Opening Your Promotional Tool Kit

An Example Of Each Implement:

• Build awareness.  Million dollar cash grab.
• Force listening.  $1,000 song of the day.
• Create sampling.  Premiums:  t shirts, stickers, refer magnets.
• Packaging.  Thousand song weekend, lunchtime requests.
• Loyalty/regularity.  Points program.
• Coupon/Discounts.  Commercial free Monday, at work kickoff.

Before employing these tactics, always ask yourself what your competition will do to top it.

Be prepared for that response and decide if you will have to top IT as well as how and when you'll do so.

Bad Promos

No promotional announcement should ever be longer than thirty seconds.

Paint a picture.  Use theater of mind, metaphors and similes.

Start and end with your station brand name, but incorporate it authentically so that it doesn’t seem tacked on or “old school” radio in style.

Deliver a “promise” in the first sentence, pairing your brand name with it.  Make sure the target listener gets hooked by the “promise” before the brand is linked to it.

Use sound effects to enhance the mental picture.  Marketing is placing your product in the mind of the consumer so that they picture themselves using it.

Effective promos MUST sound superior to any commercial that will air before or after them.

There must be three to five versions of every promo to keep the working fresh and unpredictable.  Produce updates for each one that are time-dated (Sunday, tomorrow, today).

Use “reach” and “frequency” stats to calculate how many times to air one to be sure the majority of your target hears the message.  One they have, they’re going to mentally “tune out” if you overplay the message beyond that point.

The most effective promos are perishable.  Build fresh ones constantly and don’t recycle old ones unless you wait a VERY long time before doing so.

The Stages Of Every Radio Promotion

One of my early heroes was San Francisco’s Jim Gabbert.  I learned a lot listening to his radio and watching his TV station.  He is a master of self-promotion, having learned from Gordon McClendon and Don Keyes who taught many great radio lessons on how to stage and execute a big idea back when they owned KABL.

1. Start to sell in advance.  Tease.  Entice.  Don’t just tell me something is “coming soon.”  Take a lesson from movie and TV show trailers and get me interested by revealing what’s in it for me.
2. Launch.  Make a major event of the the day of unveiling.
3. Fertilize it.  Remind listeners often with new, intriguing updates.  Make sure that new listeners that were attracted by the buzz of the event also know all the things they need to fully participate.  Do this for the life of the promotion.
4. Add excitement.  Embellish continually during the life of the promotion by adding new prizes, bonus days, repeating earlier clues, new ways to win.
5. Keep tension high by keeping the promo announcements intense.
6. Memory.  After it’s over, summarize the event.  Thank listeners who participated and sponsors, make use of “winner audio,” but if you do that make sure that you have multiple versions including what it sounded like in replay of when they won, what it sounded like when they claimed their prize, later talking about how they used it, etc.

Skipping any of these steps hurts the potential of any promotion you do.

What Are You Planning This Weekend?

The first thing many listeners ask each other when they get to work on a Monday morning reflects how important discretionary time is to each of us.

When your talent begins a new week on the air, make sure they are equipped with a brief list of powerful station promotions, special local events, celebrations, holidays, concerts, theater, television, sports and community events.

All items on this roster should appeal to your target listener.  Check their social media pages to see what goings-on they’re planning to be at.

If they’re talking about them, you should be talking about them.

Did You Do A Summer Listening Contest?

With Inside Radio's report yesterday that Arbitron is running seasonal sweepstakes programs during the August and September ratings periods to help encourage panelists to wear their meters it's a good time for a reminder emulate the radio ratings giant.

ARB has long made use of radio's direct marketing experts as consultants to help them improve response and cooperation rates. 

What they learn can be a great primer for you as well (staying well within the rules of course!).

Arbitron's current program started this week and runs through September 8, following sweepstakes that took place from July 22-28 and August 5-18. 

“These programs are expected to have a positive impact on In-Tab rates,” the company says in a note to subscribers. 

It’s the time of year when a lot of normal life patters are shaken up,  and that includes people meter panelists, as Inside Radio's story notes.

If your station does online music testing, unlike ARB or BBM, you actually need to be doing two contests:  one, silently, to encourage participation in your own survey, thanking your listeners for doing it for you. 

And, of course, a second one on air (that's bigger, easier and more fun than your competition) designed to increase daily cume and daily occasions.

Rotating Your Imaging Messages

It's not important that you follow THIS strategy, but I do think it's crucial that you HAVE a strategy for controlling and keeping your branding fresh and relevant.

I like to have a minimum of two imaging pieces per quarter hour, one :15-20 seconds and one super brief, :02-:05.

i.e..

Music menu :15
Brander :05
Recycler :15
Brander :05
Community involvement :15
Brander :05
Attitude :15
Brander :05

.. plus two morning show promos rotating, playing one per hour. one of them dry, to be used up an intro talking about one reason content-driven to listen at a specific time tomorrow and a second to rotate with it that can be more fully produced which shows of the character differences/relationship of the personalities for fun.

That way if you rotate all of them equally across every quarter hour, it will take HOURS for the same one to repeat back into the same quarter hour.

Feel free to call 206 498 6261 if this raises any questions. If you have a better, more effective way to accomplish this, I'd love to hear about it.

Quick (But GREAT) Ideas

The best thing about a radio consultant's job is that we hear very creative, useful ideas multiple times every day. 

I often use that old quote when I talk to my clients:  "when you're stealing from me, you're stealing twice."

Just two I heard today:

1.  On Presslaff Interactive's monthly client idea webinar:  

Anytime you put a phone number on the Internet, format it like this..

If you put dashes between the area code, the prefix and the final four digits, listeners can click on it from your smart phone and dial it with a click!

2.  Townsquare Media's WYRK/Buffalo has given away tickets to local events for many years by inviting their fans to listen for the "ticket WOLF" to howl and call in to win.

Right now, the WYRK Ticket canine isn't howling, he's coughing.

He has the flu!

... made me laugh out loud when I heard it.

OK, what have YOU got?

Changes

The difference between last week and this one is huge.

Last week was Summer.

This week is Fall.

This change has nothing to do with the Autumnal Equinox. It is all about lifestyle (and also survey dates!).

Your listeners have been going through more adjustments over the last week than any other time of the year. Vacations are done. School starts. Some folks are carrying PPM meters through it all and others are getting ARB and BBM diaries to measure their use of radio through it all.

And a lot of ʻfirstsʼ for many of your listeners. Those crucial surveys to us are the least of their concerns right now.

For some it is the beginning of all day kindergarten for their kids. First day of grade one, first day of high school, first day of university. It is a stressful time. It also brings a sense of relief. It also creates lifelong memories.

Relating to your listeners experiences will help make you memorable.

Relatable, memorable radio makes your listeners happy. PPM likes it, too.

What you are doing now is being measured for the Fall Book.

(adapted from JRfm/The Peak PD Gord Eno's weekly 'jock memo.')

Ten Things To Do Now To Tune Up For Ratings

1. Get out and get involved in the community. Loyal listening audiences are built on a personal bond.
2. Come up with TEN things you could do to own your time slot.
3. Over-prepare so be sure that each break relates powerfully in unique and creative ways.
4. Rehearse everything you do for maximum impact.
5. Compress content. Rewrite in advance for brevity and word power.
6. Entertain. Provide an emotional experience between every song.
7. Listen to listeners and use their names and voices on the air, tightly-edited as often as possible.
8. Get one to one. Share your personal point of view and avoid crutches andclichés by being specific and evoking theatre of mind.
9. Provide instant gratification and be sure you present the music in line with our station image.
10. Constantly attack yourself. What would you do if you were your own competition.

Recap Everything

Most of us schedule a recap meeting after the station fronts a big NTR event or music festival.

• Did this work as planned?
• Complaints?
• Comments?
• What could we do to improve or put a spin on to make it better next year?
• What did we like?
• What didn't we like?

This is always a hassle to do, of course, as you write down notes, throw them into the file and pull 'em out the following year. Then, suddenly, you're grateful you took the time to do a recap.

It helps to really make signature events better and better, as those old notes tell you that next time you need more seating, more prizes, a different way to judge a contest.

Hassle or not, do recap meetings with everyone involved producing TV campaigns, major contests, imaging, all of the touch-points with listeners. Improving their experience of everything you do is what winning is all about.

Intelligent strategies, pulled off half-heartedly, get trumped by excellent execution every time.

Disney's "Low Ride Out" Policy

Some years ago WAJI/Ft. Wayne PD Barb Richards attended Disney Institute and came away raving about many principles she learned and put into practice as a programmer.

For example: "When they put in a new ride, they take out the one with lowest ridership."

If you are a popular station, you probably get lots of requests to be involved with events. It's hard to say no -- and the next thing you know you're over-committed. Rather than adding and adding to the calendar, look at the events that give you the most exposure or the really big image builders. Keep those, move some smaller events in and out. Say no to the rest. Don't be afraid to move on to new things when you sense an old one has run it's course.

We kick off our "95 Days Of Summer" with a water-park party.

There's just no other way to start the summer in Fort Wayne. Unfortunately in the years we have done this event, the weather has been crappy more times than not. We used to do a rain date, but discovered that it was really hard to keep up the enthusiasm. So we decided if the weather was bad, we would just cancel.

Still planning on doing it next year, but thinking about what we can do as an alternate. How can I make this event still work with our lousy, unpredictable Indiana weather?

Ask yourself when someone wants the station to become involved if this is the best decision for the station. How would you feel if you heard it on anther station? Would it bother you not to be there?

These questions can help you decide if you want to be involved.

Promotions are great, for so many reasons. But they have to work for the organization or sponsor, and work for the station.

Day #4 (as promised): Late February-March Ideas

• Frozen food month idea for grocery store, vendor and even appliance dealer who sells freezers. Stock freezers full of frozen food and give away keys that unlock the freezer. Winner gets all the food and the freezer.
• SPRING TRAINING: A counter-balance to the strong female appeal of the current music is a cool prize for guys: a trip to either Spring Training or to a Fantasy Baseball Camp. Especially effective in regions where the weather is cold and snowy. Be sure to capture the data base information on the men who enter or who will be the recipient of the prize if a woman enters for them. Aggressive stations will design special direct mail station promotional pieces that are male-focused.
• SPRING BREAK FOR ADULTS/FAMILIES: Consider a Spring Break giveaway for adults: a long weekend trip to places like the Florida Keys, Bermuda, the desert Southwest (of, if you have a sister Classic Rock station, destinations that listeners might have gone to when they were in school: Daytona Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, etc.). For families, consider locations like Disney World/Disneyland. Or give a choice: a tennis, golf, spa getaway, even skiing, etc. Works well with combination of on-air listening and at at-client registration.
• HELP FOR THE HOMELESS: Winter's bitter cold nights are especially problematic for homeless persons. Organize a drive to collect sleeping bags that can be distributed by community organizations.
• LEVI STRAUSS BIRTHDAY (February 26): Celebrate by offering special trade-in prices to everyone who brings in a pair of jeans to be donated to charity. Alternately offer special discounts to everyone who wears jeans into the store...or have a contest for the best-decorated jeans (best-filled jeans, etc.) with the winners getting free jeans.

(More February Ideas) Presidents Day (February 21)

Give away "President Portraits" - some "Lincolns" ($5 bill), Hamiltons, Grants, etc. Award for correct answers to trivia questions about the respective presidents who are on the bills you are giving away.

Alternately, give away "Lincolns and Washingtons" for every song someone can name from the previous hour.

Or ask a question every hour 10a-3p and award a "Presidential Collection" (one bill from each President) to the first person to fax in all the correct answers.

Or do a variation on the "Dollar Bill Game" giving away "Presidential Collections" for people who can match partial serial numbers on any dollar bill they may have ("I'm looking for a dollar bill with two 8's").

The WXXX bank isn't closed today. Listen for the first few bars of "Hail To The Chief" to call in and win pictures of Presidents on legal tender.

Frame up a collection of as many denominations as you'd like and have people guess who the portraits are of with a drawing from all the correct guesses to win the collection

Win a cherry pie plus what's inside. At the sound of the tree chopping, call in to win a pie from a local bakery plus what's inside…concert tickets, CDs, cash, T-shirts. Perhaps even a weekend in the Presidential Suite at a local first class hotel. Be sure to stage with plenty of effects like squishy sounds of reaching in the pie.

Presidential Fun And Games. Morning show games feature quotes/trivia with listeners matching the item to the correct President. "I Cannot Tell A Lie" where each member of the morning crew claims to be giving a true piece of Presidential trivia but only one is telling the truth. Give away videos of "American President."

PS: BONUS FUN FOR WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY (February 22)

Morning show bit. One partner announces that he, like George Washington, can't tell a lie. Listeners call in and ask DJ questions that he must truthfully answer. Screen for questions that are entertaining but not too embarrassing.

Last-Instant February Ideas (#2 of 4)

• Romantic Night On The Town. Give away dinner for two at the best restaurant in town, complete with limo, flowers, AND money for a baby sitter.
  
  
• Alternately, give away "Champagne Luncheons for Two" at a local "high-class" restaurant. Winners were wined and dined by all the jocks wearing tuxes. During middays have your morning show make rounds to at-work listeners during the week of Valentine's Day. Could include delivering flowers and candy to listeners who call or fax in requesting a visit.
  
  
• Cocooners Valentine's Day. Give away a romantic evening at home; includes a chef who comes to the winner's house and prepares a romantic meal, some great love-story videos for watching after dinner and some evening attire from a Victoria's Secret type store.
  
  
• Dedicated To The One You Love. The week before Valentine's Day (start now!), record listeners' dedications to play back on the 14th.. Schmaltzy is fine. If time permits, call listeners to tell them what hour their song will air.
  
  
• Have A Heart promotion. Print up red hearts on heavy stock paper with a blank spot in the center, your logo on the upper right and a charity on the upper left. Hearts have a string attached so they can be hung. Work with a multi-outlet sponsor such as a convenience store, chain of filling stations, or a group of merchants such as all area restaurants who agree to sell hearts in the amount of the station's frequency. Purchasers can inscribe a personal message in the blank area and have the heart displayed at the business through the end of the month. All proceeds go to charity.

A Month Of Ideas In Four Days (Part 1)

LINCOLN'S BIRTHDAY (February 12)

A good grocery promotion. Pass out certificates (numbered Lincoln logs?).

Award Lincoln-oriented prizes like (cheese) logs, "four score" (80) of something, Log Cabin syrup, etc.

Add in discounts to anyone wearing a beard, over 6 foot tall (Lincoln was a tall guy), etc. Have a drawing every "four score" minutes. Good appearance idea.

(tomorrow: last-minute ideas for Valentine's Day)

Your Station's Promo Inventory Is Finite

Think of every promo as a favor you are asking of your audience (attending an event, listening to morning drive, participating in a contest, friending you on Facebook, reTweeting your content, even thinking about the station in a new light).

The more you ask of your listeners, the less impact each request will have.

Network television provides an example of effective promo usage. Each of the major networks airs 30 to 50 different programs each week, yet they heavily promote fewer than a dozen.

Similarly, it is important to create priority and focus with your station promos.

Every week, there will be dozens of "priorities" that all seem to deserve promo mentions.

Unfortunately, the more "priorities" you promote, the more clutter you create and the fewer things your audience will actually remember and respond to.

Narrow the station's focus down to only the most important promo topics and devote your entire inventory to these.

Take The "Listeners' Choice Challenge"

Yes, it's an old idea, but it’s perfect for summer appearances. Last year an A&O client did this simple take off on the venerable "Pepsi Challenge" and built revenues AND ratings to the point that the Summer ARB rose to the highest point since the station had given away ten new cars during a book and advertised it heavily on television.

Even nicer, “The Challenge” doesn’t cost money, it can make money. The first client to pitch it to: Pepsi, who might agree that it would be fun to find out what your listeners "care about," but even if they are already committed for the summer, don't let that stop you.

1. Construct a good looking, transportable booth. Or, even better, trade out a van or RV. Feature the call letters and station position that sets it apart from the competition cleanly and clearly.

2. Locate the "hot country zip code areas", where your station has a good signal but for lack of awareness and/or habit listeners tend to prefer your competitor.

3. Target advertisers in those areas. Find at least 100 who have highly visible locations and large parking lots. Sell these business a "mini remote".

4. For 30 days blitz these areas with appearances by your air personalities in the RV, van or booth. Have at least one 'XX minute' (your frequency in minutes) appearance in each daytime daypart each day.

5. Invite your listeners to bring a friend to "meet the XXXX personalities" and listen to the station to "compare."


Have two sets of headphones set up, one with your call letters above them and another with a CD or MP3 of "them" (your competition or other types of music) that contains their telescoped weaknesses - talk, irritating songs, commercials, etc.

6. Give everyone who attends the appearance something tangible for coming out: a sticker, Post-it’s, file cabinet/refrigerator magnet, a card asking for their suggestions to make the station better, a hat, t-shirt, bandana, etc. Build the cost of these items into the merchant's promotional cost of the mini-remote.

7. Have station personalities recording testimonials of the new converts, talking about what they like about your station. Tell them to be listening for their voice on the air "tomorrow." Produce a series of "listener's choice challenge" promos with REAL PEOPLE saying your unique selling propositions in their own words. Keep these positive. Do not air "slams" of the competition. Focus all listener comments on the inherent weaknesses that lie within your competitor's strengths by talking in a bright, positive way about YOUR best qualities.

Motivate your air staff/street team of summer interns to present themselves well and touch each person who responds to the challenge with warmth, friendliness and a good attitude. Win some friends, make a buck and have some fun while you’re “out” this summer!

Real What?

Is the banner atop the full page ad in both today's Country Aircheck and Billboard's new Country Update for Luke Bryan's "Do I" implying that some of the so-called "research" being touted by the very competitive Music City promotion people is not "real?"

Who would have thunk it? (smile)

Google Is Bad For Brands

Get this book:

"People go online looking for something, find the answer, and often don’t know where they found it. Google found it. They’re savvier today and know that Google doesn’t own all the content it links to. But that doesn’t matter, so long as they find what they want—and Google is damned good at that. That’s great for users but bad for brands. Here you work your buns off creating a brand online; you build technology and staff to maintain your site; you spend a fortune on marketing and search-engine optimization to get people to find it; you tell advertisers how many users come to your page and like your brand. But in the end, huge numbers of users don’t recall coming to your site and don’t credit your brand."

Lured By Sammy Simpson's Great Ideas

Like these: People are brought together through a variety of shared interests through social-networking sites like LinkedIn, Twitter, Bebo, Facebook, and Myspace. Such sites promote the person and the relationships they have with friends who are connected with them.

Some people have hundreds, even thousands of connections linked to them. However, experts believe that about 150 “friends” is as far as our capacities can take us. Gen Y research has shown that 1 in 5 even say they have "best friends" through these sites which they have never met!

Solicit listeners with 150 friends or more to participate in a Social NetWORTH contest/promotion.

Have them make you a friend for their page, so you can view all of their connections. Randomly choose someone from their list and put the two "friends" together on the phone.

Now, have them participate in a "How well do you know me?" quiz. For each answer the friend can answer, they win cash or a prize.

Visit www.lured.com for some questions to use to determine their true Social NetWORTH (Share this idea with a friend and encourage them to join lured.com. I just did, with YOU!)