Do’s and Don’ts of Writing a Jingle

writing a jingle

Jingle all the way? Easier said than done! Writing a jingle takes creativity, planning, and research. 

Everyone knows famous jingles throughout marketing history. From Meow Mix commercials to those three famous NBC notes, good jingles have proven effective. 

When the general population recognizes those famous jingles, they likely don’t consider the process of writing them.

As an artist, you realize that how to write a catchy jingle is just as important as what’s in it. Keep reading to find some tips for writing jingles.

Start With a Script

Before anything else, advertising professionals should make sure they know what the client wants. How to write a catchy jingle is no different. 

Starting with a rough draft script and run it by the client before taking the process much further. Content should come first, then create the jingle. 

If a client isn’t happy with the message, it’s much easier to change it before it’s set to music.

Do Research The Market

A catchy and memorable jingle needs to be relevant. Before composers begin writing, they should pay attention to trending jingles. What kinds of beats and melodies are trending?

A jingle that’s in the style will catch on better than an old-fashioned one. It may help to listen to the top 40 radio stations. Artists should take note of all genres: pop, country, rock, rap, and more. 

Trending musical styles act as a helpful guide for writing a great jingle.

Don’t Be A Copycat

Using popular styles is a great idea, however, music plagiarism is never in style. Composers should also take care to create original content.

Copycat tunes and/or lyrics are not only unethical, they’re illegal.

Artists can check out online resources to help detect music plagiarism. If these resources aren’t available, playing a jingle for another music professional is a good safeguard against copycat work.

Do Grab Audience Attention

The rise in digital media is resulting in shorter attention spans. More than ever, the first several notes of music need to grab the listener’s attention. A good hook, or attention-grabbing opening, is vital to a successful jingle.

A hook should be ear-catching and interesting. The main idea or chorus needs interesting content as well. This is where the main message should come through.

Does the client want to highlight a phone number, website, or address? Jingle composers often use the following techniques to add interest to their content.

Alliteration and Assonance

Adding assonance and alliteration helps create catchy content. Beginning words with the same sound or letter is a great way to set information in the minds of consumers. Here are some examples of alliteration in advertising:

Welcome to the world wide wow. (AOL)

Don’t dream it. Drive it. (Jaguar)

Some studies suggest alliteration serves as a memory aid. Composers should always make sure alliterative content makes sense. This helps consumers consider the concept of that catchy tune while it’s stuck in their heads.

Rhyme Time

The quilted quicker picker upper (Bounty).

Click it or ticket (seat belt campaign).

It’s easy to remember something with a rhythm. Language is no exception. Adding a rhyme or two to your jingle will make it more memorable. 

A rhyming slogan is even better. Advertising is always the right time to rhyme.

Onomatopoeia

Words that sound like their meaning are a great idea for advertisers. Consider the Snap! Crackle! Pop!. And what about Plop plop! Fizz fizz! Oh, what a relief it is. from Alka Selzer?

Incorporating memorable sounds into a jingle helps the tune and content stay with listeners. 

A Catchy Question

Can you hear me now? (Verizon)

What’s in your wallet? (Capital One)

Writing a jingle where you ask the audience to think is a great strategy. Include common questions asked in daily life, like the Verizon catchphrase, and recognition increases even more.

If consumers ask the question, it may remind someone of the jingle and the product it’s representing.

Don’t Make It Too Long

While attention spans aren’t what they used to be, all is not lost. Some blame consumers’ inability to focus longer than eight seconds on competing content.

Whatever the reason, advertisers don’t have long to catch the attention of their audience. With this in mind, jingle composers need to keep their catchy jingle short and sweet. 

In general, an advertising jingle shouldn’t be longer than 30 seconds. Keeping ads quick helps your client’s message keep the attention spans of listeners everywhere.

Do Use Short Words

A jingle shouldn’t contain longer words than normal, either. If it’s something a person would not commonly say, it’s likely something the public won’t understand.

Jingles should be relatively short anyway. Adding long words takes away the opportunity to add other meaningful content.

Don’t Overcomplicate

In the words of Avril Lavigne, “Why’d you have to go make things so complicated?”

Avril isn’t the only one frustrated by overcomplicated strategies. Consumers don’t want complex musical elements. They want memorable and catchy.

Think about the three notes of NBC’s jingle or the sound your computer makes with it boots up.

These are all examples of sonic logos. Incorporating them into your jingle will help keep things memorable and simple. 

The alphabet song or nursery rhymes wouldn’t be effective memory aids if they were complicated. These tunes use easy-to-remember intervals (distance between notes). Simple melodies don’t confuse listeners’ ears, they engage them.

Do Use Action Words

Just Do It. Nike’s slogan is the best example of a slogan that gives a command. A jingle should be no different. 

Providing a call to action is an important tip for writing jingles. If consumers don’t take action after hearing a company jingle, what’s the point? 

A jingle should leave listeners with some kind of instruction to call, visit, or buy. 

Create FOMO

How to make memorable jingles? Establish a need with the listener(s). Nobody wants to feel left out and FOMO is real among consumers.

Fear Of Missing Out drives listeners to buy in to products and experiences. Creating a sense of FOMO through a company jingle makes listeners want to act. 

Don’t Forget Your Brand Name

Forgetting a client’s brand name in a jingle is like running brushing teeth while eating Oreos. There’s really no point to it at all.

Brand recognition is key in any marketing strategy. Client jingles must include the product or company brand. 

Take A Tip From Pavlov

A jingle becomes even more powerful when listeners can pair just a few notes with their brand. Think of McDonald’s (ba-da-ba-ba-ba), or the State Farm jingle (like a good neighbor). People know without hearing anything else, those words belong with that company.

This Pavlovian response comes from a few short notes paired with a brand over and over again. If people see and hear them together enough times, they two become synonymous. 

Use this Pavlovian response as a guide to writing good jingles. Pairing a catchy tune repeatedly with a brand can pay off big for clients and artists.

Do Be Professional

Everyone can tell a laptop basement recording from professional quality work. Artists work hard to make jingle content and melody what it should be. Why ruin all that work with shoddy production material or subpar performances?

Professional recording and production equipment are a must. If possible, hire professional musicians. Find a vocalist who knows what he or she is doing.

High-quality content with high-quality performance will provide clients with the high-quality product they want. Professional standards help jingle writers grow their craft as well. Clients will return and spread the word if they are satisfied with their highly polished results.

Don’t Be Inappropriate

Catchphrases and cute quips make for great jingle material. Content should always be appropriate and professional. Controversial topics and cringy content should be avoided.

Unless the client is specifically asking for eyebrow-raising content, shy away from it. 

Writing a Jingle Should Be Fun

It’s important to take the craft seriously. However, a creative process without fun will show in the final product.

How can jingle creators make fun content without having fun themselves? Read a joke book, watch funny youtube videos, and take breaks when needed. Find posters, funny memes, or other visually uplifting material to line the writing room.

Learn From the Best

Motivating factors vary from artist to artist. The creative process of writing a jingle will look different for each composer. There is no one right way of how to write a jingle for a business. 

The award-winning professionals at Killer Spots can serve your business by writing jingles, creating social media marketing, web design, SEO services, and more.

Send them a message today to find out how Killer Spots can help your business succeed.

10 Essential Green Screen Tips

green screen tips

Green screens are big game-changers for creating live-motion videos that need custom backgrounds. Those special effects that are worthy enough of Hollywood need certain care. Be creative and enhance big video projects with a green screen. In this guide, learn how to use a green screen and tips for renting a green screen. Produce the best outcome by following these green screen tips. 

1. It’s All About the Lighting 

Adequate lighting is an integral element in keeping the scenes nice and smooth. One of the most important green screen tips is the lighting. It can make or break a perfect shot with unwanted shadows or bleaks. 

Chroma key software has a harder time processing darker greens than light greens. Lighting plays a role in evenly exposing the green screen background for the camera. The best light for the background is a soft light with at least 40 to 50% luminance. 

Making use of hard lights will lead to unevenness and hot spots in your background. Take advantage of two or three backlights for the best background lighting. Test the lighting with a waveform monitor. 

Make sure that only a flat line appears on the monitor, indicating balanced lighting. Aside from the backlight, another lighting focus is the key light. This is the light that focuses on the subject’s appearance. 

The subject must stay around six to ten feet away from the green screen to avoid creating shadows. If it’s difficult to find proper lighting, consider going for a green screen rental studio. A professional studio has all the tools you may need, from lighting to other devices. 

2. Consider the Perspective 

When learning how to use a green screen, perspective plays a huge role. It’s best to create a storyboard when filming for a video. The storyboard will show how the subject appears in the background. 

Building an idea for the background will make it easier to imagine the perspectives. The perspectives should respond to various camera angle changes. The background should adapt to the movement of the camera in the video. 

Think about the camera’s focal length, where close-up shots will make the background out of focus. Filming with green screens means you have to be ready to make shots that make sense. 

Check the camera height and angle of each camera filming the subject. Move back and shoot on a longer lens to straighten up the overall perspective. Filming below the eye level also gives a less warped perspective of the subject. 

3. Set the Best Camera Settings

When shooting videos with big movements, it’s best to have HD quality videos with at least 720p or higher. The camera setting plays a role in the final result for easier editing. Start by changing the aperture, which is the depth of field of the camera.

The right aperture will leave the subject sharp in focus and the background to appear softer. The soft-focus will smoothen the green screen, blending it into a more uniform color. Set the aperture to f4, f5, or f6 for the best depth of field. 

The next setting to look for is the shutter speed, which can help lessen motion blur. If the subject is not moving, set the shutter speed as double the frame rate. Shooting a video means a higher shutter speed since there is more movement. 

Raise the shutter speed to 1/80 or 1/100 for action scenes. However, if the shutter speed is too high, the exposure will also change in the scene. It’s best to change the ISO for the best and easiest chroma keying process. 

Stick to the native ISO, so the camera doesn’t have to up the voltage, raising the exposure in low-light scenes. Don’t forget about the format of the photo or video. Check if your camera’s file format matches your software compatibility. 

4. Prepare the Subject 

Prepare the subject for the scenes to get the best shots and avoid blocking the background. There should be a certain amount of space between the green screen and the subject. Keeping the subject as far away from the green screen helps simulate the lighting in the new background. 

Space will also prevent green tones from scattering off the screen and onto the subject’s edges. Go for a 10 to 15 feet distance between the green screen and subject. It’s also best to prepare the appearance of the subject. 

Anything green will blend into the background, making the clothes disappear. It’s best to wear contrasting colors to avoid potential mistakes when editing. However, purposefully dressing up in green can give a desired effect for the story. 

For example, when editing an amputee, new body, and other appearance changes. Green screens can make actors look sickly and pale. Bring along some makeup to adjust the actor for the new background. 

5. Avoid Reflective and Shiny Materials

Reflective and shiny materials on the set will pick up the green background. They will get rendered transparent when editing the scene for the chroma key. Watch out for reflective jewelry, eyeglasses, or anything that reflects or sparkles. 

Hair can be another challenging thing to face, especially if the hair is blonde. Yellow and green colors are close relatives, making keying more difficult than normal. If an actor has blonde hair, try using magenta gel on the backlight to counteract the green tones. 

6. Create A Depth of Field

As stated earlier, depth of field is an essential element for easier editing. It prevents the green background from spilling onto the subject. “Spills” refer to the blurry parts of the output that blends the subject and the background. 

Depending on the camera lens, it’s best to take a 25 to 30 feet depth for a full-length shot. A six-foot distance will be enough to separate the subject and green background. Depth of field also saves poor green backgrounds, like screens with wrinkles. 

7. Keep the Camera Steady

An unsteady camera can hurt the final output of your video. The subject will look like they’re bouncing or vibrating against the background. Lock the camera in place or keep the camera steady with slow movements. 

Be careful of zooming in or out of a scene. The subject will start to look like their growing or shrinking in relation to the new background. 

Suppose the project has plenty of movement; use motion control and motion trackers. This creates more sophisticated 3D shots, but it takes a lot of work for the VFX team. Keeping the camera completely static produces the best quality and fewer green spills. 

8. Pick the Right Green Screen Material

The green screen material is essential to the project’s size and location. Large-scale projects use huge sets with seamless painted cyc, floors, and walls. In contrast, low-budget and independent projects have to rely on simple green materials. 

The best green background choice is a studio filled with green-painted walls and floors. Professional studios have paint that gives enough amount of light reflectivity and evenness. They give a matte appearance to avoid looking too shiny in the camera. 

DIY-ing the walls require constant repainting to cover up smears, scuffs, and handprints. Another available material is the digital matte keying fabric. These are nylon, foam, muslin, or nylon pieces that can stick to the wall. 

Composite component fabrics and paint offer optimum coverage and minimum wrinkling. The fabric is a nylon-spandex material that stretches tight, giving a smooth surface. Overlapping the pieces can cover large surfaces and create a portable cyc setup.

A simple and cheaper green background is the generic green muslin. It’s a green cloth that you can hang and mount on the wall, making it portable. However, green muslins wrinkle easily and absorb all the backlight. 

9. Watch Out For Movement and Shadows

One of the biggest challenges of green screens is that the subjects have to stay in the green background. One hand reaching outside the green area may ruin the entire shoot. There is no way to fix a missing hand during post-production. 

The only solution is to reshoot or cover up the shot to make it more natural. Shadow is another factor to watch out for since you may end up with a darker green. Check your backlights and keep the subject at least eight to ten feet away from the background. 

Remove objects or lightings that may cause shadows to appear in the background. To fix shadows, editors have to go through various chroma keys. 

10. Use A Chroma Key Software

Consider a program depending on the project’s needed shots, system, and budget. Pick a program that gives the best user experience and user-friendly tools. Ensure that the software has Chroma Key, the essential green screen background editing tools. 

Some of the most popular editors include Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere. I-Movie is another great editor that’s free on Macs. Get the software that only takes a few moments to learn and use the different tools and features.

Make Something Amazing With These Green Screen Tips

These tips for first-time green screen users will help produce the best quality video. Simple mistakes in green screens can ruin your content and effects. Avoid making those mistakes with these green screen tips!

Do you want to find the best green screen studio with professional tips? Contact us today! We’ll help you set up the best area and answer all your green screen inquiries. 

10 Reasons to Advertise Your Business on the Radio

radio advertising

Do you think radio advertising is outdated? Radios have been used for personal use since the 1920s, but the radio advertising possibilities constantly evolve to keep up with technology and trends.

Radio ads are just as relevant and effective as digital marketing when used correctly. A strategically created ad can reach and resonate with your target audience, giving you a huge return on investment.

Keep reading to learn some of the many benefits of radio advertising.

1. Remote Reach

Radio makes your advertising available to consumers wherever they go. Unlike TV ads, which are limited to people who are sitting in front of a TV, your radio ads follow your target audience when they’re on the go. That versatile reach makes radio comparable to mobile ads.

People most often listen to the radio while they’re in the vehicle. That means they might hear your commercial when they’re already out and ready to shop, which could persuade them to visit your business. Radio reaches people when they’re closer to the point of sale since they’re more likely to listen when they’re away from home.

With options to listen to radio stations online, people can also hear your ads from anywhere when they listen from their mobile devices. These mobile options often make it easy to combine your radio ad with banners that listeners can easily click and reach your website or social media pages.

2. Both Wide and Targeted Audiences

Radio is the widest reaching platform for adults with 92% of Americans listening to the radio each week. TV comes in next, reaching 87% of adults with smartphones following closely at 81%. Every month, radio reaches 244.5 million adults. 

It’s also a diverse audience that listens to the radio. People of all ethnicities and ages listen to the radio, often in large numbers.

With so many people listening to the radio, it’s safe to say your company’s target audience is listening, too. When you advertise on the radio, your potential audience has a good chance of hearing about your company.

While a wide reach is good, a targeted audience is even better. Having a good idea of the type of music and the local radio stations that your audience listens to helps you choose where to place your local radio advertising.

Ad a local business, putting your ad on local radio stations helps you reach people in close physical proximity, which also helps narrow your target audience.

3. Targeted Ad Timing

Radio ad spots are available 24/7, which means you can target when your ads air based on when your audience listens. Timing your ads right can make them more effective and improve your ROI.

Daytime hours often have the highest number of listeners. However, your specific audience might stay up late or get up in the wee hours for an early-bird commute. Knowing this helps you choose those time slots to maximize reach for your specific audience.

Repeating your ads at these target times helps get potential customers to take notice. Most people need to hear your message three times before they start noticing you. They’ll like need to hear the ad even more to really remember you or go beyond just listening to take action or interact with your brand.

4. Lower Ad Avoidance

DVRs make it possible for consumers to skip TV ads easily. If they don’t, they often get up during those ad times and do other things. Online ads are easy to dismiss, block with ad-blocker programs, or skip on videos. 

Radio has a lower ad avoidance rate than many other platforms. You often have a captive audience in vehicles. Listeners can’t simply skip an ad like they can online or when watching a TV show on a DVR.

Some people might change to a different radio station, but many stick around and listen to the ads. People tend to be loyal to radio stations, waiting through the commercials for the music or talk show to resume.

5. Time-Tested Yet Modern

When creating a marketing strategy that keeps up with your modern business and target audience, you might think older methods such as radio won’t work. However, it’s time-tested longevity shows that radio advertising still works. Radios are still added to new vehicles, and people are still listening, which means this proven advertising method is still relevant.

Despite its long history, radio advertising isn’t stuck in the past. New research and technology makes it possible to create radio ads that are relevant and engaging to your modern audience. Online streaming options for radio stations also keep this platform current and relevant.

6. Creative, Memorable Options

How many business jingles do you find yourself singing randomly? Audio advertisements, when produced well, can be very powerful and memorable.

These ear worms keep your audience thinking about your business long after they hear your radio spot. Someone who hears your ad might not need your services or products immediately. However, if they do encounter a situation that matches your business offerings, recalling that catchy radio ad could encourage them to reach out to you.

Advertising on the radio gives you a wide range of creative options. First up, you can decide if you want to go the humorous route, get sentimental with listeners, or make a dramatic point based on what you’re trying to do and what feelings you want to evoke.

Audio options can include voices, music, and sound effects to guide listeners. Various voice actors, or even your own staff, can provide a voice that appeals to your target audience and helps set the tone.

Radio stations often offer other opportunities for advertising your business as well. Endorsement ads are paid endorsements where radio personalities talk about your business. Since many people listen to radio stations loyally due to trusting their favorite radio personalities, they might pay more attention to those ads.

7. Theater of Mind Effect

A great radio ad uses what’s often referred to as theater of mind. Because radio ads are heard and not seen, listeners have to use their imaginations to create pictures in their minds based on what they hear. All other ad types have a visual component that spoon feeds the message and doesn’t require users to engage their brains as much.

This actively engages the listener with your ad. When someone hears your ad, they’re thinking about what they’re hearing instead of just staring at a screen. That engagement can make the ads more memorable and appealing to listeners.

8. Personal Experience

It might seem difficult to connect to potential customers via radio ads. After all, listeners simply hear an ad you recorded previously.

But a well-crafted ad helps develop brand awareness and helps listeners feel connected to you. That’s especially true if your voice is heard in the ad. Your radio ad is your chance to express your branding, share your values, and help listeners get to know your brand.

You can also add an emotional side to your radio ad to get listeners personally invested. It’s much easier to convey that emotional feeling with sound than it is with a print ad or online ad that has no audio or video.

9. Quick Turnaround and Cost Effective

Creating radio advertising is relatively quick compared to producing a TV commercial. It’s often much easier to record and edit the audio than it is with video, which means your ad is ready to go much faster. Once produced, you can often get it onto the radio with days.

Radio advertising costs are also budget-friendly compared to some other options. A local radio ad can cost anywhere from $200 to $5,000 weekly. The exact cost depends largely on where you are with larger cities costing significantly more than smaller markets. 

The cost is usually calculated based on a CPM rate, or the cost per 1,000 people listening. That rate is multiplied by the number of people listening to determine the total cost of the spot.

Some radio stations offer per-spot pricing, which means you’ll pay less for times when not as many people listen. This can make your radio advertising costs lower.

Since marketing is an investment, it’s important to look not only at the cost but also at the return on investment. Studies show that on average, every dollar spent on radio advertising yields $12 in sales.

10. Compatible With Social Media

The great thing about most advertising methods is you don’t have to use them in a vacuum. It doesn’t have to be radio or social media; radio or print ads; radio or TV spots. Depending on your marketing budget, you can and should incorporate multiple advertising avenues to expand your reach.

Radio might not seem compatible with social media, but you can easily use the two methods to promote one another. By combining radio and social media, you can meet people where they are and give them options that fit how they prefer to interact.

Some radio advertising examples that incorporate social media include promoting your social media accounts in your ads or hosting a social media contest that you encourage people to enter via radio ads. 

You can also go the other way, promoting your radio ads through social media. Include the audio of your radio ad on your social media accounts, for example.

Take Advantage of Radio Advertising

If you’re still waiting to jump on radio advertising, stop waiting. Creating a radio ad can expand your current marketing plan with a broad reach, boosted brand awareness, excellent ROI, and many other benefits.

Not sure how to get started? Instead of searching for radio advertising near me and taking your chances, contact us to get a quote. We can help with a variety of marketing services, from radio ad production and video production to social media marketing and SEO.

The Benefits of Hiring a Web Design Company

web design

An impressive, eye-catching website can make a big difference to your overall business success. In fact, about 50% of customers say a website’s design is the main factor they use to determine a company’s credibility. Another 38% will leave a website if it’s unattractive. With more people staying home in light of COVID, you need to reach customers online. Hiring a professional website company can help you stand out and expand your reach. Otherwise, you could risk falling behind the competition. Still on the fence about spending money on web design services?

Here are nine amazing benefits you can experience by hiring a team of web designers right away. Discover how web design can boost your business with this guide today!

1. Strengthen Your Digital Marketing Strategy

What do you have in store for your digital marketing strategy this year? Are you trying to reach more search engine users using search engine optimization (SEO)? Perhaps you’re using pay-per-click (PPC) advertising instead.

Either way, your website is an essential part of your overall marketing strategy.

Consumers won’t choose a business they know nothing about. They want to learn about what you have to offer. Many will explore your website to determine who you are and what you do.

Remember, your web design can have a big impact on your company’s credibility. A messy, confusing website could scare off potential customers.

If people leave without clicking around, it could impact your bounce rate, clickthrough rate, and dwell time. These metrics can impact your search engine ranking.

You could waste valuable time and money on SEO and PPC if your website is old and out of date.

SEO and PPC both help you reach more online consumers. The higher you rank, the more often shoppers will see your brand. With these digital marketing strategies, you can:

  • Build brand awareness
  • Become a thought leader in your industry
  • Outrank the competition
  • Attract more website traffic
  • Build brand trust and loyalty

People will see you as a credible resource.

If your website is old, slow, or insecure, however, you’ll miss your chance!

By choosing web design services, you can build a website that accomplishes your digital marketing goals instead of hinders them.

2. Appeal to Your Audience

Who are your customers? What issues are they experiencing each day? How can your business help solve those problems?

An experienced web design company will understand that it’s essential to create a website with your distinct target audience in mind. Otherwise, a generic website could fail to appeal to their needs and interests.

Working with a web design agency can help you reach customers, draw them in, and generate more leads. They’ll research customer demographics like age, gender, and location. Then, they’ll build your website with those customers in mind.

Instead of struggling to attract relevant leads, you can reel them in! 

3. Support Your SEO Efforts

Remember, your digital marketing strategy could suffer if you’re using an old, outdated website. Google considers your entire website when determining your search engine ranking.

Unfortunately for some, Google updates its algorithm numerous times throughout the year. If you’re not up-to-date with the latest SEO trends, your ranking could suffer.

Over 90% of all online activity begins on a search engine. Meanwhile, over 70% of searchers never look beyond the first page of a search. You need to reach that first page to draw in fresh web traffic.

A talented web designer can help you achieve your SEO goals.

For example, Google now uses mobile-first indexing to determine rankings. They can update your website to ensure it’s mobile optimized. Then, you can reach mobile users (instead of losing a chance at fresh leads).

4. Remain Competitive

What are your competitors doing to improve their own web design this year? Are you falling behind?

Your web design company can help you remain competitive. If you’re a small business, a stunning website could even help you look like a big corporation. They can help you wow customers and draw them in before competitors can.

If your website looks old and outdated, however, your competitors will take the lead. Consumers will choose bigger, more successful businesses over ones that look like they’re failing.

Remember, your website’s design can help support your SEO efforts. You can improve your ranking to appear ahead of big corporations. Positioning yourself ahead of these businesses can help you look like a big business, too.

Then, you can attract those customers before your competitors get the chance!

5. Keep the Lights On

It’s likely your business doesn’t run 24/7. That’s okay. With a stunning website, you can bring in fresh leads and sales whether your store is open or not.

Your website design agency can help you market your business, even when the doors are closed for the night. For example, they can make sure you have plenty of lead opportunities on each page.

Website visitors can fill out a form or subscribe to your newsletter. Without a functional website, however, you’ve missed out on these leads!

You can also ask your design team to add a chat function to your website. Visitors will see that you’re eager to help and answer their questions.

If they don’t have a way to communicate with you, however, they’ll leave and take their business elsewhere.

In fact, your website could help you draw more traffic into your brick and mortar store, too. Nearly 90% of consumers use the internet to find local businesses. Once they review your website, they’ll realize you have exactly what they’re looking for!

Are you trying to boost e-commerce sales this year? Your website can either help you or hinder you.

About 70% of online users abandon their shopping carts because of proof web design. Some people struggle to use your website because it’s not mobile-optimized, too. Since mobile conversions are 64% higher than desktop, you need a mobile strategy.

Working with a talented web design agency can help you get those sales!

6. Improve the User Experience

Considering user experience (UX) is essential if you want to keep people on your website. In fact, UX can influence your SEO success as well. 

Think about how people interact with your website. Can they find everything they need easily? Do your pages load quickly?

A messy, cluttered, confusing website page design can confuse your customers. They’ll leave without clicking around. Your SEO ranking will take a hit as a result.

Improving the user experience will keep people on your website. They’ll explore, find what they need, and convert.

Ask the web design agency you choose if they have UX design experience. They can improve your website with the users in mind.

For example, it’s important to make sure your website loads quickly. Old plugins, heavy images, and clunky pages can slow the site down. In fact, a website that takes 10 seconds increases the probability of a bounce by 123%.

Adjusting your website’s page design can improve your content’s readability. You can use shorter sentences and paragraphs to make your content easier to skim. Headings and subheadings can better organize your content as well.

What about your page navigation? Is it easy to explore your pages? Does the navigation make sense?

Considering these design elements can help you keep people on your site.

Web design trends change every few months. If your website is behind the times, consumers will take notice. They’ll think of your company as old and outdated as well.

For example, you can add:

  • Big, bold headlines
  • Motion and animation
  • Personalized pages
  • Dark mode
  • 3D and visualized data
  • Chatbots and assistants

Consumers will start expecting these features across every website. By working with an experienced web design company, you can keep up with these trends.

They’ll make sure you never fall behind.

8. Build Trust and Loyalty

Remember, your website page design can speak to your company’s credibility. What message do you want to convey to your target audience?

For example, you might have a fun, playful brand. You can use an array of colors, fun animations, and cute doodles across your site.

Do you want to look professional instead?

Either way, your web design company can help you achieve these goals.

Using a DIY website builder, on the other hand, can make your company look small and cheap. Conveying the right message will help you build brand trust. Ensuring visitors find what they need with ease can encourage consumers to trust you as well.

In time, that trust will turn into loyalty, allowing you to retain long-time customers.

9. Improve Your ROI

How can people convert on your website? Do you have a form or chat option? Is the button big, eye-catching, and easy to click on?

Think about your links, too. Broken links could cost you conversions.

Your web design team will improve your website with lead generation in mind. They’ll make sure you capitalize on every opportunity to gain a conversion.

With their help, you can boost leads and conversions, improving your company’s ROI.

Design It Right: 9 Reasons You Need a Professional Web Design Agency

Don’t fall behind the times! Instead, update your website with help from an experienced web design agency. With their experience and expertise, you can stand out from the crowd and boost sales.

Without them, however, your website could fall flat.

Ready to get started? Discover the website you’ve always wanted. Get a quote from a team of talented web designers today!

Why Video Production Makes for Powerful Marketing in 2021

video production

Wondering if you should add video production to your marketing strategy?

Our modernizing world brought about new possibilities for the business landscape. Many companies have moved on to digital means to promote their products. One of the most popular forms of marketing is video production.

Since people process visuals faster than text, videos have become effective marketing tools. However, not many know the benefits of video marketing. Are you looking to try producing videos?

This article covers why you should use video marketing in 2021. Videos are a great tool for all types of businesses. Read on to discover the benefits of video marketing for your business.

More Attractive and Memorable

Videos help you capture a browser’s attention faster than images or text can. Colorful images and creative infographics are still effective. However, they’re not as strong as videos.

Videos are more attractive because they combine your visual and auditory senses. You can also leverage videos to create a story about your brand. This allows users to retain information better.

A video is a great way to tell your story as a brand without overwhelming a user with too much. You can incorporate things like a voice-over that matches how you want your users to feel. If you look for a “green screen studio near me”, you can add compelling visuals in the editing process.

Boost Website SEO

If you own a website, you may already be familiar with SEO or Search Engine Optimization. Most search engines like Google use keywords to rank websites for their browsers. However, other factors can help boost your SEO.

Google’s goal is to provide their browsers with relevant information. This means that content must have a clear purpose, more link shares, and a low bounce rate. This is why Google prefers websites with video content.

Videos are capable of holding a viewer’s attention longer than reading text. This means that videos can give you a lower bounce rate. Videos are also more likely to bring traffic to your website. This gives you a higher SEO ranking.

Increase in Sales

Reports show that you’ll see an increase in conversion rates when you add a video to your landing page. A video gives your users a better understanding of your product or service. This tends to influence their purchasing decisions.

People are more likely to buy a product or service after seeing others use it. Most people also search for videos if they want to learn more about a product or service. Buyers want to see how your products and services can enhance their quality of life.

This also means that video production can bring you a high ROI. Many marketers may avoid producing videos due to their limited budget. However, many also found that video marketing is with it.

Build Customer Trust

Videos are the most powerful tool you have if you want to build a foundation of trust. There are various things you can do with video production. This can range from webinars to explainer videos.

This visual format allows your buyer to see a real person. This evokes a feeling of empathy and emotion. These feelings can have a great impact on customer decisions.

One of the best types of videos that can foster trust is promotional videos. When introduced to a new brand, many first-time buyers may feel skeptical. However, videos allow you to connect with users and create a conversation.

More Informative

Videos allow you to disclose more information than an infographic or image can. Cramming details about your brand and products can overwhelm your users. However, you still want to capture their attention and share valuable information.

Video production allows you to explain everything you need to about a new product or service. You may place an explainer video on your landing page to draw in more visitors. You’re not limited to real-life shoots either!

If you want to explain a complex concept, you can opt for animated videos instead. Animated videos are often more attractive and cost-effective. You don’t have to waste time planning filming schedules or to get the right actors.

Animated videos can entertain your viewers and evoke a feeling of nostalgia. Whichever video format you choose, you’re sure to provide valuable help to your users.

Rise in Demand

As the popularity of videos increases, so does the demand. More people are spending their time watching videos instead of reading articles. The average American internet browser spends at least six hours watching videos.

This means that internet browsers are likely to look for more videos. In the fast-paced digital world, images and blog posts are no longer enough to grow a loyal customer base. If you want to keep gaining customers and keep them around, you need videos.

Most of the global internet traffic comes from videos. Producing videos relevant to your brand’s image will allow you to get more web traffic.

Caters to Mobile Users

If you’re looking to optimize your SEO for 2021, you may want to prioritize mobile users. Experts estimate that by 2025, most of the web traffic will come from mobile phones. This means that your website and content must be responsive to mobile design.

Most people prefer to watch videos on the go. If you want your content to hit your target audience, opt to create video content. Publishing videos on YouTube gives your brand more potential to grow.

Gets More Social Shares

Social media marketing is crucial to success for online businesses. Everyone is on social media nowadays. So if you want to reach your target audience, you need to have a social media marketing strategy.

One way to build your presence on social media is by posting videos relevant to your brand. Reports show that videos get more social shares than any other type of digital content. An entertaining or emotional video is more likely to influence a user’s actions.

Many social media platforms are beginning to incorporate video content. Some platforms like Instagram and TikTok base their content on videos.

Videos are shareable not only because they’re entertaining. Videos offer practical value by sharing information and providing tips.

Tips for Marketing With Videos

Looking to incorporate videos into your marketing strategy? Here are some tips for creating a strong video marketing strategy.

Create an Upload Schedule

No matter what type of content you deliver, your viewers expect regular updates. Refer to your marketing videos as a campaign instead of single random posts. Regular uploads create a foundation of trust between you and your customers.

It encourages your current following to come back for more content. You may also leverage your upload schedule to create momentum for a new product launch.

A consistent upload schedule allows your audience to stay engaged. Consistency also helps you establish yourself as an authoritative figure of your brand.

Optimize Videos With SEO

Uploading videos can boost your website’s SEO. However, you can take this further by optimizing your videos with SEO. Google indexes their YouTube videos.

This means your brand is more likely to show up when people search for your brand or a certain keyword. Define a primary keyword that’s relevant to your brand or product.

Optimize your videos by incorporating these keywords and phrases in your descriptions. You may also add these to your video titles.

Involve Your Customers

When your customers see themselves in your videos, they feel more involved. It allows them to think that you care for them and have a genuine desire to deliver to their needs. Customer testimonials are great ways to start.

Testimonials also serve as social proof, meaning you can attract more people. Aside from testimonial videos, you may also try Q&As about your product and brand. Encourage your customers to work with you by filming themselves using your products.

Show Your Personality

Use your videos to show off your culture as a company. People are more attracted to videos that are entertaining and full of personality. Show your customers what sets your business apart from your competitors.

You may also show off your values as a company. This humanizes your business and allows people to connect with you. People are more attracted to brands that share their values and morals.

It allows them to attach themselves to an authoritative figure. You may also tell stories about your company and your products.

Track Your Progress

Tracking your progress to crucial to any business endeavor. If you’re trying out a new strategy, ensure to track its analytics. This gives you a hint on how well your videos are performing.

Use your analytics to manage and improve your content. You may use this to improve your strategy and get the most out of your video productions.

Video Production for a Powerful Marketing Strategy

Are you looking to boost your brand’s relevance in 2021? Here are some reasons why your brand needs video production in the coming year. Videos are powerful tools, allowing you to build trust and increase sales.

Thanks for reading our article! Looking for a video production team? Contact us today and discover more of our services!

7 Strategies to Build Brand Awareness in 2021

brand awareness

Did you know that it takes 5 to 7 impressions for a brand to be remembered and become recognizable? Building a brand is an ongoing, evolving process that requires adaptation and hard work. 

Brand awareness is a foundation to building a brand successfully, it lays the groundwork for brand recognition and brand recall. 

So how do small businesses or enterprises ensure that their strategies are promoting brand awareness into and throughout 2021? Keep reading to find out the 7 best ideas for better brand awareness. 

Brand Awareness And Conversions 

Focusing on brand awareness can bring a myriad of advantages and benefits to your brand and business. One of these advantages is the fact that by deciding to increase brand awareness, you’re likely to see an increase in conversions and sales. 

The two are strongly tied together. 

Why is that?

Having a strong brand awareness means that people will remember your brand, and will be able to recall your products and services easier. The key to brand awareness is that potential customers will begin to relate your specific product with your brand, and remember it in their time of need. 

Brand awareness creates trust with your audience, and by doing so, eventually converts them to customers. Which is how brand awareness will increase your conversions over time. 

There are three key things that brand awareness can do your business: 

  1. It can drive traffic to your website 
  2. It can increase lead generation and conversions 
  3. It can increase referrals and word-of-mouth marketing 

The one way to ensure that your brand awareness efforts are working for you is by using different strategies. 

1. Begin With a Plan 

Brand awareness should never be done on a whim with no strategic goals in place. This is why the first strategy you should have, is to have a strategy. 

Sounds a bit counterintuitive, doesn’t it? 

But marketing efforts should never be implemented without a solid plan as its foundation. This means you need to be able to measure brand awareness success. 

You need a plan for your brand awareness campaign. Ask yourself, what do you want to achieve with your marketing? What do you want to achieve with your brand awareness? 

Are you looking for more subscribers? Are you looking for more followers or a higher engagement rate? 

The absolute fundamental part to creating a successful brand awareness campaign is to know your audience. This is all forms part of the plan that you’ll create. So, start with your audience, what is their demographic? Where will you find them? Who are they? 

Once you’ve nailed that down, you’ll want to have measurable goals in place for the duration of your plan. How else are you going to know if you’re improving or if your strategies are working? 

2. Develop Your Brand Persona 

Some brands don’t see the importance of a cohesive brand persona across their platforms, and this is a mistake. 

You should develop a brand personality and voice that’s going to be the rule for how your brand is presented online, and offline. Part of this strategy is how you plan to make your brand relatable to your audience. 

If your brand evokes emotional reactions in people, it will be more memorable, and that’s how brand awareness and brand recall work. Work on your brand’s personality. 

How are you going to get people to relate to it on an emotional level? 

3. Content Is Key 

One strategy you should focus on is your content marketing. Through content, you can achieve many things. 

Focusing on your content marketing means that you need to have an understanding of the type of content you’ll be creating and publishing, and how this content is relevant and relatable to your audience. Content marketing is usually the heart of your brand’s digital marketing tactics. 

There’s no point in creating a brand awareness campaign if there isn’t relevant content to interest your audience. Having content that solves a problem or issue for your audience or your customers, is ultimately what will drive conversions. 

In-depth information within your content will be valuable to the performance of your brand awareness efforts. 

4. Consider Influencer Marketing 

Influencer marketing has grown exponentially over the past few years, and there’s good reasons why. 

Your strategy for influencer marketing is once again built upon the foundation of knowing your audience and knowing them well. Partnering with an influencer who is talking to your ideal target audience is how the system works. 

There are two things to consider though:

  1. If you’re looking simply for increased brand awareness, then you’ll want to search for influencers who have a large following and that’s all 
  2. If you’re looking to increase sales, then you’ll be looking for an influencer who is niched in your industry and can help convince their following to buy your product or service 

Did you know that 89% of marketers say that their ROI (Return on investment) is higher with influencer marketing than with other channels? 

5. Mobile Optimization 

You may read ‘Mobile Optimization’ and think wait, that’s just a tactic for digital marketing, how will it help with brand awareness?

Well, did you know that there are 3.5 billion mobile users globally? And these users spend about 2 hours per day on their mobile. 

This means one thing, if your online brand awareness is not optimized for mobile viewing, then you’ll be losing out on a large potential audience. You need to make sure that your website and all your content is suitable for viewing on any device. If your content is mobile-friendly, it makes for content consumption easily. And thus, puts your brand in front of more eyes, and increases your brand awareness. 

6. Promote Brand Loyalty 

One strategy that you absolutely have to implement is the promotion of brand loyalty. The idea behind brand loyalty is that you should be building long-term, sustainable relationships with your audience and your customers. 

One surefire way to promote brand loyalty is by creating membership scenarios for your audience and customers. This can be achieved by using the idea of exclusivity to sell the concept to your subscribers. 

What do we mean? 

Well, imagine subscribers get a monthly coupon for a small discount on your products or services, it makes them feel in a way that they belong to an ‘exclusive’ club and gives them a sense of belonging. 

Through brand loyalty, you can build communities that interact and engage with your brand continuously online, and in turn, these brand-loyal audience members will increase your brand awareness to people in their digital environment. 

7. SEO Is Still Important 

We’re all familiar with the term SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and what it can do for our websites, but what can it do for our brand awareness efforts?

Through SEO we look to achieve one thing, and that is increased traffic to our website. Through many different SEO tactics, our websites and our brands land in front of many, many more eyes. 

SEO tactics such as the use of social media marketing, keyword research, and local SEO efforts will all work together to give your brand more online presence and thereby create higher brand recognition. 

By focusing on your SEO, you’ll be killing two birds with one stone, you’ll be driving traffic to your website and promoting lead generation and you’ll be increasing brand awareness. Here are some of the SEO tactics you can include in your strategy:

  • Perform an audience audit and ensure that you understand who you’re targeting and how you plan to do this 
  • Through your audience audit, you’ll discover the foundation for your keyword research and this is a fundamental part to creating a successful SEO strategy 
  • Focus on link-building, if your brand is present on other reputable websites of other well-known brands, you’ll drive both traffic and brand presence 
  • Focus on local SEO efforts and make sure that you’re front of mind when it comes to local search engine results 

Through SEO you can place your brand in many more ‘places’ online and thereby increase your brand awareness. Ensure that your SEO efforts are measurable though, as you’re going to want to be able to measure how successful your SEO has been in contributing to your overall brand awareness efforts. 

You can use Google Analytics as a way to measure this and analyze your traffic. 

The Beauty Of Brand Awareness 

The thing about building brand awareness is that nothing is going to be an overnight success. You need to be willing to put in the groundwork and build a solid foundation for each of these brand awareness strategies. 

Measure your progress and performance periodically to ensure that you’re getting the results that you want, and to decide if your strategy needs to be adapted. 

Partnering with a reputable agency on your brand efforts can be advantageous in the long run, as they come with vast experience. Contact us if you’d like to start building brand awareness right now. 

How to Design a Web Page: The Intricate Details

how to design a web page

Are you establishing your online footprint for your business, but you’re having trouble attracting attention? It’s time to let your website do the work. A well-designed web page helps you solve business goals because of a combination of high-quality content that speaks to your audience and an emphasis on clear, defined goals. 

Then, it’s all about knowing a few design rules of thumb in order to create an attractive web page that people want to visit and engage with! If you’re ready to improve your website, we’re here to help. 

Read on to learn how to design a web page the right way in order to attract more traffic and encourage engagement! 

Start With Purpose

Designing web pages is similar to designing entire websites. You’ll want to begin by determining the purpose of the page first. Each web page of your site should have only one goal. This will help create a simplified experience for your users so that they don’t encounter information overload.

Defining one purpose also helps you include a call to action on every page. When you include a clear call to action, this can help reduce bounce rates on your website by giving viewers a clear path forward. 

Here are a few common purposes of web pages to get you started: 

Consider your own purposes when you’re browsing online. When you type in a search term in a search engine, you’re usually trying to learn more about something, navigate to a specific web page, or you’re ready to make a purchase. Consider these goals while creating your content strategy! 

Create a Content Strategy

Now that you know the purpose of each of your web pages, you’ll have an easier time creating a content strategy. A content strategy helps you with the following: 

  • Defining your target audience 
  • Deciding on the kind of content that your audience will connect with
  • Developing the content
  • Scheduling the content 

Remember that since each of your web pages only has one goal, you should focus on creating high-quality content that’s easy for viewers to read and ingest. Simplicity is always the answer. 

If you have blog posts on a web page, remember to break up the posts with visuals and keep the sentences short and easy to read. If you have a form that you’d like customers to fill out, try to keep the number of form fields down to five or less.

Page Structure

Once you have a solid content strategy in place, it’s time to design the actual web page. The easiest place to start is to decide on the page structure. The structure of a page determines where each element will go, such as blog posts, headlines, forms, and graphics. 

The most common way to determine a page’s structure is to start with wireframes. Although this is a common method designers use, you don’t need any knowledge of software, design, or coding in order to get started. All you need is a sheet of paper and a pencil. 

You’ll draw and label boxes as you imagine that the paper is your web page. For instance, on the top, you may want your website’s logo with an image on the left side of the page. You’ll then have your content on the right side. This continues until you have all your elements accounted for. 

Creating Visual Hierarchy

Keeping visual hierarchy in mind will help you determine your page structure. Because you don’t want viewers to feel overwhelmed by your web page, it’s important to design with scalability in mind. This gives people the ability to scan through the web page and move on to the next without needing to stay longer on the page than they’d like. 

Scannability is easier if you establish a visual hierarchy. For instance, many designers agree that an F-shaped pattern is better for text-heavy pages. Users will scan the top of the page from left to right, then they’ll scroll down and repeat the movement. Next, they’ll scroll down the page while scanning the left side, creating an F-shape. 

Since you know where people’s eyes will commonly go on a web page, this clues you in on where to place each element on your page. With the F-shaped pattern, you’ll know to place important pieces of information or calls to action on the left side of the page. 

Negative Space

You can see how the content on your page as well as where it’s placed makes a huge difference in whether you’ll have high or low bounce rates. However, the lack of content on a page is just as important as the content itself.

When you navigate to any popular website, you’ll find that there is blank space as well as active space. If every single area of a web page was filled with content, your audience will quickly feel overwhelmed. Remember to incorporate negative space in your page structure in order to encourage users to keep scrolling downward.

A good rule of thumb is to include ample negative space in order to divide different elements on a page, such as between text and images.

Quality Call to Action Buttons

We’ve already addressed how important calls to action are on each of your web pages, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to create them. Each call to action needs to contain a clear and simple direction so that users know what to do next. Here are a few examples: 

  • Sign up here
  • Download our trial
  • Schedule a free consultation

Along with the right copy, make sure that each button is prominent on the page. It also needs to be clear that the button is clickable through visual cues such as a changing color when you hover over the button, drop shadows, or simply an instruction to “click here.”

Quality Images and Graphics

You’ll also want to ensure that the images and graphics you’re using are a good representation of your business. You’ll want to start by first ensuring they’re properly sized so that they aren’t too small, blurry, or pixelated. You also want to avoid uploading full-size on to your web pages because you still want the page to load quickly for users. 

When it comes to choosing imagery, focus on colors and visual representations that make sense for your company. For instance, if you know your target audience is women in their 30’s to 40’s, you’ll want to find stock images that represent this demographic. 

Measuring and Tracking Performance

You’ll never know how well a web page is doing if you’re not measuring or tracking its performance. The way you measure and track your performance is based on the overall goals of your business and the web page.

For instance, if you have a web page that’s solely to encourage people to sign up for your mailing list, you’ll want to see how many people are signing up each month. If the number is lower than you’d like, you know it’s time to improve the content on that page or determine what your target audience really wants.

Here are a few other KPIs (key performance indicators) to determine how well a web page is doing:

  • Bounce rate
  • Average time on page
  • Unique visitors
  • Sales
  • Sessions
  • Percentage of new visitors
  • And more

If you don’t keep track of at least a few KPIs, there’s no way to determine whether a web page is doing the work you need or not. Remember that it’s not realistic to expect all your web pages to be successful the moment you publish them. You’ll need to constantly come up with new ideas, test them through A/B testing, and develop those ideas. 

How to Design a Web Page: Start With a Plan

When you learn how to design a web page, it’s important to begin with a plan in mind. For instance, consider what would happen if you designed a beautiful web page but weren’t thinking about your target audience. Even though your web page might draw traffic, it won’t be traffic that converts into paying customers. 

Ready to look into award-winning web content, design, or SEO services that can bump your website up to the next level? Killer Spots Agency provides quality, in-house services with a strategy and ROI culture. We deliver our customers complete customer service and measurable results.

Contact us today to get started! 

Small Business Owner’s Guide to on Hold Messaging

On Hold Messaging

The average American will spend around 43 days on hold over the course of their lifetime. That works out to around 13 hours a year.

Small business owners hope their customers never spend that long waiting on agents. It’s inevitable, though, that there are going to be times when customers will have to hold the line.

That’s why small business owners must consider on hold messaging for their businesses. That’s valuable time a customer is spending with a business. By not having the right on hold messaging in place, the business is missing a key opportunity.

So, how can small business leaders make sure they have the right messaging in place? This detailed guide walks through the ins and outs of crafting the perfect message. It also explores the impacts of on hold messages.

Why an the Right on Hold Message Matters

Before diving in to crafting the perfect message, it helps to understand the impact these messages have. On hold messaging is an often overlooked point of service. That means business leaders are missing a key opportunity to deliver an outstanding experience.

Customers may call a business because they have questions or they need help. In some cases, they’re frustrated. Spending a long time on hold, listening to hold music, can make them more frustrated.

Some people may hang up. Others may decide they won’t deal with a business again. They’ll look for new partners.

Automated messages can help, but they need to contain the right information. The right message can help customers feel appreciated and supported.

They also provide an opportunity for business owners to communicate their latest deals. Cross-selling and upselling messages can be informative.

That’s why small business owners should stay away from generic prerecorded messages. These don’t help customers, and they can even increase feelings of frustration.

With that in mind, it’s time to learn how to craft the perfect on hold messages for a small business.

Provide Estimated Wait Times When Possible

Business owners should let customers know how long they can expect to be on hold.

Generic automatic messages often tell customers that their call “is important” and to continue holding. The message may reassure customers that someone will be with them “soon.”

Small business owners should look into systems that give customers an estimated wait time. Providing this information can keep people on the line longer. If they know it’s only going to be a few more minutes, they’re less likely to get frustrated and hang up.

Providing an estimate is more informative than saying “soon.” It also isn’t as frustrating as hearing an agent will be available “soon” for 20 minutes.

Offering an estimate can seem difficult. It’s possible to find answering systems that will play a prerecorded message, followed by an estimates time calculated by the system.

Make on Hold Messaging Informative

Next, small business leaders should consider the messages they convey. Customers appreciate informative messaging. It offers them a much better experience.

That’s one reason messages that thank customers for holding and tell them their call is important are popular. These messages reassure the customer that the business does value them.

They’re not always enough, though. Offering the estimated wait time is one example of being more informative.

An on hold message should also include contact information. It may also give the customer other options for getting in touch. That way, if they can’t wait the estimated wait time, they can still find another way to ask their question or express a concern.

This provides convenience to the customer, which improves their experience.

Next, think about informing the customer about deals, special offers, and more. A customer calling with a billing inquiry may be interested to learn more about a special deal the business has on offer. They may ask to switch their plan to that as a way of resolving their question or concern.

This helps the business keep the customer’s business. It also helps improve the customer’s own satisfaction. They’ll be happier knowing their concern was addressed and they got a great deal.

Providing more informative messaging may mean switching messages more often. This can also keep customers interested. If they have to call a business often, then they may hear something new each time.

Crafting the Perfect on Hold Message

Now it’s time to start crafting the perfect on hold messages for customers. There are five types of message content to consider:

  • The greeting
  • Offers and promotions
  • Answers to frequently asked questions
  • Review requests
  • Educational messages

Offers and promotions, educational messages, and FAQ answers are all highly informative. Greetings and review requests are more customer-service oriented.

The greeting is indispensable, but a business doesn’t need to include all these types of messages. It may be helpful for a small business to pick one or two. A request for review and a few FAQ answers may be enough for a small business.

Tips for a Great Greeting

The greeting message should play when the customer reaches the phone queue. It should be warm and inviting. It should also give the customer key details, such as the name of the business they’ve called.

Including a business tagline can also help the customer know they’ve reached the right place.

The next lines should inform the customer about what will happen next. The message should identify that agents are currently busy and that the customer is on hold. If possible, customers should get an estimated wait time.

The greeting should only be played once. As the customer continues to hold, a variant may play. The message may thank them for continuing to hold and provide an updated wait time estimate.

Informative FAQ Answers and Educational Messages

Answering some FAQs in messages can be a great way to make use of the customer’s valuable time. In some cases, they may even get the answer they’re looking for from the message.

This can be helpful for both them and the business’s agents. The customer can hang up, satisfied with the answer, and lines may free up.

Consider including information such as business hours, address, or other relevant information. A pizzeria, for example, might include information about where they deliver.

Educational messages may go beyond the FAQ answers. They provide supportive messaging that direct customers to helpful resources. An example is a tech company that directs people to a troubleshooting guide for common problems.

It’s important to be supportive here. Customers often call as a “last resort.” They don’t want to hear about “simple solutions” that they’ve already tried.

Promotions and Reviews

As mentioned, giving customers information about deals or promotions may intrigued them or help them resolve an issue.

Asking for a review is another common message. The message will ask customers to consider rating their experience or leaving feedback. There may be a reward, like a contest entry, for leaving feedback.

Recording on Hold Messages

Now it’s time to look at the recording process for small business on hold messaging. The first step is usually to write a script.

Many business leaders feel they don’t need to come up with a script, because the messages are so short. Having a script is important, though.

It helps business leaders ensure the right information is given. A written script is easier to check for accuracy and completeness before recording. It can always be tweaked to sound more natural too.

The written script can also be rehearsed and referenced during recording. It can help the voice-over artist pace themselves so the message is easy to understand.

Working With the Professionals

Many small business owners skip on hold messaging. They believe it’s too expensive to have someone else record their messages. They may also believe they can do it themselves, but they never find the time.

Working with professional voice-over artists is often more affordable than business owners think. It also gives messages a personalized flair. That can make messages warmer, more inviting, and even easier to understand.

It also means the job gets done on time.

It’s important to find the right “voice” for a business, so don’t hesitate to have a few people audition. Listening to samples can also help.

The right voice, combined with the right message, helps customers feel both reassured and appreciated.

Step up the on Hold Game

On hold messaging is more important than many business owners give it credit for. With the right messages and the right team, on hold messages can improve the customer experience and make more of their valuable time.

As a result, the right on hold message is important for any business’s growth. Ready to discover what a better on hold message could do for a business? It’s time to get in touch with the experts and hear the difference.

How to Make a Great Radio Ad For the Airwaves

great radio ad

Is there a business looking to make a great radio ad but they don’t know where to start? If so, this posts is here to give a few pointers on how to make a great radio ad that will have listeners flocking to the business or buying the product in no time. To see what is recommended for making a great radio ad keep reading below.

Make Sure the Ad Is Tailored to the Audience

The first step to making a great radio ad is to make sure that the message of the ad is tailored to your customers. The ad’s script should have the right tone, personality, and language for the target audience.

For example, if marketing to a younger generation then the ad can make it fun and use slang. If marketing the ad to an older audience a straightforward tone may speak to them better than what would be used for the younger audience.

No matter who the ad is made for, the script should connect with them and make sure not to offend them. If an ad is created that has the wrong tone or language for your audience it can end up pushing them away from your message. 

Make Sure It’s Distinctive

What makes the ad stand out? What makes the products and services offered unique and truly one of a kind? What can be offered to the clients that no one else can?

These are questions that should be answered to help make the ads distinctive from other ads on the airwaves. Establishing this distinctiveness will help listeners recognize the business’ ads and become more attracted to the brand.

Production Value and Voice Talent Matters

When it comes to direct response and brand marketing they must work together to drive sales. Listeners will expect a sense of maturity from the radio ad. This isn’t as bad as it sounds, usually, ads that are produced with sophistication will help build trust and credibility around the brand.

This will eventually lead to greater sales due to the positivity built around well-produced ads. To bring up the production value of the ads try adding some sound effects and music when appropriate.

When adding music it should be thought of it as a carefully constructed top 40 song. The music behind lyrics usually helps to enhance the song overall, this is the same thing music will be doing for your ad. Music and the message will work together to help make the message more effective. 

Show Empathy

When it comes to the majority of advertising the ads are trying to show customers the product or service and how it will address their needs or wants. The ad shouldn’t be any different.

When the radio ad strategy shows empathy towards the customers and their wants or needs it will make the potential customer feel like they are cared about. It can effectively show empathy by using certain verbiage that indicates the business understands their feelings pretty well.

This ad can also acknowledge their pain points such as things that make everyday life hard and how your product or service will help to simplify daily life. Even try to add a review or customer testimonial into the radio ad and how the product helped to address their needs.

Make Sure There’s a Strong Call to Action

The ultimate goal of the radio ad is to get the listener to do something, this is also known as a call to action. This will want to drive the listeners and new customers to do an action from purchasing from the company to giving the business a call.

Because the call to action will get listeners to make an action towards the business and to hopefully land a sale it’s safe to say this is one of the most important things the radio ad should include. To be entirely effective, the call to action should tell the customers what you want them to do and be straightforward.

This should also be easy to remember. For example, if the customer needs to call a number try placing it to music to make it more memorable so the listener isn’t easy to forget the number they should be calling. Even if the listener should go to a website make sure that the URL is simple and easy to remember also.

Make Sure The Ad Is Simple

Radio ads are usually a few seconds, so it will need to be effective in a short time. It will also need to take into account the type of listeners that will be listening to the radio, most of the time they will be busy driving or working. 

Knowing that the listener may be busy is key to making the ad memorable to them. The business doesn’t want to pack too much in so they can’t remember, instead make it simple and straight to the point so the busy listener can easily remember the products and services. Remember that a single good point made in your ad is enough to stick with the listener, especially if they can relate to it easily.

Articulation

What’s written on the script isn’t what the radio ad is going to sound like in articulation. With this said, when producing an ad even a small change in the script or adding a small sound effect can change the entire radio ad in a big way.

Making small changes to the ad during production will happen again and again until the best ad is created for the audience. Even when it comes to having voiceovers in the ad the way the actor says something or pronounces it can have a big effect on the ad also.

This is why articulation matters. The more direct the ad is the better. Using statements or voice-overs that are statements, monotone, and cliches don’t work. The ad should be using specific language and the voiceover should be showing emotion to make it stick to the listener.

Add an Incentive

To make the radio ad as strong as possible it should add an incentive. This radio ad incentive can be things such as giving the listener a special discount or offer for listening to the ad. This can be done by giving them a special code or saying through the ad that they can enter online or tell a representative so they can receive their incentive after giving their business to the company.

Incentives will help to motivate the listeners to take action as soon as possible. This will help them to remember the radio ad too because they won’t want to forget that special code or saying so they can save or get a gift. 

Have an Attention Grabber in the Begining

We’ve discussed that having a call to action at the end of the ad is really important when it comes to getting customers to take action, but what about the beginning of the ad? When it comes to the start of the radio ad it’ll want to grab the attention of your audience with an attention grabber.

There is one chance to grab the listener. When it comes to radio advertising this is also known as the hook. This hook is what helps to sell the ad which is important because it’ll have to sell your ad to sell your product.

This may sound easy but in truth, it’s one of the hardest parts about creating the radio ad. It can be effective in creating a great hook by starting your ad with a question or statistic. It’ll want to pique the listener’s curiosity and make them want to listen to the rest of the ad.

Remember That Comedy Can Win Audiences

Comedy is something that everyone loves, and because of this including comedy in the ad can help to win over audiences. Comedy can be added to the ad by throwing in some jokes or having a funny voice over. 

A funny ad will create a memorable listening experience for the audience and make it really easy for them to remember long after your ad has stopped playing. Just remember that if there’s a long campaign to tweak the jokes, listeners don’t want the same joke playing 30 times in a row.

Now People Know How to Make a Great Radio Ad

It’s now know how to make a great radio ad. From creating a great hook and call to action to adding music to the ad to make it more appealing to the listener, readers will be making the best radio ads in no time. For more advertising information and tips be sure to check out the rest of the website here.

8 Common Radio Ad Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

radio ad mistakes

More than 90 percent of American adults still listen to the radio on a weekly basis. That’s a lot of ears for a business to be missing out on.

As the numbers show, radio is a powerful tool for reaching listeners. Whether a business wants to reach listeners countrywide or prefers a more local approach, radio could be the right tool.

That said, some business owners have discounted radio as an effective advertising tool for their organizations. That could be because they’ve made some radio ad mistakes with previous campaigns.

To be successful, advertisers should watch out for these eight common pitfalls. This guide can help the savvy advertiser not only avoid them but build a better campaign too.

1. Talking in Cliches

One of the most common radio ad mistakes is using clichés in the ad copy. Almost nothing gets listeners to tune out faster than turns of phrase they’ve heard dozens of times.

Why are so clichés so ineffective? They’re common phrases that many other radio advertisers are drawing on too. When all used car lots are advertising themselves as “the #1 choice to get a car!”, the words stop having meaning. If everyone is the top pick, how are listeners supposed to choose?

The same is true of many other common phrases:

  • “We won’t be undersold”
  • “#1 in Customer Service!”
  • “Storewide savings”

The best bet here is to avoid these phrases altogether. Is there another, better way to say that customers can get great service?

Avoiding clichés helps a business stand out. Listeners perk up when they hear something different. The uniqueness of the phrasing is more likely to stick with them.

As an added bonus, the advertiser now sounds different than their competitors. They stand out, which makes them more memorable. The next time a customer is looking for a service or product, they’re likely to look up this business.

2. Too Much or Complex Information

Another very common misstep with radio advertising is trying to cram in every minor detail. A 30-second spot may seem like a lot of time, but trying to list every single product that’s on sale is probably a poor tactic.

Complex information is also a problem. Keep in mind that people are listening to the radio, which means they have to retain information in their heads. They may not have a pen and paper handy to jot something down.

What’s a radio advertiser to do? Focus on the highlights. What are the best deals in the store right now?

Highlight a couple of products or deals, then entice the listener to get in touch or pop into the shop to check out more great savings.

If there are complex details, like legal copy, it might help to consider a line like “see store for details” or “visit us online for full contest rules.” That offloads the work the ad has to do, and it makes it easier for potential customers to remember.

What about details like contact information or driving directions? Again, simplifying is the best bet. Try to think of the easiest way to describe directions to the business location.

If that can’t be done, directing listeners to another resource, like a website, could be a good option. This may be especially helpful if the business has several locations. It allows people to find the location nearest to them.

3. Radio Ad Mistakes with Airtime

Many radio advertising campaigns also make mistakes with airtime. There are a few different factors to consider in this arena.

Many advertisers think they need to get their ads on during what’s known as “drive time.” This window usually includes the morning and afternoon commutes, when people are most likely to be in their cars. They’re typically listening to the radio.

The problem is that radio stations will usually charge a premium for what’s considered “prime time” in the industry. Advertisers will pay more to get one of these slots.

Research indicates this may not always be the right choice. Running an ad at an off-peak time could be just as effective, if not more effective. Many people who are listening during drive time also listen at other times of day.

Some groups may not listen during drive time at all. Retired people may not have a commute, so they may be listening at off-peak hours in the morning or early afternoon.

Office workers may actually listen to the radio all day, and many stores and professional offices have the radio on to entertain clients.

Another common issue is ad frequency. Even if an advertiser chooses an effective slot, they may decide only to run their ad at one time in the morning. They might also not run the ad campaign long enough.

The end result is that the listener doesn’t hear the ad often enough to take action. As a general rule of thumb, a listener needs to hear an ad at least a few times per day over a couple days. If a business only runs their campaign for one week with one slot per day, even listeners who tune in every day may not hear the ad enough to act.

4. Using the Wrong Budget

Budget is a big concern when it comes to radio advertising. Using the wrong budget can cause problems for a campaign. Too small a budget may mean an advertiser runs a shorter campaign, which can lead to ineffectiveness.

There’s also a question of how to spend the budget. Many advertisers make the mistake of overspending on drive-time ads, as mentioned. Effective ad spend, though, might mean choosing slots outside the premium times.

In turn, the budget can go farther. That may mean advertisers can keep the campaign running longer, while also optimizing ad spend and improving returns.

5. Not Knowing the Audience

Another very common stumbling block with radio advertising is not knowing the audience. This can factor into choosing the wrong time slots, but it can also mean making mistakes like choosing the wrong stations altogether.

Advertisers should always consider their customer personas. Who actually buys this product or this service? Who is this ad trying to reach?

If a dentist’s office is trying to advertise a deal on dentures, choosing the local pop station playing all the latest hits may not be the right choice. Just as the audience might be older people listening outside “drive time,” they might also be listening to a different channel altogether.

6. Overwhelming Listeners with Numbers

Advertisers often have lots of numbers they want to include in their radio spots. Think price lists, phone numbers, or discounts.

Yet including too many numbers can make the ad overwhelming for listeners.

Why? Remember that most people are listening and don’t have a handy place to take down information. They might be driving or away from their desks.

That means they need to keep all the information they hear in the ad in their short-term memory. If they hear too many numbers, they may mix them up or get confused. When they try to call the business later, they find they have the wrong number.

Stick to fewer numbers whenever possible. Instead of advertising every individual price, include a range or “starting at.” Repeat the same numbers to help listeners remember them.

7. Falling Short of Amusing

Many advertisers wonder what types of ads are most engaging for radio listeners. Lots of people assume humorous ads get the best results.

It’s true that an amusing ad is likely to bring a smile to a listener’s face, and they’re likely to remember it. Many advertisers try too hard to be funny or quirky, though. The result often falls flat.

Trying too hard to be amusing can be more annoying than anything. It may have listeners reaching for the dial and switching stations.

It can also work against delivering important information in a clear way that’s easy to remember. If the ad isn’t amusing in a naturalistic way, it might be better to try a different angle. In fact, ads that pull off “funny” or “amusing” are few and far between, but plenty of radio spots are successful anyway.

8. Not Working with the Professionals

Perhaps the biggest mistake in any radio ad strategy is not working with the professionals. Many business owners decide to go it alone for a number of reasons.

One may be that they think it will cost too much to hire a script writer, head to a recording studio, or hire a voice-over artist.

The result may be an ad that doesn’t sound natural. The script might be clunky or fail to deliver key information.

Even deciding not to work with an agency to get the right placements or develop campaign strategy can be a big misstep. It leads to misspent budgets, ineffective placements, and ads that don’t perform.

Instead, look to get the professionals on the ad team. With their help, better ads and improved performance are guaranteed.

Radio Can Work for Any Business

Radio ad mistakes like these can really trip up a business strategy. By working to avoid them, advertisers can create more successful campaigns.

Radio is a tool that can work for businesses of every size, all across America. Get in touch with an expert team now and discover the difference a great radio ad campaign can make.

Holiday Radio Commercial Ads: How to Sell Your Business This Holiday Season

commercial ads

This holiday season, making sure their business is ready to drive more traffic to their online or brick-and-mortar store to help people check off their gift lists, take planning and preparation. As with most businesses across the country, they’ve probably been planning for months on what to stock their shelves (real or metaphorical) with to ensure the greatest shopping experience possible! How are they planning on telling the world what they have available this holiday season? With consumer behavior regularly changing and entertainment options fluctuating just as often, what is the best way to reach the most people possible? Radio is still the most used platform on the market in the United States, and radio commercial ads are generating more revenue than ever!

That means they get more bang for each advertisement they place during the holiday season! But don’t go into the process without a proper understanding of what makes a great holiday radio ad! This comprehensive radio ad review will ensure they know how to create a great ad and how to sell their business this holiday season and any other day. Read on to learn more!

Is Radio Still Relevant?

In short, yes, radio is still incredibly relevant! On average, radio reaches more Americans every week than any other platform available. Radio isn’t generally age-specific, and it’s something that most people utilize anytime they’re in their vehicles.

It doesn’t matter what type of music the user prefers; there are generally a few radio stations in their area that they can program for regular use. Then, as they move from one broadcasting area to another, they can scan to discover new options! 

The four most common benefits of radio are:

  1. Radio is a portable medium that people can utilize almost anytime and almost anyplace
  2. Radio is a FREE, advertiser-funded, media service where people can listen to music, stay up-to-date with current events, and learn about their local area
  3. Radio continues to adapt to changes in technology and user trends
  4. Radio is inclusive of age, gender, race, and any other demographic to provide numerous options for individuals across the country

The Elements of Great Holiday Radio Commercial Ads

Creating holiday radio ads for business requires strategy, professional production services, and an engaging but creative message. To create the right type of story for radio, take some time to understand what they’re trying to advertise and then consider their target audience would want to know about their product or service. Whether their goal is to drive more traffic to their website or in their store, they can achieve them with expertly crafted holiday commercials!

Finding the right way to send our message is a process of creative teamwork, testing different approaches, and analyzing the data. But when it comes to improved performance for the holidays specifically, they need to bump up the whole process to stand out amongst their competition! Check out these ten tips for creating a killer radio ads campaign this holiday season!

Tip 1: Don’t Skimp on Production Value and Voiceover Talent

One of the first places many businesses want to cut costs is professional production quality and voiceover talents. However, it’s important to remember that a sophisticated radio ad will build credibility with new potential customers. From subtly placed music and sound effects to accurately annunciated business names and offerings, these are the professionals in their industry for a reason!

Tip 2: Highlight What Makes Them Special

A holiday radio ad isn’t the place to play things humble or subtle. Take some time to shine the light on what makes their business different from the others and find a way to tell a story that will connect with the audience. The holiday season is a great time to focus on sentimentality, so don’t shy away from going for a heart-to-heart reaction,

Tip 3: Walk the Line Between Emotion and Logic

While it’s essential to create an emotional reaction, they also need to appeal to the logical audiences to ensure they cover all of their bases. Few people make a purchase based solely on an emotional response, but it is an excellent way to catch their attention! Highlight why they need their product or service specifically, and marry their logic and emotion seamlessly.

Tip 4: The Value of Articulation

Next time they listen to the radio, take a moment to focus on the commercial voice actors’ delivery of their message. The more articulate and well-timed their delivery is, the more appealing the messaging will be to listeners. Ensure their ad is clear, concise, and precise because they only get a set time to deliver their message.

Tip 5: Keep it Simple

They only have 60-seconds or less to make a connection, advertise their business, and keep their listeners attention. If they stuff too much in, the listener will be overwhelmed, but if they don’t give them enough information, they will be confused! Focus on making one good point in their ad and then build the dialogue around that point.

Tip 6: Use Music to Enhance the Message

While visual mediums can use emotionally moving pictures or videos to connect with their viewer, radio requires a different technique. The listener must build a visual in their mind while they listen to their ad, so make things easier by setting the tone with carefully selected audio. A catchy jingle or sound specific to their business is a great way to connect all of their holiday radio ad campaigns.

Tip 7: Understand Their Audience

They need to understand their customer to connect with them in a truly authentic way. Too often, people cast a wide net in an attempt to catch as many people as possible, but with broad advertisements, they’re less likely to grab anyone! Authentic, personalized messaging is the best way to create the best promotions.

Tip 8: Mention Their Offer

Whatever their call to action, or purpose, for their ad is, make sure they mention it in their ad! A simple, compelling call to action that tells the listener what they want them to do is the best course of action. Don’t use confusing language, and ensure the offer they make is backed up when it matters most.

Tip 9: Grab the Listeners Attention

They only get one chance to grab their listeners’ attention, so they need to create a hook that sells the ad, and ultimately their business! Their audience is bombarded with advertisements during every commercial break, so they need to immediately grab their attention and provoke their interest, curiosity, or imagination. The first 5-seconds of their ad are the most important so use them wisely!

Tip 10: Answer the Right Questions

An expert advertiser’s tool is always to make sure the ad answers the listener’s question in the simplest way possible. It’s vital to always advertise to the broadest audience possible while still focusing on their targeted group to increase conversions. 

An expert ad will answer the following questions:

  • What’s in it for them?
  • How will it make their life better, happier, or easier?
  • Why should they buy from them instead of their competition?

Why Should They Advertise on the Radio

In a world where digital marketing and social media are seemingly everywhere, many businesses are missing out on the importance of radio commercial ads. This holiday season, radio advertising is an affordable, quick, and targeted way to reach the masses.

With people utilizing radio more than ever, it’s an easy way to remind past customers that they’re still around and introduce themselves to new ones! Identify the best times to play their ads and focus on when their audience is most likely to hear what they have to offer, leaving the other time slots to other advertisements.

Where to Start

Are they ready to create a killer ad for this holiday season? Start by identifying which specific item or service they want to promote, then build the ads around that. Create a hook that will grab the listener’s attention and remember to find a way to include the holiday for an emotional connection. 

Don’t forget about the accurate annunciation, the inclusion of rightly-timed music or sound effects, and keeping things simple. They only have 60-seconds or less to get their message across, so they should keep things simple and focus on delivering the message to someone who isn’t an expert in their field.

If they need additional guidance or are curious about obtaining expert assistance in creating their ad, have them contact us for more information! For more details on advertising their business and how these different marketing approaches can help, check out our blog for more insightful articles.

7 Customer Service Tips for Helping People Over the Phone

customer service tips

60% of people in in need of customer service prefer to call than to communicate using any other support channels. On a phone call, a person can get more information faster than chat support. A person can also interpret the tone and the vocal queues from the other end of that phone call.  Some people prefer to hear a voice rather than read a message.

Communicating with a customer over the phone can be very difficult. This is because messages can be misinterpreted and muddled when talking to the person on the other end and without visual contact. Therefore, there is a need for good phone call etiquette.

For the phone call support to continue growing in popularity and have a competitive advantage over chat support, there is a need to improve the experience.  Here are seven phone customer service tips to improve on phone etiquette and have better telephone communication skills.  

1. Adopting a Positive Tone and the Smile Effect

A customer will feel more comfortable on the call if the customer care representative on the other end projects a natural, enthusiastic, and attending tone. They must also control their pitch and the rate of their speech.

If the customer care representative speaks at a rate beyond 130-150 words per minute, the client may not understand what they are saying.  Anything lower than 130 words per minute may seem to the client like the customer care representative is slow and very lazy. 

Controlling and balancing one’s pitch is also critical because a high pitch is considered youthful and does not portray the person as authoritative. A low pitch is harsh for any person listening.

For a person to sound interested and natural, they have to find a middle ground for their speech rate and pitch. They must also vary their inflection and avoid using a monotone that’s boring and less enthusiastic.

When answering a phone call, it’s always advisable to smile. As they say, a smile can be heard on the other side of the call.  Your voice will be warmer and friendlier when you speak with a smile. Smiling as you greet the caller, ensures that the conversation begins positively and creates leeway for a pleasant and productive exchange. 

2. Sincerity

While offering customer service, all conversations must be sincere and genuine. While starting the conversation, say hello and avoid the scripted greeting that sounds inauthentic and artificial. After saying hello, introduce yourself, the company you work for, and offer your assistance.

When working on a switchboard or answering a transferred call, it’s important to indicate the department you are part of so that the client can be assured that you can help.  By doing this, the customer will be at ease, and they will know that you are there and ready to help. 

Never use phrases like “I can’t do that”, “just a second”, or “I don’t know” because they connote negativity.  Instead, always tell a caller what you can do and always specify how long a task will take to complete. 

Being sincere and positive while answering a caller’s questions calms them and leaves them satisfied at the end of the conversation.

3. Courtesy While You Put a Caller on Hold

When you need to put callers on hold, you must ask for their permission first; it’s also important that you give them the option of either leaving a voicemail message or waiting. When putting them off hold, it’s advisable to thank them for waiting in line. This assures the caller that you respect their time.

4. Enunciation and Use of Verbal Nods

When on-call, do not use jargon or complex words; instead, use simple words and phrases. Speak clearly, avoid using filler words and slang because they reduce the quality of that conversation. Eating or chewing during a conversation leads to an inaudible speech. To optimize your customer service, avoid these practices. 

Words like “I see”, “ah”, and “right” are examples of verbal nods. They are the tiny utterances a person makes while listening to another. In a phone conversation where there is no visual feedback, these words must be intensified.

 A skilled phone representative occasionally throws in these words to assure the caller that they are still attentively listening. 

5. The Use of a Caller’s Name

A person’s name to them is the most important and the sweetest sound in any language. Using a customer or a caller’s name in the conversation provides a warm personal touch. People love it when they hear a customer care provider address them by their name.

A person on either side of the phone call can easily get distracted. A customer care representative must then use the name of the caller to recapture their attention. Name showering or name-calling is sometimes overused or overdone to the point of sounding awkward. At this point, it’s advisable to let go of the name showering.

6. Listen and Be Prepared for Objections

When dealing with either inbound or outbound calls, a customer care representative has to learn to listen more and answer questions precisely. A caller can read the authenticity of the brand by the way the customer care representative articulates themselves.  

It’s also possible that the caller will not always agree with your answers, therefore be prepared to listen, reason with, or counter without getting irritated.  

7. Customer or Caller Satisfaction

Before hanging up on a conversation, the caller’s concerns and questions must be answered. Ask the client if there is anything else you can help them with, and if there is no, then provide information that they may need to know in the future as long as it’s relevant.

Share all the necessary information they may need, like if they need to call back whom they should talk to and at what time. And lastly, wish the caller a nice day or tell them that it was nice talking to them. This makes the customer feel like you happily helped them, and if need be, you would happily serve them again.

Why Are These Customer Service Tips Crucial?

Efficient phone call skills are crucial because they result in productive relationships that ultimately lead to increased sales and services. When handling clients on the phone, one must remain confident, remain positive, and empathize with them when necessary.

Once a client realizes that they were treated with consideration, care, and courtesy. They will come back for repeated business, and they will refer their friends to you. 

To learn more about business call etiquette and more customer service tips, visit our website.

How to Create a 5-Star Studio From Scratch With a Green Screen Studio Rental

green screen studio

Whether you’re looking to a be a Hollywood movie director, or you’re a business person looking to create a new advert, a green screen studio rental can be exactly what you need to get you there.

Shooting in the great outdoors can come with several problems. You also might need your own space to think through and experiment with your ideas properly. You may not have even heard of what a green screen studio rental is before!

This blog post will help you with all these questions and more. We’re going to outline how a green screen studio rental works. Then, we’ll give you a list of the benefits they’ll provide when it comes to shooting your new advert.

What is a Green Screen Studio Rental?

Let’s get this question out of the way first. If you don’t know what a green screen studio rental is, it’s fairly self-explanatory. Essentially, green screen studio rentals allow you complete access to your own fully green-screened room.

It’s similar to renting out a recording studio if you’re a musician. You can rent out a green screen studio by the hour or for the entire day, depending on how long you’ll require. 

You can then do pretty much anything you like in the room, within reason. You’ll have access to a professional camera and audio equipment, so you don’t have to bring any cameras with you.

The best green screen studios will also come with additional space, like private dressing rooms. Some even have conference rooms and a large number of parking spaces. These are essential if you have a full cast hired for your video filming. 

With the right studio, you can house an entire crew for a shoot, or just handle something small on your own.

A green screen studio rental can allow you access to Hollywood-quality space and equipment at a fraction of the cost it’d be to create your own. You can also work with the professionals at the location, who can help guide you through anything if you need it.

Now that you know what a green screen studio rental is, let’s highlight the many ways in which they can benefit your advert shoot.

You Don’t Have to Set Anything Up Or Have Any Equipment

Setting up your own green screen room can be complicated. You’ll need to first ensure you’ve got the right color green screen material, to begin with. Then you have to properly pin it to your wall if you even have a wall that’s big enough!

A badly set-up green screen can make your advert look unprofessional. You might have a saggy corner, which messes up the image.

You also might be filming on inferior equipment. That can decrease the final quality of your footage and can make it hard to add that level of polish you need to show off.

But if you hire a green screen studio, you don’t have to set any of this up yourself. You show up at your booked time, and your green screen will be there waiting for you.

You’ll also have access to high-quality filming and audio equipment. This kind of kit could cost you thousands of dollars if you bought it yourself. If you don’t regularly film, this is a cost that simply isn’t viable for most businesses.

But with green screen studios rentals, you have the equipment for the shoot and then leave it all behind. It makes the entire shoot far less stressful than it would be if you’re setting all this up and sourcing the equipment yourself.

That means you can focus your time on what matters – the content of your advert.

Audio Perfection, As Well As Visual

Everyone considers the importance of good visuals when filming. But not a lot of people think about how important the audio quality is to the finished product.

YouTubers often record using their smartphones these days, creating poor audio quality if not touched up later. By doing this, you’re spending more time than you need to in post.

With a green screen studio rental, you’ll have access to professional-grade audio equipment, which are, again, already set up for you. That means the audio of your film is already taken care of.

Most musicians book out a separate recording studio for this very reason, why should a business advert be any different?

The Freedom of Green Screen

Another benefit of booking out a green screen studio lies in the green screen itself. Green screen technology is still used in major Hollywood blockbusters today to simulate high-tech special effects.

By using a green-screen, you can let your imagination run wild. You can set an advert in unprecedented settings, which wouldn’t be possible otherwise. 

You could include a background showing a different country that you don’t have the budget to visit. Or, it could include a fantasy or sci-fi setting.

The possibilities are limitless when it comes to using a green screen studio for filming. This level of freedom can work wonders when it comes to brand awareness.

You’re able to create something that really stands out from other adverts currently around within your sector. It is a brilliant way of showing your customers the unique things your company has to offer.

It also means you’re using a proven visual technique while creating your advert. It ensures your advert will look professional while also standing out. With a company studio rental, you can achieve this professionalism whilst doing exactly what it is you want to do.

Complete Control Over Filming

Another brilliant aspect of green screen studio rentals is the ability to control the environment completely. As long as you book the studio for a long enough time, you’re able to do whatever you like within that setting.

You won’t be disrupted by pedestrians who are fascinated by your camera. In fact, there won’t be any external disruptions at all. 

The whole point of a green screen studio is to provide you with a quiet, controlled space to conduct your filming. A green screen studio building will have been built to ensure you have access to everything you need to film.

It can include additional spaces like conference rooms to plan out your storyboards or rehearse your script. You’ll also, in the best studios, have access to experienced members of staff who can help you have an added level of control over the shoot.

Additionally, it can include operators who are tasked with keeping track of the equipment. Or, it can include a studio manager if you’d like some additional expertise when it comes to staging and filming.

This level of control over your environment means filming itself can run smoothly and efficiently. An advert that might have taken you weeks to finalize can be completed in a matter of days.

Multipurpose and Time-Conscious Film Location

Green screen studios are perfect for business filming because of their multi-purpose nature. Yes, they can be great for adverts, but have you considered creating informative videos to be embedded on your company website?

How about starting up a YouTube channel for this very purpose. Or, how about doing a demonstration video for your product to explain its functionality?

All of these forms and more are possible with a green screen studio. The flexibility offered by the green screen itself can make it perfect for informative videos. You can simply add large text or visual cues in post to refer to certain aspects of the film.

But they’re also brilliant for creative backgrounds if you want to make a traditional film-style advert for television. Whatever you’re thinking of creating, a green screen studio can make it a reality.

You’ll also be able to book the space for long enough to ensure this is possible. With filming on location, you’ll likely have a set number of days to complete filming. If you don’t account for long enough, you might have return travel booked with only half your advert completed.

With a green screen studio, time is on your side. Green screen studios allow you to book an additional day in the studio to film those odds and ends. That is particularly helpful when it comes to editing your video, as you might realize you need some additional scenes to help your advert become the best it can be.

Where Can I Find Out More About Green Screen Studio Rental?

We hope this post has explained the many benefits of green screen studio rental. We know, however that you likely have many more questions. Maybe you’re screaming, ‘where can I find a green screen studio near me!?’

Panic no longer, as Killer Spots Agency has you covered. Not only do we provide extensive radio ad support and jingle production, but we also offer our own green screen studio rental.

To find out more or obtain a quote, make sure you contact us directly via our website.

The Voice Behind the Image: How to Be a Voice-Over Artist

how to be a voice over artist

Has anyone ever said to you, “Hey, you have a nice voice”?

It’s not something we really pay much attention to, especially when it’s our own.

But what if your voice was so good that it couldn’t be ignored?

What if it could earn you a decent living right from the comfort of your own home?

In this article you’ll discover how to be a voice-over artist, the training that’s involved, and how you can find a job doing it.

So if you’re looking to get your voice out there, let me show you how…

What is a Voice-Over Artist?

A voice-over artist is the performer that is never seen. The man (or woman) behind the curtain.

They deliver a narrative that captivates a target audience, and it can take on a variety of different forms.

It could be for an audiobook that is warm and comforting, igniting the imagination of the listener.

It can be for TV or radio advertisements, designed to capture attention and sell a product or service.

Or it could be that voice you hear waiting at the train station, or on the phone while you’re on hold.

While we all have a voice, not just anyone can be a voice-over artist. Some of the best come from a background in acting or radio, where speaking with flair comes naturally.

That’s not to say it cannot be learned and developed by yourself…

Finding Your Voice

To start off, you’ve got to be able to speak clearly and eloquently, so that your audience can at least hear and understand you easily. Many actors have speech coaches and practice reading scripts to create a particular tone, cadence, and quality that truly resonates with the listener.

For many it’ll depend on the job, whether it is to be formal and informative, to drive home a sale, or to bring a character to life, off the page and into the mind of the listener.

A good voice may be heard, but a great voice makes you pay attention. This is one of the many reasons why it is highly effective in advertising media.

How Can I Improve My Voice Acting?

Just as a painter develops their skills through different mediums and regular practice, training your voice in various ways is a great way to practice your speaking skills.

This could be in the form of reading aloud to others, presenting to groups of people, teaching a subject you’re passionate about, acting, or even reading stories to children.

There’s all sorts of different ways to use and develop your voice. So experiment, try things that make you uncomfortable, and your skills will no doubt improve in time.

The more adaptable you are to different scenarios, the more employable you’ll be.

How to Be a Voice-Over Artist

The good thing is that voice-over work no longer needs to be done in a studio, as many artists are now recording from home.

This makes the job far more flexible than it used to be, but it also means that it’ll take a little more time and effort from you.

Aside from a good voice, you’ll need to know a bit about using recording equipment and audio software. You’ve got to be organised, committed, and driven to find the work, complete the tasks and manage your schedule accordingly.

If you’re after some training you can find lots of videos on YouTube or courses on Udemy. 

And if you want to get a good idea of what clients are looking for, check out this guide from Debbie Grattan.

Once you’re all prepared and practised, it’s time to get out there to find the work.

Voice-Over Casting

Most voice-over work is paid per project rather than at an hourly rate. And if you’re good enough, some employers will even provide you with ongoing and recurring jobs.

As a lot of voice-over work can be done from home, you can sign up to an online marketplace where you can apply for all sorts of jobs.

Some of these include:

  • Voices / Voices 123 – both provide a wide range of different voice over jobs.
  • Findaway Voices / ACX – for lots of audiobook and other narration jobs.

If accepted, you will be asked to audition for the role for which you can submit a video voice over or an audio file.

There are lots of advertising and talent agencies looking for great voice-over artists, and you can find out exactly what they’re looking for.

To give you a little more insight, Bunny Studios has an excellent article here on five tips for selecting voice-over talent, which is well worth a read.

Additional Voice-Over Tips

  • Get yourself a good microphone that connects to your PC and download some free recording software like Audacity. Here’s six tips on how to make better audio recordings.
  • Create a dedicated work space at home that is quiet and free from distractions.
  • Contact companies such as film and TV studios, radio stations, and ad agencies directly to find out if they need any voice-over work. Here’s 12 tips on what people are looking for.
  • Branch out on your voice skills and demonstrate the different areas you can work in, such as translating, transcribing, character voices, or singing jingles.
  • Create a website and maintain an active social media presence to advertise your services, showcase your work, and quite possibly be headhunted!

The Last Word

Hopefully you now have a good idea about how to be a voice-over artist and what it takes to really make it.

Remember, it takes a lot more than simply having a nice voice. You’ve got to practice consistently, develop the surrounding skills, and always be professional in your approach.

There are many advantages to starting a career as a voice-over artist that you may not find in most jobs, from more flexibility to new and exciting opportunities.

So if you have the drive, the passion, and of course the voice, it’s time for you to speak up and be heard!

Head on over to Killer Spots Agency now where you can apply to work as a voice-over artist today!

How to Write a Jingle for a Business — One Customers Won’t Forget

how to write a jingle

A truly successful jingle is a triumph of marketing. It can propel unknown companies into household names, embedding itself in the minds of whole generations. Yet the simple jingle is a hard concept to get right.

If you are thinking of writing your own advertising music, it may help to have some guidance before you begin. We give you our top tips from our team of staff experts on how to write a jingle. 

Leverage the Sonic Logo

The world is filled with sonic anaphones, though many people do not understand what they are. The three notes that rang out on the Intel adverts? The sweeping tones that play as your X Box boots up?

These are sonic anaphones, more commonly known as a sonic logo. They could never be described as a melody as they are too short. They very seldom have lyrics, and if they do they are barely a company name. 

However, they manage to sum up a company in the choice of notes and musical elements they are combined with. These clever, short sounds that represent your company can be dropped in subliminally and without notice. A good sonic logo is a powerful marketing tool when used within a jingle. 

Match your Genre to Your Audience

To accomplish this, you need to first find out your audience. If you are at the stage of producing a jingle, you probably already know this. If not, do some marketing before you begin and consult the public. 

Once you have this, match the genre of your jingle to your consumer. Are they young and energetic? Then consider a dance or hip hop based jingle.

Applying the same logic, your genre must also reflect your brand and advertising aesthetic. If a product is aimed at a rural audience, you may consider country music. It could be that you are composing for a high tech, state of the art company that needs sleek, electronic synth-based music to reflect this.

Choosing the Correct Musical Elements

Once you have matched the genre, you need to concentrate on your musical elements. These are additional components that make up a piece of music. The dynamics, instrument choice, tempo, and other elements all add to the overall feel.

As an example, a jingle to promote a relaxation product would need to be soft, with a slow tempo and gentle string instruments. Banging drums and blaring brass sections would not reflect the product that was being offered. Brainstorm the adjectives you would use to describe your company and make sure it is reflected in the music. 

Research Competitor Jingles

It is very likely that your competitors already have a catchy tune composed by a jingle writer. If they don’t, you are already one step ahead of them. Listen to their advertising and write down the successful and less successful parts of their jingle.

You now have two choices. Either go with something that matches the theme and tone that they have created, or go for something totally different.

A different jingle would set you aside from competitors. However, the downside could be that it does not match your company image and alienates your customer base.

Write Lyrics that Sell your Product

Lyrics are extremely hard to write. You want to write something poignant and meaningful without being overly cliche or cheesy. Luckily, you are writing a jingle and not a song.

With a jingle, you need to sell your product, then sell it some more. Let people know what you do, how you do it, and why they need the product. Tell them the problem you can solve and what they are missing out on if they do not take part. 

Think of all the memorable jingles from TV and radio. Every one of them is over the top.

How to Write a Jingle with a Killer Hook

This part is slightly harder. You need to have a killer hook that people will be singing all day long. On top of that, it needs to reflect the business image and needs.

For this, utilize musical intervals. An interval is a gap between the notes on a piano. Each one imparts a different meaning in the ear of the listener. 

Action films always include an interval of a perfect fifth, because it makes the listener’s brain think of strength and power. One key difference and you can be summoning up thoughts of malicious evil and devil worship, so choose them carefully.

Use interval combinations that reflect your aesthetic within your hook writing. The simpler you can get it, the more impact it will have. 

Record More Than One

When you create your jingle, especially if it is for a client, always have more than one idea. You may think you have written the greatest advertising music ever, but others may think differently. Ask the opinion of several unbiased people which they think is best.

Once you have narrowed it down to one idea, you can begin to flesh out the rest of your parts. You can begin to tighten the lyrics, add extra instruments, and turn the advertising world upside down. 

Still Struggling?

Are you still struggling with how to write a jingle? It is not as easy as you would believe and sometimes it may help to just hire an expert. We have a wide range of options in radio and TV production that would be a great fit for your business.

Message us and book a consultation or ask for advice today. Alternatively, visit our blog for more information on how to write a jingle and get started today.

5 Surprising Ways Radio Advertising Can Boost Business

radio advertising

Radio advertising has been around for a long time, but it has not lost its potency. If anything, radio ads have become more helpful to businesses in recent years due to the advent of online radio advertising.

92% of Americans listen to the radio each week. And 25% of listeners become more interested in a brand after hearing an advertisement for it. This can make a huge difference for your brand.

Radio ads can be critically helpful to the success of your business. But some of the ways radio advertising can help you might surprise you. If you have not considered radio advertising for your business, you might be missing out on the ways it can benefit your brand.

Keep reading to find out the five surprising ways that radio advertising can help your business.

1. It Helps You Reach Your Target Audience

Radio advertising is one of the most effective ways of reaching your target audience. You already know who your potential customers are. Radio lets you reach them directly. 

Not all radio stations are created equal. Every station will have a target demographic of listeners. You can discern what that target demographic is by the type of radio program the station produces. By choosing which radio station to advertise on, you are targeting your potential customers directly.

Additionally, radio stations have a local focus. On-air radio will target a specific city or region. This is truer for radio than it is for television.

If your brand has a local focus, you stand to benefit substantially from radio advertising. This is because your ad will be geographically relevant to every listener you reach.

If your brand has locally based locations or events, on-air advertising is very effective for publicizing them. You know that the listeners live in the vicinity of your brand, and can attend your events.

At the same time, radio has a wider reach than some other modes of targeted ads. Radio ads can reach anyone in the region with interests related to your brand.

In summary, radio advertising can be incredibly beneficial to your business because of its wide reach with a targeted focus.

2. It Induces Cognitive Thinking

Watching television can be a passive experience. Same with scrolling through your phone. But really listening to a radio program requires active listening.

This engages the cognitive part of your brain.

Cognitive skills help you do things like think, learn, reason, and remember. You want listeners to be engaging in these activities when listening to your ad.

Active listening means that listeners are actually engaging with your advertisement. This does a few things that can be helpful for your brand.

First, it creates better retention. Even if listeners don’t immediately seek out your brand, they remember your advertisement. When they need a product or service like yours, they are more likely to seek you out, because they have heard of you.

For more information on how to make your advertisement memorable or unique, click here.

Second, listeners are more likely to think about your service or product and whether they need it. Even if it hadn’t occurred to them to seek out that service before, they might now.

Radio has traditionally been called the “Cinderella medium.” This is because when things go right, the results can be incredible.

One of the reasons it can be so incredible is that the radio can be heard from pretty much anywhere. Think about it: most people listen to the radio when they are in their cars, traveling from place to place.

This can be beneficial in its own right. If your target customers are listening to the radio while they are out running errands, they are already in the buying headspace. If they are thinking about shopping when they hear your ad, they are more likely to seek out your product or service.

3. It Can Bolster Your Online Presence

Radio as the “Cinderella medium” has never been truer than it is now.

In addition to listening to the radio in the car, you can now stream radio programs and stations on the internet.

Some people think the radio is outdated because many people don’t have traditional radios in their homes anymore. But they are wrong.

Even though many people don’t have a traditional radio anymore outside of their car, many people have a smartphone. And if you have a smartphone, you have radio access.

This is great news for online brands. When your ad plays via online streaming, it can be paired with an advertisement banner. When listeners want to know more about your product or service when they hear your advertisement, they can click on the banner. From there, they will be led to your product site.

This can help you make a sale, or even gain social media followers if you link your banner to an Instagram or Facebook page. Before long, you will be able to advertise to your target customers from multiple platforms.

It also allows your brand to engage with listeners in multiple mediums. By listening to the audio advertisement and then seeing your graphic banner, they are engaging two of their senses with your brand. This means that they are more likely to remember you.

4. It Personalizes Your Brand

Given the choice, consumers will always opt to support a brand that they have a personal connection with. Radio advertising gives you the chance to form that personal connection.

It gives them a chance to know you, and to know your voice. This is why it is helpful to have consistency amongst your ads in terms of whose voice the consumer hears.

It might be your voice, as the business owner, or it might be a voice actor, standing in. Either way, it gives your brand a personal touch. Before long, consumers feel like they know you.

By introducing a voice to your audience, it helps you create an identity for your brand. Consider producing your advertisement with professionals who can help you craft that identity for your target customer.

This is the best thing that could possibly happen to your business. Consumers are more likely to go with brands they trust. By offering up a human side to your brand, you are inviting them to trust you. 

We know by now that advertising is more effective when it engages emotions. By triggering memories or images or by telling a story, effective advertising can speak to people on a human level.

Radio advertising will allow you to do that with the sound of your voice. Never pass on an opportunity to connect emotionally with your audience.

5. It Maximizes Your ROI

Maximizing your ROI, or Return on Investment is crucial to any advertisement. Radio advertising helps you do this in a couple of different ways.

First, radio advertising can be a decently affordable way to get your message out there. Combined with the fact that you are almost definitely reaching your target audience, you are getting the most bang for your buck.

Secondly, the effectiveness of advertisements is maximized when they are repeated. Repetition will drastically affect your ROI. The more times a listener hears and engages with your advertisement, the more they are likely to remember it and act on it.

Repetition will drive home the point that your product or service is available and preferable to other similar services. This is also why it is productive to use a repeated tagline or phrase in your advertisement.

Thirdly, if your advertisement plays over online streaming, it is ultimately easier to track and measure your ROI. That’s because you get real-time results. This can help you figure out what works about your ad and what doesn’t.

Knowing how effective your ad is ultimately does two things for you. It tells you what you should change or keep the same for next time. As a result, it increases your ROI because you won’t make the same mistakes twice.

In this case, you are looking at radio advertising as a long-term investment. Your second ad will be better than your first, and your third will be better than your second.

If your radio ads are effective, you’ll want to keep producing them. Repetition over a long period of time will turn your voice and brand into a household name.

Radio Advertising Can Bolster Your Brand

Radio advertising may be one of the oldest forms of advertising, but it is just as relevant now as ever. Perhaps it is even more effective today, since the advent of online streaming. Radio advertising can bolster your brand by inducing cognitive thinking, adding personality to your brand, reaching your target audience, maximizing your online presence, and ultimately boosting your ROI.

To start planning your radio advertisement today, click here.

What Characterizes an Outstanding On-Air Broadcaster?

broadcaster

With all the different media options available, there is still something incredibly appealing to the radio. Radio is an intimate form of media that has been a staple of American homes for many generations. 

Have you ever dreamt about becoming a radio host? Have you ever wanted to be part of the great American radio show tradition?

Well, if you want to – then you have to have what it takes to be a great radio broadcaster.

Audio is an effective medium. Whether for entertaining, informing, or advertising it’s a great medium for reaching others.

But, it’s not as easy as it may look. Here’s what you need to know:

Be a Great Speaker

This may sound obvious, but being a great speaker is challenging. You might be the center of attention at the dinner table or a party, but that doesn’t mean you have a knack for broadcasting.

So how do you improve your speaking skills? We suggest practicing public speaking. While a broadcast might be by themselves in a studio, they are speaking to a large audience. Public speaking will teach you how to enunciate, persuade, entertain, and address a large audience.

You will also learn the importance of expanding your vocabulary. You’ll learn how to form your sentences to say as much as you can with a limited time frame.

Have a Great Personality

To be a great on-air personality, you need to think about what you want your style to be. Take a moment to think about famous talk show hosts – whether they are on the radio or television/video.

Do you want to be direct and matter of fact like Brian Lamb? Do you want to be confrontational like Joe Pyne? Easy-going like Bill Boggs or Dick Cavett? Or abrasive like Alex Jones?

Your on-air personality should be best-suited to what you are as a person. Your personality should be one that appeals to your listeners. The main theme, regardless of the personality you choose, is that you should be relatable.

Have a Sense of Curiosity

Regardless of what type of show you host, every broadcaster must have a sense of curiosity. If you are advertising a product, you must convey to the audience that you are interested in the product.

If you are telling a story or reporting the news, the listeners must be able to hear the interest in your voice. If you are interviewing someone, you should be curious about what they have to say.

You want to arouse an interest in your listeners. This can only happen if you show any interest in your subject.

You Must Know How to Listen

Being a broadcaster is not just about talking. You also have to give importance to listening. You can tell that a broadcaster is mediocre if they don’t listen to others. No one wants to listen to a broadcaster who only likes the sound of their own voice.

For example, when you are interviewing someone on the radio you want to make sure that you don’t constantly interrupt them. You want to make sure that you are actively listening to them. If you don’t have great follow-up questions and your interview doesn’t have a conversational style, your listeners will realize that you don’t give importance to listening.

Learn the Technical Aspects

While you may not need to ever handle the technical aspects of radio, it’s always important to understand them. Watch the sound engineers at work and ask them about what they specifically do.

You should be aware of the latest technologies so that you can adapt. You should know which are the best microphones and headphones for broadcasting audio.

If you ever decide to branch out into starting your own radio station or hosting a podcast, now is the time to learn the technical aspects.

Work Under Pressure

Any job in the media is demanding and requires you to work under pressure. This is an important skill to cultivate if you wish to work as a radio broadcaster.

You will have to know how to complete an interview or a news report in a short amount of time. If you are asked to advertise a product, you’ll have 60 seconds maximum – sometimes you’ll barely have 30 seconds.

If you have to report the news, you may only have a moment’s notice to broadcast breaking news.

The time limit and urgency are what makes the radio industry exciting. It’s also what adds tremendous pressure on broadcasters. Make sure you cultivate the habit of being calm and professional under pressure.

Work Well With Others

While you may be the solo host of your own radio show, working as a broadcaster is not a one-man job. It is a team effort and you will have to learn to work well with others.

Make sure you know how to work alongside your producer, sound engineer, etc. If you have a co-host or are interviewing a guest, you will need to know how to accommodate them.

Be Accurate

When you say something on the air it has the potential to be heard by millions of people. You want to make sure that you are responsible for what you broadcast. If you are broadcasting the news, make sure that you don’t twist the facts.

You want to make sure that you adhere to any guidelines or protocols that your producer has decided. You want to make sure that you maintain a high level of integrity.

Respect Your Audience

Finally, as you continue broadcasting you will build a loyal audience. It’s imperative to always show them respect.

Your audience is your lifeline. Make sure that you treat them with respect and that you always keep them in mind while broadcasting. They are always going to expect a high-quality broadcast. If you are consistent with your quality, the audience will remain loyal and will continue to grow.

Become an On-Air Broadcaster

Now that you know how to be a successful on-air broadcaster, we wish you good luck as you start your journey. Follow the steps in this guide and you are sure to have a successful career in radio.

Part of being a successful broadcaster is to have a great brand. Check out what we offer to see how we can help you with your brand.

7 Social Media Advertising Secrets For Business You May Not Know

social media advertising

According to Digital 2019 Reports, the internet receives more than a million new users every day. Social media alone has more than 2.3 billion active users worldwide. Many of these people use social media to find the services and products they’re looking for.

Do you know what this means for your business? Your potential clients are online, and you need to follow them there. The best way to reach these people and leverage the number is through social media advertising.

But wait! Advertising on social media isn’t that easy. It’s not about putting together a few Facebook posts and images, then staying behind to watch the reaction of your followers.

Social media advertising needs successful planning and execution for it to work out no matter the kind of business you run. You need to have a plan, do your research, and carry out some competitor analysis.

Well, apart from using the right strategies, there are also secrets you must unveil to succeed with your social media marketing. Here are seven of those secrets that will help with your social media marketing.

1. Start By Defining Your Target Audience

With the huge number of social media users, your ads will hit a dead-end if you don’t properly define your target audience. One of the best strategies to succeed is to know the kind of people you’re targeting and tailor your marketing message specifically to them.

Let’s say, for instance, you’re in the fashion industry selling streetwear. You must know the age group that will get interested in this kind of fashion. Once you know the audience, you also need to understand when to get them online and the right channels they use.

Are they on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter?

Streetwear mostly targets the younger generation between the ages of 17 to 27. These people are mostly found on Instagram, Snapchat, etc. and that’s where you should focus your advertising message. Understand your audience personas to understand various social media marketing trends that will work for the specific segment.

2. Identify the Right Social Media Advertising Platforms

There are many social media platforms to use, but not all of them will work for your business. Many social media marketers run to Facebook because it’s the biggest platform with up to 2 billion monthly users. However, not everyone is active on Facebook, and it’s becoming oversaturated.

If you’re targeting the older generation, Facebook marketing will work best. However, younger people are more active on sites like  Instagram, which is also the most growing social media platform. Also, consider your target group’s social status and their professions to know the platforms they’re likely to use.

If you’re in B2B business, LinkedIn might turn out to be the best platform. E-commerce businesses and other retailers might leverage the power of Pinterest for their success.

When choosing a platform, you need to understand your audience and find out where they are, even though some may be all over. Consider your type of business and the kind of people it’s likely to attract.

Try doing a simple competitor analysis to figure out what other businesses of your kind are using and see if you can follow suit. Only do this if the platform seems to be working perfectly for your competitor.

3. Forget About Free Social Media Advertising

Many people rush to social media ads because it promises free marketing. One thing they don’t understand is that the best social media marketing will never be free of charge. Of course, you don’t need to spend to fill up your business’s social media profile or put up posts.

But one thing you must know is that free marketing won’t cost you anything of monetary value but will take a lot of your time. It takes time, commitment, and energy to build an active social media presence. One wrong move and all that effort you’ve put up building yourself on social media go down the drain.

You’ll spend a lot of time, and you know what they say, ‘time is money.’ You might consider spending a few bucks on finding a professional social media marketer or working with an influencer for faster results.

4. Influencers Work Magic

Business advertising social media have work wonders through influencer power. Influencers have helped businesses drive engagement, generate conversations, and improve sales. These are the people who create the desire among your audience and get them to use your products.

Indeed influencers are the real gem when it comes to social media for business.

But is your business leveraging the power of influencers yet? If not, this might be why you’re still stuck with your social media advertising while your competitors are gaining a lot.

Take a look at this data. Reports have it that more than half a million millennials will try a brand because their favorite YouTuber suggested it. Influencers have worked wonders to control consumer behavior and see brands succeed.

However, influencer marketing can be challenging if you don’t approach it with caution. Influencer fraud is on the rise, and you must take time to know that your ideal choice has a genuine following. Find an influencer with a quality audience and liaise with them to see your brand grow the levels you desire.

5. Don’t Get Personal

Social media is one of those marketing platforms that you can use the way you deem fit. There is freedom of communication, and you can create a deep connection with your audience the best way. However, when it’s a business account, let it be solemnly for business purposes.

Don’t post personal photos or information in your business accounts. This is where your customers are going to find your brand, and you must maintain professional standards. A report from manifest shows that 74% of customers follow businesses on social media, and 96% maintain active interactions with the businesses they follow.

If you go personal with your posts, you might scare away customers who do not agree with your opinion. You should also be careful with what you post on your personal social media accounts because some customers may follow you there. Anything contrary will see you lose a potential customer.

6. There Is Great Power in Facebook Groups

One way to get a huge audience and reach out to your customers is through Facebook groups. Facebook groups have a wider reach than any business or personal account. People interact easily in groups and engage better.

As an entrepreneur, you need to create a group and find people in your niche to join. Make sure you stick to a niche that aligns with your audience and your products. Once you bring people on board, create killer content, and work on ways to drive engagement.

Try to connect with your audience in several ways. Ask them questions, and encourage participation, go live to chat directly with your audience. You can also make videos to market your business using the latest marketing trends.

One thing you must know is that bringing people onboard those groups is not going to be easy. Take this as one of the long-term social media advertisement projects.

Don’t push them as you can easily lose their trust. Marketing is not about being pushy but about creating a relationship. Work on building a community where everyone feels important, but not there because you want to use them to make sales.

7. Don’t Forget to Track Your Success

Of course, there are various strategies that are going to work for you and a host of others that will fail. It’s encouraging to know that the advertising methods you’re using are working, and you’re soon going to start reaping benefits. But then don’t get discouraged by those other strategies that will seem not to work out.

Track those posts that are performing well and find out why they did perform. Check out those other posts that didn’t drive any engagement and figure out what you did wrong.

Knowing those advertising techniques that worked and those that flopped will help you make better decisions in the future. You will know where to focus more efforts, where to pull up your socks, and which ones to drop. Generating a monthly and annual social media report can help you track your success.

You Can Make Everything Simple

Social media advertising may seem simple, but that’s not the case. There are strategies, secrets, and tactics that you must use to reach out to your audience and maintain a strong relationship. When you understand all these and implement them the right way, you will see how powerful this platform will ensure your business’s success.

So, are you ready to advertise your business on social media and see your business succeed? Well, you must consider these secrets but go slow on each of them. Your success lies in how disciplined, determined, and patient you will be.

If you feel stuck and need someone to hold your hand, we will be there for you. We’re all about helping businesses succeed and with our expert tips and advice. Fill out our contact form to get a quote.

How to Make a Smokin’ Hot Video Commercial for Your Small Business

how to make a video commercial

If you run a small business, you want to market it successfully. No matter how great your business is, without marketing, it will not maximize its potential. 

So what are the best ways to put your small business on the map?

One of the best ways is through a video commercial. A video commercial strikes at the heart of your audience and is often the best way to promote your small business.

We’ve put together this guide to show you how to make a video commercial for your small business.

The Guide on How to Make a Video Commercial

Even if you run a small business, you can find great equipment to create a video commercial. Once you’ve invested in the best equipment, you are ready to start planning your video commercial.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. What’s the Story?

The first decision to make is the message you want to put across to your audience. Are you making a generic promotion for your brand? Are you selling a particular product or service?

Commercials are succinct messages. You need to focus on one topic for each commercial. We recommend opting for a specific message or promotion to get the most out of your video commercial.

A generic commercial will introduce your audience to your brand. These are best for showing on your website. A direct commercial is more likely to compel them to engage with your brand. These should be distributed in as many ways as possible.

2. Who Is Your Audience?

Next, you have to consider who your audience is. You need to conduct extensive research on your audience before you write the script. The audience you speak to is your target market.

You will have to look at your target market’s age, geographic location, interests, spending patterns, etc. among a variety of other metrics. This will help you decide how to communicate your message with them.

This would be a great time to speak to a marketing or branding agency to understand who your target market is and how to speak to them.

3. Brainstorming

Now you come to the brainstorming process. In this process, take a sheet of paper and write about how you envision the commercial.

In this, you can outline the portions of your video commercial. If you are planning on creating a 60-second commercial then you should aim to outline what every 15 seconds will convey. You can write a four-part structure for the video commercial.

You can also use this step to determine the style and tone of your video commercial. Do you want to put humor in your commercial? Will it have a serious or urgent tone?

You also want to think about the setting of your video commercial. Will it be filmed in several locations or one location? Will it have a voiceover? How many characters (and actors) will be needed for the commercial?

Make sure you take your time with brainstorming. Once you are finished brainstorming, you can write your script for your video commercial.

4. Write the Script

Writing the script will take time. We urge you not to hurry through this. Take your time and make sure to revise your script several times. You should also show it to seasoned commercial directors to garner their feedback.

Your script should be written on a page that has four columns. The columns should show the timestamps and duration (Column 1) and then the video image, audio, and graphics in each of the three additional columns.

So, for example, Column 1 will state 0:00 to 0:15. Within those 15 seconds, you have to outline what will be shown to the audience within those 15 seconds. You have to detail what will be seen in the commercial as meticulously as possible.

Make sure that your script has a few seconds where your company’s name will be showcased. If you are promoting a product or service, have a Call To Action within the script.

5. Shoot Your Commercial

You are now ready to shoot your commercial. A video commercial production requires you to be detail-oriented.

Make sure that your visuals are up to par. You want to make sure that the lighting makes it easy to see the graphics, actors, and the setting of your commercial. Make sure that your audio equipment is of the highest quality.

An audience can forgive sub-par visuals but never sub-par audio. Make sure that your actors are speaking clearly. If you have a voiceover, make sure that it is also recorded clearly.

It is always best to hire a professional video commercial crew to help you shoot your commercial. You should schedule a few days for you to shoot your commercial. You should also schedule days to reshoot any scenes in case they do not turn out the way you need it to. If your commercial is to have a narrator, make sure that you schedule several days for the recording and any possible re-recording.

6. Edit Your Commercial

After you have filmed your commercial, you have to edit it. You can use a software application such as Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro for editing. We suggest hiring an editor or taking a few editing classes so you can understand how to properly edit a video. You can consult with a seasoned video commercial maker on how to best edit your commercial. 

You want your commercial to have enhanced visuals and audio. Do not overuse any transitions or special effects that come with the editing software. Keep the editing simple so that your viewers can focus on the substance of the commercial. 

7. Showcase Your Commercial

Once you complete your commercial, you are ready to showcase it. You can reach out to local television stations for showcasing.

We also recommend showing your commercial online. Using websites such as YouTube, Vimeo, or the video-sharing application LBRY, you can reach a wider audience.

You should always seek new venues to showcase your commercial. The more your commercial is seen, the greater chances you have of your small business gaining exposure.

Let’s See Your Commercial

Now that you know how to make a video commercial, we want to see your commercial. Follow the steps in this guide and you’ll make a great commercial for your brand.

We’d like to help you promote your brand. Check out what we offer for your brand.

The 9 Most Memorable Advertising Jingles of All Time

advertising jingles

Flirting the line between adorably infectious and downright annoying, the advertising jingle is a thing of beauty. It can propel a product from an unknown commodity to a household name in just a few lines.

Everyone has their favorite advertising jingles. From childhood classics to modern marketing music, we countdown the nine most memorable advertising jingles from TV and Radio.

Chicken Tonight

Not only was this a smash hit jingle, but it also came with its own absurd dance routine. It involved running around a kitchen while flapping your arms like a chicken. How could it fail?

Combined with a video that showed families taking part and singing, it ticked every box. From the young child to the father who had just arrived home from work, this clever marketing move and a catchy hook propelled this humble jar of sauce into the kitchens of millions. 

Klondike

Carrying on the theme of being slightly silly, we now ask the question “What would you do for a Klondike bar?”. A simple but catchy melody that poses a question, then answers it in the TV advertisements. A slightly zany cast would perform absurd tasks all in the hope of getting their hands on the chocolate-covered ice cream.

Once the jingle was established, the advertisers really capitalized on the idea by swapping the staged actors for members of the public. This just proved that people would actually do some really odd stuff for free confectionery. 

Green Giant

This one is not so much a jingle as a short melody. However, it has been around since the fifties and is the zenith of old commercials. A descending phrase from the titular green giant juxtaposes against the choral song of gentle female voices. 

All of this, combined with the cartoon advertisement, gives a feel of rural relaxation to the product. Not bad for the less than exciting concept of packaging vegetables. Green Giant is just one of those unforgettable advertising tunes. 

Toys R Us

Who would not want to be a Toys R Us kid? This jingle was sweet, energetic, and hit all the right buttons. It made children want to visit the store and made parents hark back nostalgically to a simpler time. 

Depending on what side of the pond you live on, your Toy R Us jingle can be very different. Ask anyone in the UK to sing the Toy R Us theme and you will get a rising melody that tells you “It’s called Toys R Us!”.

Oscar Mayer

Do you ever wish you were an Oscar Mayer Weiner? This radio jingle would have made you think so. It was a brand awareness triumph by the sausage making giants, known by literally everyone in America.

Combined with a cute, Peanuts animation style TV commercial, the jingle was not so much a song as a playground chant. Echoed in the cartoon, it would be easy to imagine children stomping around the playground calling out this melody. 

Even more amazing is the fact that the jingle was cobbled together in less than an hour. It was composed not in the boardroom of a marketing firm but by a banjo player outside Illinois. 

Coca Cola

Never one to do anything in half measures, Coca Cola wrote a full pop song for their jingles in the seventies. ‘I Would Like to Buy The World a Coke’ was accompanied by a peace and love themed video that had a multi-ethnic cast singing in perfect harmony. They were named the Hillside Singers and of course, did it all while drinking Cola. 

The song was later reworded to ‘I Would Like to Teach the World to Sing’ and released by The New Seekers. It became a major hit across the world. What could be better advertising than having your jingle in the charts?

McDonalds


Following in Coca Cola’s footsteps, though a long time after, came Mcdonalds. Based on a German advertising campaign, they took the short refrain of ‘I’m Lovin It’ as their new slogan and supercharged the humble concept.

This was in the form of pop superstar Justin Timberlake, who was reportedly paid six million dollars to sing the track. With the assistance of super producers The Neptunes, the jingle became a fully-fledged pop song. 

Band Aid

Not to be confused with the eighties charity supergroup of the same name, the Band-Aid jingle literally stuck in the mind of Americans because…well…Band-Aid was stuck on them. A catchy, two-line melody that was sung by a varied cast usually enjoying outdoor pursuits. This showed its universal appeal and added fun to a product primarily concerned with safety. 

It often tops lists of the greatest commercial jingles and made it a staple in first aid kits around the country for years to come. 

Folgers

No commercial jingle on this list has the power that the Folgers jingle does. The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup, especially when that coffee is accompanied by an eighties power ballad.

The TV commercials and song are always very cleverly in sync. Rising like the morning sun, the crescendo is placed right at the end, always in time with someone rolling out of bed and drinking their first coffee of the day.

Which Advertising Jingles Did We Forget?

With so many classic radio jingle out there and more coming all the time, it is hard to be heard and remembered. If you need to stand out then check out our radio and advertising jingle services for your business needs. 

Which advertising jingles do you remember that were not on the list? Let us know in the comments below