest truth is that a mediocre marketing plan with commitment will work better than a brilliant one without commitment.”  Action Point: Sell more 26 week and 52 week schedules. An annual contract that runs every other week is better for a client than a short flight. Can a campaign be successful if one of these “Five Keys” is missing? Yes, it’s possible. However, my experience has shown that my client’s success rate goes down the further we move away from the success formula.  Selling radio is certainly more challenging than selling copiers or insurance. Therefore, the radio salesperson who will really succeed in his career will be the one who spends as much time reading and learning about marketing as he does about sales. About the author Greg is currently National Sales Manager, Salem Radio Representatives, based in the St. Louis area. Greg started his radio career in 1987. He served as General Manager of WCBW, St. Louis. During his seven-year tenure as GM, revenues increased an average of 20% per year. He also served as a sales and management consultant to WSYW-FM in Indianapolis, IN. Before Greg’s involvement at WSYW-FM, the station had never realized a profit. Within fourteen months, the station was in the black and had experienced a 400% increase in monthly billings.  Before coming to St. Louis, Greg taught speech communication at Bradley University. He has studied acting at the University of Illinois and has degrees in Radio & Television and Theater from Bradley University. Greg and his wife, Deidre, are the proud parents of two daughters, Taylor and Rachel. Greg has a love/hate relationship with golf but thoroughly enjoys reading, tennis, and playing the guitar.