Why are advertisers delighted with “responses” or likes on the internet while they demand that their cash registers ring when they invest in broadcast campaigns.
In part, it is because over-zealous salespeople create unrealistic expectations and in part because of simple math.
The simple math is: Low investment = low expectation, high investment = high expectation.
Along with low investment comes a willingness to take more risks with the message; risks that can result in more effective messages than so-called “call-to-action” commercials.
Last week I met a local hardware store owner who was amazed when her Facebook likes jumped from 6,000 to 18,000 with one simple post. Social media gurus would promote this response as “going viral” and claim a 300% increase.
During the early August heat wave she simply posted a “Dogs Welcome” sign on the front door of her store, took a picture of it, and posted it on her Facebook page, inviting shoppers to not leave man’s best friend in their cars while shopping.
Think about this “amazing” response. The appeal was emotional. It cost the advertiser nothing. It had no call-to-action and didn’t try to sell anything. And it went viral because it won the hearts of dog-lovers!
More importantly, it cost the Facebook friends nothing to share it and respond. It’s easy to get a response when you’re not asking consumers to open their wallets “today”.
Broadcasters are just as guilty of embracing so-called “earned media” versus paid media as my hardware store friend. We hail it as a success when we capture a few followers on free social media, but question our investment when no one has ever said “Boy I like that billboard you bought.”
The internet has changed the way consumers buy and the way sellers sell. In the pre-internet world, many marketers practiced the ABC’s of selling: Always Be Closing….. “Come in today, these savings won’t last.” Marketers have learned that the ABC’s of selling today are Always Be Connecting….and the “Dogs Welcome” message certainly connected emotionally with pet owners.
I doubt the message would have gone viral had that store owner posted a one-day special on paint on her Facebook page.
Imagine the impact of the “Dogs Welcome” story had it been told to 100,000 or more TV viewers or radio listeners.
In our eagerness to make the sale, many local broadcast salespeople have created unrealistic expectations, promising immediate results with “call-to-action” ads rather than positioning the power of emotions and branding to Always Be Connecting.
And it’s those unrealistic expectations which cause advertiser dissatisfaction and high account attrition rates.
Advertisers who are happy winning hearts online can be even happier with their paid campaigns if we persuade them that we can win hearts and win wallets by combining powerful branding messages with a call to action.
There is no better way to Always Be Connecting than with heartfelt stories delivered by a human voice. Add to that, the inspiring emotional impact of music and the other tools available to broadcasters, and broadcasting can quickly become the fuel that drives an advertiser’s total media mix.
There are still a few dates available in 2013 and 2014 to schedule our “Winning in the New Media Economy” seminars to persuade your prospects to abandon print in favor of a strategic broadcast and internet media mix. Contact [email protected]
If you want to increase your local-direct revenues in 2014, email
[email protected], or make an appointment to see him in the Consultant’s Corner at the RAB Radio Show in Orlando in September.