Advertising Effectiveness
“Business goes where business is invited”. That’s an old advertising saying that’s as true today as it ever was. Most businesses that are not successful haven’t put enough emphasis on advertising. Top-of-mind awareness is crucial for any business especially because consumers have more choices than ever before, and that includes buying online. So, you need to shout louder than ever before. Paul Revere shouted at the top of his lungs that the British were coming. The only way for Paul Revere to make citizens aware that they were in peril was to advertise it. The same holds true for your business. Are you “shouting” loud enough? Are you telling the public why you’re different and better than your competition? Are you inviting them to find out more? Radio reaches more Americans on a weekly basis than any other medium, period. And no one in the Mother Lode has more listeners than the three stations of Clarke Broadcasting. For more great marketing insights, call us at 209-533-1450 and ask for our Sales Manager.
Can your business overcome a bad review?
Word of mouth, when it’s positive, is powerful. A personal experience with a business that is so good that a customer gives a referral is a tremendous building block. But what if they find fault with something? Can your business overcome a bad review? It could take weeks or months, or years. And even if a positive experience is highlighted, it may be something you don’t place a lot of emphasis on.
Word of mouth advertising is certainly beneficial in that it’s cheap. But as we have heard, you get what you pay for. Word of mouth is painfully slow, and most businesses we know don’t have the luxury of time. In addition, word of mouth doesn’t allow you to control the message. Radio advertising does what word of mouth doesn’t. It reaches your customers quickly with the right message and it does so in a cost-effective manner.
Social media is great. At Clarke Broadcasting of Sonora we use it all the time. Social media has allowed many businesses to expand their marketing at a reasonable price. But social media can only take you so far, reaching people one at a time. And, you can’t control when they absorb your message. By combining radio with social media, you get a great one-two punch. Just be certain that your messaging is consistent no matter what the message is. – that your website is updated regularly, and that whatever aspect of your business you’re promoting, there’s no confusion on the part of the consumer. At Clarke Broadcasting, we’re experts in utilizing social media and combining it with the power of radio. We can also make sure that your media assets have a consistent message for ultimate effectiveness. Remember, your website is what you say you are. Social media is what your customers say you are. Both need attention in order to function as effective advertising.
Audience
Do you know who your target audience is? You’re probably thinking “that’s easy. My target is everyone.” It would be great if every person in the Mother Lode was a candidate for the goods and services you provide, but unfortunately that’s rarely ever the case. A lot of fast food restaurants can target everyone because A) everyone eats and B) they usually are a well-known brand that has become well-known through years of advertising with big advertising budgets. If you don’t have a huge budget, you need to focus on the type of person who is likely to visit your business. Then, reach out to that person in every way possible and keep doing so until you begin to see people with the same characteristics visiting your business more frequently. Only at that point should you start to think about marketing to a broader demographic.
Strategy
Did you know that there are generally four kinds of advertisers?
Those four types of advertisers are Defensive advertisers, offensive advertisers, flankers and guerrilla advertisers. According to “Marketing Warfare” by Ries and Trout, the most widely-read book on marketing ever written, your business falls into one of these categories. Do you know which one? Your business’ position in the marketplace determines which of these strategies you should employ. For example, the clear market leader in a category needs to play defense against losing market share. The guerilla, on the other hand, knows he cannot compete unless he employs a strategy that the market leader cannot. If you’re unsure about the tactics your business should employ, you can count on Clarke Broadcasting to give you solutions without high pressure tactics. We realize that we aren’t successful unless you are. For more great marketing insights, call us at 209-533-1450 and ask for our Sales Manager. Get more expert advertising advice here.
