by Rosemary Scott
Every station on the air has someone listening to it right now, who needs the products and services of advertisers in the market. But only a few stations are going to land at the top of a ranker. What about all the other ones? Aren?t they of value, too? If you?re not in the enviable Top 5 or even Top 10 position, here are some ideas to help you sell without having ratings.
#1 ? Find out everything you can about the prospective client?s business. Don?t do anything until you?ve read the RAB Instant Background about their industry. If you don?t subscribe to the RAB, then Google industry-specific business trends, go to the prospective client?s website and read everything you can, go to Hoovers, go to the library if you have to, and find relevant research articles about the business trends in the client?s category. This will enable you to speak their language, understand their challenges and become an actual resource for them. It will also convey that you genuinely want to help them, and not just sell spots.
#2 ? Brainstorm with everything you?ve got. Bring in your team (if you have one) because an idea session thrives on a lot of different and divergent viewpoints. Write down every station benefit you can think of, and use the best ones to develop your deck or media kit.
#3 ? Choose your audience estimates. In Arbitron it?s cume because the sheer number of people you reach in a week is the most meaningful statistic to a local client (and the agencies have your ratings anyway). If you don?t subscribe to Arbitron, get your station's coverage map from http://radio-locator.com so you can show where your signal reaches. You?ve got to have something at the end of your fishing pole and audience estimates are a great hook.
#4 ? Develop an audience profile by the type of programming your station offers. If you don?t have Scarborough, use Gold Digger reports in the RAB. If you do not subscribe to the RAB, use Arbitron?s free radio format specific studies found at: http://www.arbitron.com/home/formatspecific.htm. Every type of programming in the country attracts a particular niche, e.g., Sports radio is typically male-skewed, CHR stations are generally younger, Oldies attracts Baby Boomers, and so on. The type of programming on your air determines the lifestyles of the people listening, and once you understand the dynamics of the audience that your format attracts, this will become a major sales tool.
#5 ?Stick to the basics and talk about the importance of Radio advertising. A large portion of your dialogue should be spent on value of the radio as a whole, and the results it can deliver. Radio is one of the most powerful media vehicles in the world. The RAB has an outstanding Marketing Guide which can be found at: http://www.rab.com/public/marketingGuide/rabRmg.html. The RAB also provides Radio Facts, Radio Studies, RAEL info, Radio in the News, and Radio Case Studies at: http://www.rab.com/public/adchannel/radioroleMediaLandscape.cfm and all of these studies are not only free, they are immensely valuable .
#6 ? Indexing is your new best friend. Smaller stations often have bigger stories on a qualitative basis. Do the research and you may be surprised. Let clients know that they should never underestimate the power of a seemingly small station because those are quite often the ones that deliver the biggest results.
#7 ? Develop a strong testimonial library. Cultivate success stories and document what has worked for clients, and then share that with prospective clients. Nothing breeds success like success and what someone else says about you is 100 times more powerful than what you say about yourself. A testimonial deck can be the most formidable tool in your arsenal.
#8 ?Answer Objectives: After your initial meeting with the client, develop a killer presentation based on three client marketing objectives, and show how your station can fulfill each of these goals.
#9 ? Wrap it Up in a pretty bow: How you say something is as important as what you say, so make your presentation visually appealing. The greater part of beauty lies in restraint so resist the temptation to use too many logos (or ginormous ones) ? stick with stunning graphics, meaningful charts, and great copy.
#10 ? Remember that Advertising is Magic. Advertising is an emotional decision and Radio is by far the most emotional of all media (see RAEL ?Engaging Emotions Through Effective Radio Ads?). You?re selling The Dream. To make others believe in you, you?ve got to believe in yourself. To make others believe in The Dream, you?ve got to dream it yourself.
Rosemary Scott is a Certified Radio Marketing Expert and also a Certified Marketing Consultant. She may be reached at rscott@bmpradio.com.
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