Clarity of Vision

I overbooked myself this last week. It was quite the challenge and quite the learning experience as well. Last night, as I wrapped up my weekly review and analyzed my plans for the coming week a clear image emerged of where I'd like to focus my energies.

It was obvious that my efforts are much too scattered to produce measurable and tangible results. In other words, I've been lacking focus and haven't been taking advantage of opportunities to multi-task. Which is an odd turn of events considering I wrote and spoke about these valuable time management skills just a couple of years ago. Though not completely surprising considering I am a bit organizationally challenged at times and often neglect to take my own advice.

It's a good thing I'm a member of MomMasterminds or I believe I'd flounder around stuck in that rut for a great deal longer than I have. The mentoring, support and resources there have all worked to provide inspiration and guidance as I muddle along trying to refine my plans and develop S.M.A.R.T goals.

I'm constantly rediscovering and re-tooling my vision and focus for my varied interests. I'm learning that's not altogether a bad thing, though it does slow down my progress at times.

So what does this mean in the greater scheme of things?

Essentially that I'll be able to start streamlining the services available through Easy Results with Radio, meaning that you'll be able to find a wider range of audio marketing resources at more regular intervals than I've been offering thus far. It means that things will be much more coherent and easier to apply over the coming months.

I'm excited and can't wait to get started with the new plan in hand. Considering it's a plan that integrates traditional radio and podcast advertising with a view to meeting the needs of small business, I'm sure it's going to be valuable to many. So, to steal a line from Disney..."Hi Ho, Hi Ho, Off to work I go"

An Unexpected Honor and the Podcast Translation...

I was honoured to have my ebook (which really amounts to a short report) Radio Rocks! No Matter What the Format chosen as a Friday Freebie on Alice Seba's Internet Marketing Sweetie blog.

The thing is that I wrote it before I got really involved with podcast advertising which is the internet equivalent of radio. Of course, those who know me know I represent many podcasts on Moms Talk Radio as the Advertising Manager and that I write and produce podcast commercials as part of my services - for those who don't - here's a quick run down on some of the comparisons between radio advertising and podcast advertising.

Most of the advantages remain consistent.

The return on investment is comparable. However, you'll find that for a tightly niched product over a wide geographic area that podcasts will net a better return per listener than traditional radio. Since podcasts are aired once a day at most, you may find it takes a bit longer for a campaign to provide the return since it takes time to build up repetitiveness that traditional radio can offer.

When it comes to complementing and enhancing other marketing methods, podcasts measure up ahead of radio in some respects for internet marketers. Now I can't speak for all podcasts, but those on Moms Talk Radio all include a complimentary button link for their advertising partners, which means you get at least two chances to attract your target market with every spot you buy on a podcast. Of course, many radio stations including the one I work for offer online campaigns including on-air ones, which is a great choice for a local business, but that's a topic for another post.

Trust and loyalty are enhanced with podcast advertising. Hosts develop an even closer connection with their listeners than most traditional on-air personalities can boast. With most radio personalities, you will find people in the audience who love a particular host and others listening who don't care for them at all --with podcasts, the listeners are all actively choosing to listen to the host!

As with radio, podcast advertising is word of mouth that you control. The major difference is in the writing and production of podcasts are not often provided within the advertising cost as it is with radio advertising. Fortunately, writing and production for online audio is much less expensive than it is for agency produced commercials in the offline world.

As with radio, you will find professionals willing to customize campaigns that fit your business and goals. Both forms allow for a great degree of flexibility and control in your marketing.

As a huge fan of audio, I hope that you'll consider the airwaves soon...whether digitally or traditionally.

Fresh from another interview

The week before last I was on WAHM Talk Radio talking about podcast advertising on Moms Talk Radio and the great network of shows there. Today I spoke with Michelle Waters from Product Seller's Talk Radio about radio advertising for Product Sellers. It was a great, but short interview. You all know me - I could talk about radio advertising for hours and hours.

In any case, after the official part of the interview was over, we got to talking about what one needs to think about when calling a radio station.

Obviously, the first thing consideration must be your target market. If you're selling a product to work at home mothers (or those who want to be) - you should begin your search with Christian or Country Radio Stations.

This is not to say that you won't find work at home moms listening to Rock or Hip Hop and any every other type of music (I happen to be primarily into hard rock and punk myself) - the fact is the concentration of women who are most likely to be open to working at home will be higher on Christian and Country Music Stations.

Another option would be the local talk radio show that plays the Dr. Laura Show. Since Dr. Laura is a huge advocate of working at home, it stands to reason that there will be a proportion of her audience that works at home or wants to.

The point is that if you want to get the most out of your radio advertising, the better you can identify what station or show attracts the highest concentration of your target market - the more effective your campaign is going to be. If you can further identify when they are most likely to be listening, then you can schedule your campaign so that your dollars stretch further than buying a run-of-schedule campaign.

We also talked about getting to know your advertising representative an making sure he or she is a right fit for your business. I'll blog about that another day.

Stay tuned!

On the right track...

I've been feeling a little off lately. Sales at the station have flattened, mostly because I've been trying to deal with personal issues. I find I never sell well when I'm feeling desperate on the inside. No matter how much I get out and play the "fake it till you make it" game. So I've been feeling somewhat like one of those little smiley guys on the forums - beating my head up against the wall.

It will turn, it always does.

Meanwhile, something I read at Marketing Roadmaps, perked me up considerably. The first part is about the blog I cited last week, but the part that jumped out at me was:

"The best social media marketing people won't be PR people. Or marketing people. They will have a skill set that blends both disciplines. Whether you are at an agency or in a company, start developing this -- in yourself, in your teams.

Stop worrying about whether PR or marketing is going to win. The answer is neither. And both."

This captures the essence of the message that I have been trying to communicate. It is what I have envisioned for Easy Results with Radio, when I began to tighten my focus to the three areas of radio advertising, podcast advertising and publicity as I explained in my interview with Kelly McCausey on WAHM Talk Radio this week.

Though I didn't describe it as such, I really do see this project of mine as a synergy between public relations and marketing.

It is so nice to see it confirmed by someone else. I needed that.

The first commercial

Yippee! It's done and approved...the first commercial I've written and produced for my job at Moms Talk Radio...

I wrote it for Solutions for Busy Moms to promote the free Busy Moms Stress Relief Kit, which I have to admit is an awesome find for any busy mom. It's so much easier to write and develop a commercial for someone when you've tried the product and liked it.

Here it is for those who want to listen in...

Rejection brings clarity to my mission statement

I was in a negotiation today, hoping to secure a client as a test for a podcast experiment. However, it just wasn’t quite the right fit. The potential clients’ interests were more in guerilla marketing techniques rather than paid opportunities. I personally believe that guerilla tactics should be mixed with sound and deliberate paid advertising.

I got the feeling I lost the sale because I wasn't clear in clarifying my intentions with this potential client. I have a feeling he thought I was just after the sale. I was after the sale, but not for alltogether selfish reasons. Yes, I'd make a commission - but I'd make nothing if the experiment failed. I think that's as much of a guarantee as anyone should be expected to make.

Anyway, it really got me to thinking about what I want to accomplish through this business.

I want to make sales, for sure. But I'm not going to knowingly steer anyone in the wrong direction. I don't believe in a one-size-fits-all brand of marketing. No one method is superior in all ways for all markets.

It's a natural assumption that as someone who sells advertising, I’m not of the mindset that paid advertising is something to avoid. On the other hand, I do generally advise caution and study before jumping into something new.

Advertising is something you need to learn how to harness. Advertising exists because good advertising works, and when backed by a great product – it’s a winning combination for a successful business.

My main focus is not on what works in general, but on what will work for your particular situation. In most situations, both paid advertising and guerilla tactics should be combined for the best return on investment.

Publicity, for example, is an outstanding guerilla tactic. However, I don’t believe it should be attempted as the sole marketing technique employed.

Whether you mix your publicity up with direct mail or email marketing or any other paid form of advertising – you should always have a mix of complimentary marketing methods in play at any given time.

In order for there to be a return of investment there has to be an investment. Whether it’s in the form of pay-per-click or affiliate commissions or any of the multitudes of advertising choices available, there is usually some form of advertising investment that is inherent to the running of a successful business.

Quality outsourcing is another key to a successful business. I think that is an essential to outsource and automate appropriate tasks so that you can concentrate on providing top quality goods and customer service. In the end, that is what creates returning customers.

I believe that bringing new customers in should only be the beginning of your marketing efforts. Treat prospective customers well, but treat your paying customers like gold. Because they are!

Across the board you will find this to be true – satisfied customers hold the biggest impact on our bottom lines.

Satisfied customers are the absolutely best guerilla tactic in the world. Most marketers would agree that testimonials make the best advertising copy!

Marketing is a circular process that can be largely automated so that you can largely set it and forget it. Not only that, if you can commit to planning for a year at a time, you can save up to 40% in some of your marketing costs.

Stay tuned to this blog for more on:

Money Saving Marketing Techniques

Using Audio Advertising to boost your market share

Creativity and the Captive Audience

Increasing your publicity returns with advertising

Outsourcing and the Bottom Line