Your Business Needs "Up's" in this Down Time!

Branding is Great...but Leads are Better.

Pop quiz! Quick - answer this -- recall 3 ads from the super bowl! Time's up, pencils down...I couldn't get one specifically - I think Bud had a couple in there, maybe Coke or Pepsi...I remember laughing at one of them...$3 mill. each ad, all branding, zero recall.

Branding or image advertising is expensive in the short run, and hard to quantify in the long run. Big agencies love branding. You win awards with branding...but does branding drive business? I say no...not efficiently at least.

I Want Up's!

If you own a business I know you want "up's". Every business needs more business and they need it now. These days call for focus on lead generation first, branding as a bonus. Ask for the order every time.

Lead Generation with "Radio Sales Advantage"

We have developed a new advertising product designed for lead generation. Strategic partnerships with radio groups are being developed to execute the program for local businesses. Radio Sales Advantage is our solution to getting "more Up's in this Down time"! Designed from our experiences over the past 2 years working with local businesses, the Radio Sales Advantage new business development system takes the best features of radio - reaching masses of consumers during business hours, with affordable frequency and targeted audiences - and combines it with Google/Yahoo/MSN search advertising - all on a track-able platform for accountability and lead generation.

Here's our beta site for Radio Sales Advantage, called http://www.clearchannelcustomercapture.com/ If you own a business in Denver, give Clear Channel a call to find out more about this new lead generating marketing system. If you run radio stations somewhere - call me to find out how your group can benefit. 303-748-6247

Websites and Consumers

The process of consumer decision making has been forever altered with the advent of the internet. This may sound like old news and it is. Here's a short list of what's different.

The internet now plays the consumer role of:
1. The Yellow Pages (who uses the book anymore?)
- many consumers believe Google shows the best companies first in the category
2. Research Library
-price comparision, quality comparison, product research
3. "Just call 411" (who does that anymore?!)
-quick location or phone locator
Obviously the internet plays a critical role in the consumers process of deciding who to call - when they are ready to make a move. While this may seem like old news, many local business owners don't fully recognize how important it is to their business that they have a strong online presence.
4 Focus Areas for Local Businesses:
1. Where do I show up on Google in the natural search area (below the maps)?
2. Is my website address easy to remember and logical to find for my business category?
3. Does my other media drive traffic to my website?
4. Do I make visitors a great offer when they visit my site?

If you own a business, write these points down and post it where you can see it. If you focus on improving these 4 points you will increase your business. If you would like to see a fully integrated marketing plan visit http://www.clearchannelcustomercapture.com/. This is a joint effort of Hoffman Advertising and Clear Channel Radio that applies the very latest strategies in internet and broadcast advertising.

Affordable 2009 Marketing Fundamentals

Marketing Plan Fundamentals for 2009

These are strange economic times - it is very clear to all. Some claim more pain through 2009. Some say the worst is behind us. I say no one has a clue - from the very "top" and at all points in between. They are all guessing based on either pessimistic viewpoints or optimistic outlooks. And their data can prove both cases.

So how can a business owner build a marketing plan for 2009? If your plan is to stay in business and maybe even try to grow...you have to be smart, innovate and attack with some optimism. History proves that the current plight we are in will be "history" at some point in the future - right? So the economy is going to improve and those that keep fighting and innovating will be there to enjoy it's rewards.

To gain in 2009 your marketing plan may need to go through some pain. That might mean trying something new or going in a completely different direction. The world is evolving quickly and your business needs to evolve with it. Below are a few affordable fundamental marketing elements you should analyze very closely for 2009. Get these fundamentals right and you can gain significant shares of business with very little added marketing expense.

Affordable 2009 Marketing Plan Fundamentals:

1. Website Ranking - how does your company rank when a consumer "Googles" your business category? For example "Brake Repair Denver". You want to be on page #1. Are you? No? Find out why. Make it a priority.
2. E-mail marketing - do you regularly market to your existing customers via e-mail? You should - they are your biggest fans. Get their e-mail adress. Do this every month. It's cheap and it works.
3. Integrate your media - does your online marketing work together with your radio or TV ads? Consumers will find you online after hearing/seeing you offline. Drive more online prospects with radio for greater returns.

These are a few of the relatively most affordable but potentially extremely valuable considerations you should be analyzing for 2009. Get these 3 right and you can bank on far more business opportunities than your competition.

Happy Holidays to you and yours and here's wishing that 2009 will be your best year yet!

Greg

Radio Rocks the Internet

Radio Ads Drive Internet Traffic

Over the past several years the radio industry has experienced hard times, as have many traditional forms of media. Radio has been hard hit by big agency accounts, like automotive and others, shifting money to other "new" media or just cutting their budgets. The local direct advertiser has also shifted money to other "new media" as Internet marketing companies develop aggressive sales staffs and begin to hit business owners with their "new and exciting" products.

I was in radio sales and management for 20 years before embarking on my own advertising company. Now that I'm on "the other side" as a buyer/planner/consultant, ironically I see more clearly than ever that radio is incredibly powerful. I know this only because we tie internet strategies into all our radio campaigns and we can therefore track or "see" our radio ads working. Radio spots work extremely well at quickly driving Internet activity. I have documented proof of the impact radio spots have in driving qualified consumers to a clients offering. So radio is still really rockin' and it's clearly rocking the Internet. But why hasn't radio jumped on this opportunity?

Back to Their Roots: Local Business

Radio is going to have to rebuild their client base one local advertiser at a time. But they can't go in there with the same old playbook..."We're #1!" or "We're having a one day sale and we're giving it away!". Cheap Cheap Cheap! All these send the wrong signal to a business owner. He or she doesn't care about these things. Business owners care about how they can get the maximum return for their limited marketing budget. They are always thinking, "What's the best advertising combination for getting new customers or repeat customers to spend more at my store?" "What can I do to make the next ad campaign work better?" It's a Radio Sales 101 opportunity, but the 2009 version needs to be much different than the 2005 version.

Radio Marketing Systems

Radio works and the Internet provides the proof that's been lacking since Tesla. We know radio can attract new advertisers and retain existing clients for long term contracts by changing the offering from "We have the number one station" to "We can offer you a complete marketing system with tracking to show you how many customers we are attracting for you"; an integrated radio/Internet marketing system. When you talk to an owner in terms of complete marketing systems, the conversation and interest level are much different. Now you are talking their talk and getting them excited.

This "Marketing System" approach to advertisers will give radio sellers a new and unique tool that is much more compelling than the old song and dance. Most importantly, it gives radio a new method to prove to each client, one by one, that radio is highly effective, highly efficient and foundational to a great local marketing strategy.

Tracking Tools

One of the biggest hurdles for radio is tangible evidence of effectiveness. Well, they have it now. Radio drives Internet, Internet tracks unique visitors. Simple proof that radio is attracting lots of potential buyers. Now the focus turns to converting these potential buyers into action, not your ratings or your rates or "we'll give you more spots!" Now the pressure is on the business owner, not the station, to make a really exciting offer to convert all these prospects into business...ironically, that may be the hardest sell of all.

The Home Page Opportunity

Question: Should prospects visiting your site = More business?

Question: Does your website make a specific compelling offer?

Answers: Yes and usually, no. Good offers are rarely found on company websites.

Analogy: A website without an exciting offer is like a store with no price tags.

Result: You get lots of visitors who are "Just looking, thanks..."

Recommendation:

One critical thing we've have learned is that landing pages and/or your website home page should have an enticing offer for visitors (hot prospects!)- a tangible compelling offer. If someone has come to your website, chances are good they are a prospect of some sort. People don't waste their time on a business website unless they need what you sell. So sell 'em!

Can You Help Me?

We know how to drive qualified prospects by the thousands to landing pages and websites. The next step is converting the visitor into action. This is best achieved by making an irrestible offer. Anyone who has worked retail before knows that dialogue, engaging the customer in some way, is a critical first step to moving the prospect from "looker" to "buyer". Give the prospect enough of a reason to make the first move to say "Excuse me, can you help me?" That's music to any business owners ears, right? Make the offer.

Connecting ALL Your Advertising

The Trinity of Marketing - A simple formula to build your marketing plan

Business owners are constantly badgered by a myriad of advertising vendors pushing their individual marketing solutions. While many marketing tools can play a potentially important part in an over all marketing plan, too often business owners "try this" and "try that" without a cohesive committed long term plan that is designed to work together.

The on-going marketing challenge for a business owner is:
1. Which combination of marketing options do I use?
2. How do I make all these independent marketing tools work together?
3. How do I know which one is working or not?

Our marketing premise is this:
1. You must be familiar (therefore you will be more trusted) and locally oriented for the consumer.
2. You must be available and easy to find when the consumer goes searching for your product.
If you are "familiar" to the consumer and you are "there" or available when they need you, chances are best for you to get that business.

We accomplish these goals for our clients by following our "Trinity of Marketing" formula:
1. A great website that sells and makes offers
2. A consistent search engine marketing program that targets low hanging fruit that sends consumers to an offer "landing page" that compels the consumer to call, connect, buy
3. Traditional media campaigns with radio, TV, newspaper, etc to drive traffic to your offer page.

That's our "Trinity of Marketing" formula. With our formula all your marketing is connected. Your messaging and website will brand your business, while hot prospects will find your offer(s). If this sounds like an interesting concept to you, give us a call and we can see if it makes sense for your business. 303-968-2891

Media Can Be Pricey

Traditional Media is Pricey

The economy is sagging we're told. Certain business categories are currently hard hit with the borrowing issues, American Auto Manufacturers are struggling again (while Toyota and Honda report strong earnings, again). Business is tough and a little scary for many people. Radio revenues continue to descend as well. Newspaper is in a huge tail spin. Retailers just ain't buying traditional media like they used to.

Why is that?
My opinion is that newspaper, radio and TV are priced too high for the quantifiable ROI. Business owners are shifting their dollars around to media that can demonstrate ROI. Of most interest to many retailers right now is how to effectively use the Internet. It's sexy right now - they can see if it's working and it's pretty darn cheap it seems.

There are local businesses that are light years ahead in how they spend their marketing dollars. They spend their money, not in huge annual chunks to one newspaper (huge WASTE!) but in smaller strategic ways to maximize exposure and awareness, and drive traffic to their websites where the real selling begins at a much lower cost per impression.

Websites Educate and Sell
Does your website educate and sell? People go to sites to find what they are looking for, then check out the business, find out what they offer, are they legit, etc. But mostly consumers are there to BUY. They are ready, they're looking and need what you sell. Give them an offer and don't make them have to find it. Make your compelling offer up front on the home page- then they will dig into your site to make sure this isn't too good to be true.

Traditional Media is Too Expensive because...
they can't demonstrate how they directly impact business. They talk "impressions", not leads. Impressions are safe, leads are dangerous! It is without question that traditional media such as radio is very powerful but until they begin to prove it, they will struggle for years to come. My days in radio were always scary with the new business owner who bought your station. I'd be sitting in the radio tent at the big weekend sale - calling the on-air DJ, pleading them to do more cut-ins or promo's for the remote. Those remotes were sometimes $5,000 or more. Rarely did we blow the doors off for that investment.

Place some of that $5,000 in search ads and you have an online campaign that will cover 30 days and hit most searchers in a 50 mile radius that are looking for what you sell. How does radio, TV Newspaper compete with that?! Actually it can and should.

Traditional media actually is the engine that drives it all and soon we'll explain why we LOVE radio and TV.