What you do next.....

This is an interesting thought. It's about consistency and delivering the goods every time you make contact with the audience. It also makes me think that what you were going to do NEXT five minutes ago is what you are doing NOW.

Posted by Thomas Giger

Surprise: what your radio station is airing now, is almost irrelevant in the context of audience perception and listener behavior. It’s about what people expect to happen next.

Success is determined by many factors. One of the most important is obviously a solid programming structure. Formats are the foundation to build your radio station on. They also show your audience what to expect from you. Keep your promise every time that people tune in, and they’ll grow into more loyal fans with every listening experience.

Who should voice......

A guy named Adam McGale (producer) wrote this. Keep this advice in mind when clients want to voice thier own stuff.....

Owners voicing their own ads can either be really good, or really bad. There isn’t really an in between. I’m not against it. I just think that it’s usually misused. It can be a really powerful tool in the right situations. But, usually, there’s only one kind of client who uses them.

The big ego client wants to voice his own commercials because he wants people to recognize him. He wants people to stop him and say “hey, you’re the guy on them ads right?”

That’s actually ok. As long as the client knows that he’s spending his money to receive that result. The ads may not drive sales, but people will recognize him. The commercial has achieved its goal. The client needs to know that going in.

I saw a very bad example of this the other day driving home. It was for a car dealership (surprise!) It saw a giant, expensive billboard. 50% of the space was the owners face, and the text said “John Smith is proud to invite you to buy a car.” It didn’t even mention the dealerships name. You had to find a small logo in the corner.

That commercial was an ego trip. “John Smith” wanted to see his face and name in lights. He wanted his friends and family to see how successful he is. It didn’t help the commercial to have him there. In fact, it was a detriment.

So, when should a business owner voice their own commercials?

It depends. Every person is different. My first move is to qualify the client. Can they handle an entire script? Should they read just one line? Will having them voice the commercial make it more effective?

If you’re going to read your own commercials, you need to have a level of charisma. You aren’t helping your business if you sound like a dead fish. That’s when someone needs to be brave enough to shut the idea down and look elsewhere. The owner absolutely needs to sound genuine, interesting, or fun for the message to be redeeming. More importantly, they need to sound real.

Being real is everything these days. People can smell out fake messages. Legal speak or jargon is a dead giveaway and the delivery of a script is very important. Whether it’s a paid voice over talent or the greenest owner, the person reading the script needs to sound like a normal human being. That can be tough at the beginning for anybody. It’s nerve racking reading a radio commercial for the first time. You have to speak into a microphone. There’s a guy watching you from the other room. You can hear your own voice in your headphones. You have your own pre-conceived notions of how a radio commercials should sound. It isn’t a normal situation. So, sounding normal is difficult. Plus, most people will “read” a script; instead of “speak” the script. Listeners can pick this out instantly. It’s hard to listen to, so they usually don’t. This is where you need a really good producer to direct them.

So, what kind of company will benefit from having the business owner voice their own commercials?

Any business really; I’d urge any charismatic owner who really knows their business to tackle a script (in full or in part.) But, there are businesses that get more bang for their buck. This tends to be in industries where “trust” is an issue. Businesses like, dental clinics, mortgage brokers, funeral services etc… These businesses need strong personal skills. They require their clients to trust the business before they’ll spend their money. That’s when it may be best to voice with the owner of the business. Extend the helping hand through the radio to establish a personal relationship before they ever meet their clients.

Never choose to do anything in your advertisements unless you have a good reason for it. That goes for everything! That’s why you need to know what the benefit of voicing your own ads is. There needs to be strategy behind it. If you’re intriguing and capable, your ads will be great. If you’re the opposite… well, you know the rest.

Tease.

This is a good read. Check it out here.

Facebook "likes"

From Mark Ramsey media, commenting on the amount of Facebook "likes" different formats attract. It's one of the best explanations of why "like's" are important.

But what is perhaps most interesting of all is the standout performance of Christian and Religious stations. They certainly are attracting a disproportionate number of “likes” to their Facebook pages.

So there are two questions I’d like you to consider:

First, does any of this matter?

If you believe that a “like” vote relates to the kind of consumer passion which can sustain a radio brand no matter what kind of competitor comes along, then I say the answer is “yes.” The issue isn’t whether or not a “like” is “monetized.” The issue is whether or not it exists at all. Every radio brand should strive for the kind of emotional affiliation reflected in the simple act of clicking “like.” I’m not naively assuming that Facebook “likes” are the same as real-life fans, but I’d bet money on a positive correlation.

Second, if Christian and Religious stations can convert a greater fraction of their consumers to “likes” without the vast cumes of Country or Contemporary Hits, then why can’t you?

Could it be that the benefits of Christian and Religious stations are bigger than the music or teaching propositions alone? Could it be that granting a “like” to a Christian station means more than simply voting a thumbs-up on the music?

Every radio brand lives in three dimensions, or at least it should. And, to paraphrase Gary Vaynerchuk, the more “human” and “great” the brand is, the more it is likely to attract “likes” like bees to honey.

Finally, it’s good to remember that the game isn’t just about the “likes” but what your fans are supposed to be saying to each other about your brand via social media – what the “likes” are for.

Playoffs!????

I'm an Islander fan, so I get this.