Some say it was to win a bet; others say it was to prove a point. Whatever the impetus, Ernest Hemingway once wrote a 6-word short story:
“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”
Pretty powerful, that.
Your Challenge, Should Decide To Accept It
Define the job of a radio personality in exactly six words.
My contribution:
“Share your life; strangers become friends.”
And your contribution is….?
Have you ever sent an email to someone at a radio station — only to receive an automated reply informing you the person no longer works there?
If so, the message probably was similar to this one that I received:
Bob Smith is no longer employed at XYZ Broadcasting Co. If you need to contact someone please call our main office during normal business hours at (333) 333-3333.
Contrast that with an email that I received exactly one month earlier. This was sent proactively — before the people in his address book would have a chance to send an email that would only bounce back to them.
Good Afternoon!
I wanted to send you a quick email to let you know that I will be leaving XYZ Broadcasting — KXXX / KYYY as of today. I’ve accepted a position with Radio X as Market Manager in (City, State).
I’m excited about the new challenges, but somewhat saddened with the fact that I leave an incredible staff behind. KXXX and KYYY Radio have always strived to deliver the very best marketing and service to our clients.
Let me assure you that this will not change. Our staff stands ready to serve you for years to come delivering the same quality service you have come to expect from XYZ Broadcasting.
If you should need anything, please don’t hesitate to give me a call on my cell at (333) 444-4444 or email at jameson@idooie.com. My new business contact information is listed below as well.
To streamline the transition process, I’m also including two key contacts for your address book. Please forward any email, faxes or calls to their attention. Barbara Bell — Sales Manager — (333) 333-3334; bbell@XYZBroadcasting.com; Carol Collins — Business Manager — (333) 333-3335; ccollins@XYZBroadcasting.com.
Thank you again for your continued business and I look forward to working with you down the road.
Respectfully,
James Jameson
VP of Radio Operations
XYZ Broadcasting
Compare those two messages, as well as the thought processes behind them.
The first one says, “The person you’re trying to reach doesn’t work here any more. If you’re an advertiser or otherwise do business with our station, call us at our convenience and we’ll try to find someone who is willing to talk to you.”
The second one says, “This person is leaving for a new job in another city. If you want to reach him personally, here’s how to contact him. If you wanted to talk to him about business related to our radio station, we want to make it easy for you to reach the right person.”
This is so obvious, right?
The second version is the one that makes good business sense.
So why is the first version is so much more familiar to you?
Effective radio advertising isn’t general; it’s specific.
It doesn’t target a mass audience (even though radio is a mass medium). It targets the people who are most likely to act on the sales message.
And when used properly, radio paints pictures that are both more accurate and more precise than can be shown in a television commercial.
Why?
Because unlike a TV ad, effective radio advertising requires the listener’s participation.
A TV commercial typically presents a complete story. A beginning, middle and end…with no room for the viewer to become involved.
The viewer might be entertained.
The viewer might be educated or influenced.
But rarely is the viewer involved with the sales message.
But radio?
Picture the cutest child in the world.
I mean it. Take a moment and picture, in your mind’s eye, the absolutely cutest child in the world.
Got that picture?
It’s perfect.
It’s 100% accurate; it’s precise.
And it’s relevant to your life experience.
But what if a TV commercial features a child on-screen, along with the words, “The World’s Cutest Child”?
If you see that spot, you’ll say, “No. That’s not the world’s cutest child. That kid may be cute, but not as cute as the kid I’m thinking of.”
Structure your commercials so the targeted listener fills in some of the blanks.
Because when the listener adds the final details, they’re 100% accurate.
And relevant.
And precise.
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Here is the recording of the live Q&A teleseminar Harlan Hogan and I conducted earlier this week.
We answered questions about finding work, positioning your business, equipping your studio, the future of ISDN, preferred recording software — whatever was thrown at us.
Class registration closes at 7:59PM (Eastern) on Friday, October 4. If you’re tired of “wishing” or “thinking about it,” join us.
During Howard Hoffman’s 17 years or so as Radio Production Director of KABC in Los Angeles, he got tired of salespeople continually barging into the production room.
So he attached a wooden receptacle to the outside of the production room door, with a sign that said something like:
“Please do NOT enter to give me your paperwork. Please put your production orders and requests in this box. Thank you.”
I was at the radio station one day, collaborating with Hoffman on a project.
In the middle of our recording, a station account exec cracked the door wide enough to stick his head in and say, “Howard, I just wanted you to know that I left a production order in your box on the door.”
