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

A Guide to Proper SEO Management

SEO management

How often have you visited a website that you found on the second page of Google’s search results? More to the point, how often have you clicked on a page that didn’t even make the top five results? The answer to both these questions is that you probably rarely do. That’s because 32.5% of all Google users just visit the first page offered. Why? Because Google is good at getting it right when it comes to giving their users what they’re looking for. This is where proper SEO management comes in.

To get your website to appear at the top of the search results, you need to use search engine optimization (SEO) to drive users your way.

In this article, we’ll discuss SEO task management and how it can get your site up there in the top spot in the rankings.

What Is SEO Management?

When Google and other search engines such as Bing come to rank your website against other sites, there is a lot that they need to look at. With over 1.7 billion websites out there on the world wide web, working out the order to display them for any given search is no mean feat.

The likes of Google use powerful algorithms that use a number of factors to decide on the order that they are presented. This is where SEO comes in.

SEO is the practice of making your website and content search engine friendly. SEO takes these ranking factors and ensures that your website is performing its best in these areas.

There are several key areas involved in SEO. These include:

  • On-page SEO – This relates directly to the content on your site
  • Off-page SEO – This relates to the measures you take outside of your site to drive traffic
  • Local SEO – These are practices used for driving business websites within your local area
  • Technical SEO – These are the technical aspects of your website and how they can be tweaked to improve your ranking

Let’s take a look at each of these areas in more depth.

On-Page SEO – Content is Everything

The number one reason that people visit your site is because of what is displayed there. Whether your site is there to inform your visitors, or whether you’ve got a product to sell, content is everything.

The effort that you put into creating great content will ultimately lead you to get more visitors. Search engines understand that they need to send their users to the best content possible, so they look for certain factors within the content.

Use Keywords Naturally

Relevance is essential. This is why you need to use relevant keywords within your content. These should be naturally placed and not stuffed. If your content is too keyword heavy, it can make it difficult for visitors to read.

Google knows this, and if you’re stuffing keywords in, then you are very likely to get penalized in the rankings.

Don’t be tempted to try and create your content in a way that the search engines alone will be able to read it. Forcing extra keywords will ultimately cost you in terms of visitors.

Write Longer Informative Content

When Google sends someone to a website, it believes that that site will provide the most relevant information on the specific search topic. This can often mean that users get sent to a site that has lots of content.

Longer articles are able to cover more ground, and if you can create posts on your site that exceed 1,000 words, this will help drive traffic.

What is Off-Page SEO?

Off-page SEO refers to the work that you carry out to drive traffic to your website through external means. This includes link building.

Build Backlinks

You should include internal backlinks in your content. This means that your content should link back to other relevant areas of your website.

Make sure that the links that you use a high-quality. They need to add value and make it easy for your visitors to navigate around your site.

In addition to these internal links, you should also include external links to websites with content that will complement the content you have created. Again, make sure the links are relevant, high-quality, and add value.

When you create content for your site, you’ll want other sites to link back to you. This will tell Google that you’re an authority on the subject. Ideally, these links will come from reputable websites.

Build a relationship with bloggers and influencers. are many sites that will either feature your website or will allow you to create a guest post in which you can include quality backlinks to your site.

Write Meta Descriptions

A meta description is information about your content that shows in the search engine results. Every page should have its own meta description as this will enhance the user experience and let them know that their clicking on the right link for their search query.

Because this is the first thing that many people will see, it needs to be well-written.

Encourage Social Sharing

Although there is no proven link between search rankings and sharing on social media, you should make sure you’re leveraging social sharing on your website.

Sharing all of your content across a range of social media will help to build the reputation of your site and drive traffic.

Include some social sharing buttons on your site and do what you can to get your visitors to share your content.

What is Technical SEO?

It may sound daunting to refer to something as technical SEO, but it shouldn’t be anything to be scared of. Many of the improvements that you can make are quite simple.

Speed Up Your Website

Google understands that when people make searches, that they want their results quickly. For this reason, they always ensure their search results are returned almost instantly. Not bad considering how many sites they’re ranking.

Google also knows that users want to head to a site that works, and that is fast. For this reason, Google will favor sites that load quickly. If your website takes longer than three seconds to load, then you’re at risk of losing your visitors to another site.

For this reason, page load speed is an essential element of SEO and something you need to give serious consideration to.

Use Google’s Page Speed Insights to give you an idea of the speed of your site. By carrying out a full scan on your site, you’ll be able to see where you need to make improvements.

Once you’ve run a speed test, make the necessary changes to your website to help speed it up. This may mean using lazy-load plugins, deleting unused plugins, and compressing images on the site.

Manage Your Local SEO

If you have a business and are reliant on local trade, then you need to optimize your site for local SEO. Local SEO is a surefire way to get your website ranking above everything else on the search engine results page.

Sign up to Google My Business. This free listing service will allow you to claim your business listing and take control of it. From there, you’ll be able to get yourself on the map,

To get the most out of this service, be sure and fill in all of the details. Include photos of your business, your products, and your employees. The more you can include, the better.

Make sure that your name, address, and phone number match across all of your listings and that they match your website. Discrepancies in important information could go against you, and you may end up being penalized in the rankings.

Keeping Up-To-Date With SEO

SEO is an ever-changing field. With changes in technology and shifts in search habits, there will always be tweaks to the way that Google’s algorithms work.

For example, voice search is on the rise. This means that websites should be optimizing their content for smart speakers and artificial intelligence searches.

Keep yourself up-to-date with the shifting trends and make sure that you follow the latest guidelines to optimize your site.

Hire a Professional SEO Management Company

Managing the SEO management of your website is a full-time job. You’ll need to continually tweak and optimize your content to make sure that you’re continually competitive in the search results.

Hiring a professional SEO management company to take care of your SEO needs will mean that your site will always perform to the best of its ability.

Killer Spots provide SEO services that will save you the hard work. Let us take care of your managed SEO needs.

Get in touch today to find out how we can help you improve your search engine ranking.

The Benefit of Strong Logo Design for Your Brand

Logo design

A killer logo is critical to the success of your brand and organization. After all, you want your brand to be clear, recognizable, and persuasive so you can attract clients and build your business. Pulling together the right design elements into a logo can elevate your brand — and your sales.

Curious to learn more? Keep reading to understand why you need to prioritize logo design when building your brand!

Strong Logo Design Makes a Strong First Impression

First impressions are everything, right? And you want to make the best one possible when you’re establishing a brand. That’s where a dynamic logo can set you apart from the crowd.

With a logo, you need a design that plays into your consumers’ expectations for your brand. Think about what kind of tone you want to communicate. What colors, shapes, and icons can come together into a fresh and appealing logo?

By having a strong logo, you’ll make the right impression on potential customers. People have busy schedules and a lot of interests competing for their attention, so you need to hook them right away. They’ll be more likely to check out what you have to offer within your brand if they are wowed from the start.

How do you make that first impression? You hire experienced designers who can listen to your expectations and craft the perfect business logo design.

Hiring the right design team is a big piece of the branding puzzle since you need designers who can capture your brand with well-chosen design elements and a little originality. Work with your graphic designer to help them understand the mission of your organization so that you can make that strong first impression.

The Right Shapes Can Work Wonders

Recent studies suggest that the shape of a logo impacts the way a customer understands an organization. What does that mean? It means that when it comes to graphic design for logos, you’ll need to choose your shapes wisely.

Think about how you want your audience to perceive your brand. Do you want them to see you as friendly and service-oriented, or efficient and commanding? Do the research to know who your target audience is, and find ways to incorporate the visual qualities best suited to that audience.

It’s also important to determine what visual qualities work best. These will depend on your goals. An experienced graphic designer can choose the right tools for the job, and then walk you through the design theory behind their choices.

When it comes to shapes, curves and rounded lines tend to create a sense of warmth and approachability. So if your brand serves people in a very direct way, curves can be a wise choice within your brand identity.

Sharper lines and edges suggest professionalism as well as brand strength. A simple, more sever design might communicate that your brand is forward-thinking and cutting edge. Keep the corners sharp and the details minimal.

If you and your designer do opt for text, talk it over with them. Make sure you’re clear on the visual difference between serif and sans-serif fonts. They project very different images, so know which one serves your brand identity better!

You’ll Communicate Your Brand Clearly

Your brand logo needs to communicate your product or service clearly. If it doesn’t, you risk losing potential customers to your competitors.

If you’re real estate agent, for instance, it makes sense that your logo would communicate a sense of orderliness and structure — or maybe even an image of a house. With logo design, the goal is for someone who hasn’t seen your mission statement or anything else to be able to have some sense of what your brand represents.

A good rule of thumb is to show your logo design to other people for feedback. These can be friends, family, coworkers, or strangers. A good designer will be open to feedback and work with you to make sure that you’re satisfied.

Logos Make You Instantly Recognizable

You want a logo that people will recognize in any context. This is a challenging goal to achieve, but it is possible through excellent design work. And excellent design work means that even a simple shape or abstraction can speak volumes about who you are and what you do.

In today’s competitive world, consumers have grown distrustful of advertising that says too much. Advertisements that make false claims or seems too good to be true actually can damage a brand. This means that heavy-handed, text-heavy logos are falling out of favor.

Clean and comfortable logos are the better way to go. Brands like Nike have stayed relevant in part because of their memorable designs. Everyone knows the Swoosh, and there’s nothing aggressive about it.

Paying for a logo design might seem like a big upfront investment, but it’s one that pays off in the long run. And don’t think you can design something on your own if you don’t have a design background. It’s better to hire the right designer so that your logo looks professional and not amateurish!

When you’re developing your brand logo design, aim to create something that people will recognize whether it’s on a poster, website, or article of clothing. Brand recognition is huge, and you don’t want your brand to get lost in the shuffle.

Logos Help With Social Media Marketing

It’s important to leverage social media to showcase your brand, too. The days of relying on print materials are gone, so upping your digital game is crucial to your brand’s success. Set up social media accounts and use your brand as your profile picture whenever possible.

So much of social media is visual, so logos offer an easy way to engage new clients. With the average person spending over 5 hours on their phones each day, people are encountering so much visual content — and at a rapid speed. Make sure that your brand logo is active on a number of social media platforms as part of your marketing strategy.

Assign your savviest employee to handle the responsibilities, and make sure to document the metrics so you can see how your audience responds to your logo. If you notice that your logo is not translating into an audience or new sales, look into making some revisions.

You’ll Build Visual Consistency

From a branding standpoint, nothing is worse than an inconsistent public image. If the text and colors on print materials differ from those on Instagram, you’ll confuse your audience. And if the text is serif in one place and sans-serif in another, you won’t be building brand consistency.

With a logo, you create a clean symbol that you can include in any branding materials, whether digital or print. Think of it as a stamp or seal. Everything else you write or design should complement and enhance your logo.

And make sure that your logo works well in black and white. While most digital platforms will allow you to use color, be prepared for other formats — like print media — where you may be limited to grayscale. Design a logo that has enough contrast and clarity to translate to black and white formats effectively.

Ultimately, consistency is the key. Since part of your goal is to draw in new customers, keeping your logo uniform and clear is an essential step to creating a strong brand. Your brand will be more memorable and easier to recognize in a crowded field of competitors.

You’ll Build Brand Loyalty

You want your customers to come back, right? If customers have a good experience with your product or service, they’re more likely to do that. That’s why you want them to make a strong visual association with your brand — and a logo can help you do that!

Aim for a design that is timeless and not gimmicky. Designs that are based on trends will feel stale quickly. Things like drop-shadows, gradients, and handwritten text might seem like fun design choices at the moment, but you might be sick of these trends a year from now.

If your design has staying power, your clients may be more interested in sticking around, too. A logo that changes frequently could suggest that your brand is unreliable.

The Bottom Line

Good logo design has the capacity to elevate your organization’s visibility and sales. With some research and collaboration, you can build a brand that people will know and want to come back to. Make sure logo design is the next thing you pursue to strengthen your brand.

When you’re ready to craft the perfect logo, contact us and we can work with you to realize your vision!

Automotive Marketing: How to Drive More Foot Traffic to Your Business

automotive marketing

As a local car dealership, the success of your business relies heavily on how well you’re known throughout the community and what type of reputation you have. Running a legitimate, customer-friendly business isn’t enough by itself anymore. You must get the word out to compete in today’s capitalistic society.

But things have changed. There are new ways to get people’s attention and increase foot traffic to your dealership. Automotive marketing, in some ways, isn’t what it used to be.

Keep reading for our top automotive marketing strategies, from the tried and true ways of the past to the innovative techniques of the future.

Local TV and Radio Ads

Brand awareness and recognition are some of the most important factors when it comes to making it big in your community. Simply put, people have to feel familiar with your name before they’ll have enough faith to buy a car from you. One of the best ways to plant the seed and get your name out there is with local TV and radio ads.

While many people have converted to satellite radio or streaming services for music, there is a large number who still listen to the radio in their car, at work, or even at home. Buying ad space on popular radio channels is a great way to start planting a seed.

Similarly, despite services like Netflix and Hulu, there is still a wide range of people who watch local TV programming, such as the evening news. This would be a prime spot to place commercials for your dealership.

Host an Event With a Local Charity

There’s a negative stigma out there about car dealerships. People always seem wary about them, even when it’s completely unfounded. Hosting a charity event is an automotive marketing strategy that will raise awareness to an important cause, familiarize the community with your dealership, and shed any negative stigmas.

Work with a local charity of your choice and come up with a community event. Art galas, silent auctions, concerts, and 5K races are all popular. Bring in other local businesses to raise your budget for the event, find new affiliates, and bring in more interest.

Make sure you start advertising for the event well in advance and through multiple platforms (social media, newspapers, radio ads, and more). The goal is to get as many guests as possible to attend.

Buyer Incentive Programs

Next, when it comes to buying cars, people are always looking to get the best deal possible. If there’s a way for them to save, they’ll take it.

We recommend offering new buyer incentive programs once a month or once a quarter to keep things interesting. For example, you could offer cash or mail-in rebates on any new car sales, exclusive low financing APRs, major discounts, etc.

Get Popular on Social Media

Your business needs to have at least one social media account. Did you know that nearly 70 percent of American adults have a Facebook account? That means the majority of your target audience is in one convenient location.

Gain more followers by posting engaging and valuable content and encourage your current followers to like, comment, and share. You can also host fun competitions, raffles, and more that offer an exciting prize. This will get more people engaged, helping you extend your reach.

You can also use social media paid advertising, which comes with the ability to select your target audience based on age, gender, hobbies, location, and more. Additionally, this advertising comes with analytics that will track how each ad performs (likes, comments, shares, views, link clicks). It will also show you any trends or patterns of those who engaged with your ads, such as gender, age, time of day, etc.

Use Landing Page Ads

Landing page ads are a great way to grab a user’s attention with a compelling incentive and a powerful call to action. A lot of business owners offer large discounts, exclusive content, free eBooks, and more to get people to click through.

Where they click through to depends on your strategy. You can use it to drive traffic to your website, guide users to your inventory page to check out your newest vehicles in stock, or persuade them to subscribe to your email list.

You can set up landing pages through your website, affiliate websites, and through paid ads.

Make Sure Your Website SEO Is on Point

One of the most important organic automotive marketing strategies is learning how to use SEO. Search engine optimization is an algorithm used by search engines like Google to find the most relevant websites and information based on keyword searches.

For example, if someone searches for “car dealerships near me,” your website’s local SEO will determine whether or not your site comes up in the search results. You can boost your SEO by adding a blog to your website full of keywords and media embedded with metadata. If you’re not familiar with SEO, it may be beneficial to hire a company that can help.

Affiliate With Other Local Businesses

Running a small business of any kind isn’t easy, and you shouldn’t do it alone. However, we’re not talking about bringing on business partners. We’re talking about building affiliate relationships with other local businesses for your automotive marketing.

Networking with other businesses extends your reach to other client bases. Make sure the companies you approach aren’t competitors but are relevant to your dealership. Figure out a referral strategy that will benefit both businesses.

For example, if your dealership doesn’t offer its own financing, you could approach banks and other lenders. You could also contact local insurance agencies.

Looking for More Tips on Automotive Marketing?

If you’re looking to improve your automotive marketing, we can help. Take a look at some of our professional advertising services. We offer SEO help, email automation, audio production and more.

And for a little insight into what we can do for you, contact us today for a free SEO analysis.

Why You Need an Integrated Marketing Strategy for Your Car Dealership

integrated marketing strategy

74% of marketers say it’s important to have a cohesive omnichannel experience for customers. In fact, 73% of shoppers use more than one channel during their shopping journey. Let’s say a prospective client finds your car dealership on a search engine like Google. While they’re searching, they find other car dealerships on Google, in an email, on social media, and in YouTube video. Chances are, they’re more likely to remember the brands they see over and over again. A successful digital marketing strategy requires more than one tactic. With an integrated marketing strategy, you can attract more leads and boost your business.

Keep reading to discover the top benefits of developing an integrated marketing approach.

1. Build Brand Visibility and Trust

If people don’t know who you are, what reason do they have to choose your dealership over someone else’s? It can take five to seven impressions before you can develop even a little brand awareness. However, your brand has to appear consistent each time.

Otherwise, potential buyers might think you’re someone else.

An integrated marketing strategy will unite all of your efforts under the same umbrella. The more often customers see your brand, the more brand awareness you’ll develop. As you appear in front of more people, more often, they’ll begin recognizing your brand.

It’s important to make sure your brand appears the same across every marketing channel. Make sure your colors, fonts, imagery, tone, and voice are consistent. You should also use the same logo to boost brand recognition.

As brand visibility and recognition develop, you can also begin developing a relationship with customers. They’ll recognize your brand based on the message and values you communicate. Building this rapport will make it easier for customers to trust your business.

Without that trust, potential car buyers will turn toward another dealership instead.

2. Eliminate Confusion

Seeing a completely redesigned brand on each marketing channel could confuse your audience. For example, potential car buyers might see your brand on social media but fail to connect it with your website.

A well-thought-out digital marketing strategy can help you avoid causing confusion.

Creating a uniform message and brand image will help people connect your brand on every platform. However, you’ll need to make sure your overall message is uniform as well. Your newspaper ad, Facebook page, and email marketing might all convey different messages that fail to connect.

As a result, customers might fail to connect your brand across every marketing platform. Instead of engaging with your message, you’ll scare them off.

An integrated marketing strategy will unite your tactics within one cohesive campaign. By deciding on a clear message, you can focus customers on a single goal (buying a car). Then, your customers won’t feel confused about who you are or what you offer.

Focus your brand on a single vision. For example, your dealership might want to “provide customers with their absolute dream car.” You might make offering customers with energy-efficient options your goal instead.

Choose a message. Make sure it’s clear and concise. Then, communicate that message across your campaigns.

3. Remain Top-of-Mind

A cohesive message will also help you remain top-of-mind with potential buyers.

When you create a united brand, you’ll begin building brand awareness and recognition. The next time a prospective car buyer thinks about purchasing a new vehicle, they’ll remember your brand instead of someone else’s.

Posting your digital marketing content across different channels will give them the reminder they need.

For example, let’s say someone visited your website to read a blog post. After subscribing to receive your emails, they received a reminder about an upcoming sale weeks later. These strategic digital marketing strategies will help you remain top-of-mind when prospects are in the market for a new car.

4. Become a Thought Leader

Becoming a thought leader can help you gain a competitive edge. People want to buy from the best in the business. By creating high-quality, informative content, you can show prospective buyers you’re a knowledgeable resource in the industry.

Becoming a thought leader by posting regular blogs and digital marketing content is another way to boost your brand. At the same time, you’re creating content you need to remain top-of-mind with customers.

A search engine optimization (SEO) strategy is an effective way to become a thought leader. SEO involves researching what your customers are searching for. Then, you use your keyword research to make compelling, informative content.

Make sure your content is informative and well-researched.

As you rank higher on search engines like Google, you’ll position yourself ahead of competitors. This top-of-page position will make you appear credible and authoritative.

People are more likely to trust a brand with that top ranking. With an integrated marketing strategy, you can unite your SEO efforts, email marketing, website, and social media to boost your brand, ranking, and credibility.

5. Increase Media Coverage

One of the most effective ways to step out of the crowd is to use data-driven PR. People want stories they can connect with. Connecting with PR resources, including publications and reporters, can help you stand out from competitors.

Then, your brand will appear in more publications.

In order to improve your public relations, you need a strong, cohesive brand first. Your integrated marketing strategy will ensure your branding and SEO help you catch the attention of these publications.

6. Keep Your Message Consistent

In order to develop a multi-faceted marketing plan, you need to keep your message consistent. After all, you can’t plan where customers will see your first. You can develop a plan for each of your marketing channels, then unite them to achieve the same goals.

An integrated marketing plan will keep your message consistent. A cohesive message will make it easier for people to become familiar with your brand.

7. Improve Your ROI

All of your digital marketing content takes time and money to develop. That includes images, graphics, blog posts, videos, and more. In order to make the most of these assets, you can create a digital marketing strategy to ensure they achieve the same goals.

By making the most of your content under an integrated strategy, you can save money and boost your ROI.

Speed Up Sales: 7 Reasons You Need an Integrated Marketing Strategy

Attract more people to your dealership and speed up sales. Now that you’re equipped with these reasons to develop an integrated marketing strategy, get to it! By developing a strong digital marketing strategy, you can boost your brand and sell more cars!

Ready to get started? Get a quote from our team today!

How to Create an Editorial Content Calendar for Your Dealership

editorial content

According to a 2018 report by StatusLabs, 90% of searchers haven’t made up their mind when they search on Google. That means you have an opportunity to turn those searches into viable leads. With search engine optimization (SEO), you can gain a higher ranking. Before you boost your ranking, however, you’re going to need a lot of content. Get started by creating an organized, well-thought-out editorial content calendar!

With an editorial content calendar guiding you, you can remain on schedule and on track for success.

Here’s everything you need to know about creating an editorial calendar. With these tips, you can stay on track with your marketing initiatives throughout the year. Get started with these tips.

Why You Need a Content Calendar

In order to rank above the competition, you need unique, high-quality content. Google’s SEO algorithm prioritizes content that’s relevant to user intent. By learning what your customers need, you can create content that appeals to their interests.

Then, you can create an editorial content calendar to remain organized.

A content calendar can also help you recognize opportunities to connect with your audience. For example, let’s say you’ve created a blog post that’s full of interesting data. You can turn that blog post into:

  • A video
  • An infographic
  • A still image or gif

One piece of content can become four different opportunities for you to connect with prospects. Then, you need to determine where you’re sharing that content.

For example, let’s say you post an article on your blog Monday. Then, you can send a weekly email that features your new blog post on Wednesday. Finally, you can post a gif to social media on Friday to attract more people to your blog.

Strategize

Creating an editorial content calendar allows you to develop a strategy for your content. Learning how to create an editorial calendar will help you remain organized with:

  • The content you’re creating
  • The topics you’re covering
  • Where you’re sharing your content
  • What form your content will appear in

Organizing your content using an editorial calendar will help you increase productivity and efficiency. In addition to saving time, you can also use your calendar to create content based on your marketing objectives.

Is your goal to generate more leads from your content this year? Your content calendar can help you test different types of content throughout the week. Then, you can use data to determine which topics and forms of content helped achieve your goal.

Researching blog posts and keywords will also benefit your SEO strategy. By focusing on SEO, you can attract more people to your site. Then, you can use compelling call-to-action language to convert them into customers.

You can create content to support other active campaigns, too. For example, you might have new products you’re releasing. Maybe you’re making a big change to your brand.

Planning your content ahead of time will help you make sure everything is aligned. That way, one tactic can support the other to benefit your entire strategy.

How to Create an Editorial Calendar

As many as 63% of businesses don’t have an actual content strategy. Making the effort to create an editorial content calendar will help you focus on content creation. By posting content regularly, you can increase your chances of reaching new customers.

Here are five tips to help you learn how to create an editorial calendar for your business.

1. Know Your Goals

First, determine your goals and objectives. For example, you might want to focus your marketing efforts on:

  • Driving more traffic to your website
  • Boosting brand awareness, recognition, and reach
  • Strengthening your SEO strategy
  • Building brand loyalty with customers to increase retention
  • Gaining more leads and conversions
  • Attracting new customers to increase sales

Once you determine your goals, you can determine what type of content will help you achieve those goals.

For example, let’s say you want to boost brand awareness. You can create company culture videos or vlogs to keep people informed about your business. Video content is a great way to help people connect with your brand.

If you want to generate more leads and conversions, try posting a product demo or tutorial instead!

2. Research Topics

Next, start making a rough list of ideas for content. Make sure your ideas align with your business goals.

For example, if you want to generate leads, create ebooks for site visitors to download. You can have them complete a form on your website that requires their email. The informative ebook can become an incentive for them to provide their contact information.

If you want to improve your SEO, create content that targets specific keywords.

For more sales, create content that focuses on the benefits of your products or services, such as case studies or webinars.

3. Know Your Audience

In order to create content that attracts customers, you need to understand your target audience. What type of content are they interested in? Which headlines catch their attention?

Feel free to see what your competitors are doing. Which pieces of content generate the most shares?

You can use Google Keyword Planner or Google Trends as a place to start.

Once you know what your target audience likes, you can start creating your own content.

4. Start Writing

Start brainstorming ideas and writing content. Make sure to optimize your content using specific keywords. Then, start writing.

Once you have a few pieces of content, start organizing your editorial content calendar. Try to post at least one piece of content a week to start. Then, determine how you can split that first piece of content into new forms.

Recycling your content will help you discover new ways to connect with your audience.

For example, you can convert a few blog posts into a larger ebook. Then, you can make that ebook a downloadable piece of content to generate leads.

5. Monitor and Optimize

Once you start using your editorial calendar, take a look at the progress. Use Google Analytics to determine which pieces of content are attracting the most visitors and leads.

Monitoring your content will help you recognize new opportunities.

Which topics do people enjoy reading? Which forms of content do they share? Make a note of where you succeed.

Then, use that data to improve your overall content marketing strategy.

Stay On Track: How to Create an Editorial Content Calendar for Your Dealership

Ready to get organized and on track? By learning how to create an editorial content calendar, you can attract more people to your dealership with ease!

Need help getting started? Contact us today to discuss your business goals!

10 Ways to Measure Brand Awareness

measure brand awareness

80% of people crave good stories but wish brands were better at it. Creating a business brand is about telling your story. It’s about customers purchasing something and experiencing your story. Your brand should listen to your customers and communicate with them about their needs. This is why you need to measure brand awareness.

You need to see if you are listening to the needs of your customers. You need to figure out if your customers are feeling that your brand is about them and not you.

Here are 10 ways to measure brand awareness that can help you create or boost your brand to your customers.

1. Surveys

Surveys are an excellent way to measure your brand awareness. You are measuring how familiar people are with your business and what you do.

You are assessing how recognizable your business logos and products are with customers.

Surveys can be done by email, telephone, a website, or you can ask a customer in-person.

The goal is to see how well people recall your brand.

You can also see how videos promote your brand’s message in this blog post.

2. Check Your Website Traffic

You can use Google Search Console to check and optimize your website traffic.

Over a span of months, you can see on Google Search Console how much people are clicking or visiting your website. It gives you other data on what’s working on your website and what’s not.

Your website also gives you an indication if people are positively engaging with your business brand.

You can also check blog traffic and social shares in your website traffic to give you an idea of how people react to your brand.

3. Social Listening

Social listening is about why, where, and how people are talking about your brand.

You can see what people are saying on social media when it comes to your brand. You can also ask questions to generate responses.

Social listening means you are checking social engagement, social media traffic, and how often your leads are converting.

4. Leads

A consistent flow of leads is a good measure of how well your brand is performing.

It gives you an idea of people who are seeing your brand and recognize it. You should, however, assess how many leads are coming in on a week to week basis.

You should figure out how many leads are coming in and how many are converting.

5. Revenue

How many leads convert will reflect what your revenue is.

Seeing how your revenue fluctuates gives you an idea of how many customers you have and how well they recognize your brand.

You should specifically see if you have returning customers or life-long customers, which gives you a better idea of how many customers come back based on your brand and how they feel about it.

6. Video Metrics

If your business has a YouTube channel or has informational videos on your website, it can give you an indication of how well customers recognize your brand.

Video metrics include comments and clicks. You are checking to see if your customers respond to video.

Although video is becoming more popular, you shouldn’t use it as the only metric to evaluate how your customers feel about your brand.

7. Search Volume Data

Similar to website traffic, you can also see how people find your brand organically without paid advertisements.

You are looking at metrics that see how people found your brand based on the products they searched.

This method is also an effective way to see how your brand compares to your competitors. You are seeing if people after they find your site, are clicking and purchasing or going to competitors’ sites.

8. Earned Media

Earned media refers to all the mentions and referrals you get without paid forms.

You are seeing how many people or businesses are mentioning you without your involvement. It’s a testament to how many people recognize your brand and want to mention it to others.

There are some online tools that can measure earned media. These tools can give you an idea of the number of clicks and posts from social media sites.

9. Check Reviews

Another important metric to measure your brand awareness is to check online reviews.

You should check Yelp and Google and see what people are saying about your business. It’s a good measure of what people think of your business and what kind of review they leave.

It also gives you feedback on what you can improve in your business.

More importantly, you can see what people remember most from your business, which also gives you an idea of brand awareness.

10. Employee Brand Advocacy

Lastly, employee brand advocacy is measuring how many employees talk about your business.

An example is using actual employees in advertisments instead of paid actors. By doing this, you are showing how authentic your business is.

Employees understand everything about your business, which is why they are great advocators.

In addition, employees understand your brand, your mission statement, and the story you telling. It’s one of the most authentic ways to spread your brand.

You can measure employee brand advocacy by looking at post engagements, conversions, web traffic, and other metrics.

Overall, this list of 10 ways to measure your brand awareness can give you understanding of what your customers think of your brand. The overall goal is to achieve a postive message and these 10 ways can help you achieve that goal.

Why You Need to Measure Your Brand Awareness

The goal of why you measure brand awareness is to see how well people recall your business, your story. You want people to buy something and feel the story around something they bought.

Brand awareness is checking how people recall your business identity, your business story. You can boost your brand by when you understand how your customer perceives it, how aware of it they are.

For more information on marketing, you can contact us here.

5 Funniest On-Hold Messaging Service Scripts

on-hold messaging service

You know the headache of being on hold with a company for several minutes. The annoying sound of elevator music plays in your ear at an insanely loud volume. Then, you’re stuck. You’re stuck listening to whatever automated script the company chooses to play on their on-hold messaging service. You roll your eyes and suck it up as you have no other option.

However, as a business owner, you have the option to use a script on your own on-hold messaging service that’ll keep your customers intrigued and make them forget they’re even on hold. Being on hold doesn’t have to be a painful experience.  It can be fun when done the right way.

Don’t subject your customers to boring elevator music. Continue reading below for the top funniest on-hold messages that prove you can have fun with it!

Importance of Humor in an On-Hold Messaging Service Script

You know the pains involved with being kept on hold. As a business owner, you don’t want to put your own customers through this same pain. Instead, you want to create an on-hold message that’s humorous,  fun, entertaining, informational, or just silly. 

The best on-hold wait time is one that goes unnoticed because the customer is having so much fun with the message that’s playing. The type of message that you decide to play on your own messaging service is up to you, but here are a few examples to get the inspiration flowing. 

1. Lakeland Auto and Marine

“Thanks for choosing Lakeland Auto and Marine. You’ll find us in Port Clinton, Ohio about 4,000 miles west of France and left or right of Lake Erie depending on which way you’re coming from. We’re also directly in line with the sun, so if you’re gonna stop by you might want to bring a hat.”

This on-hold message from Lakeland Auto and Marine is all about being silly. Their location is in their name, so it’s easy for them to have a bit of fun with where they’re located.

While customers are on hold, they’ll be laughing about the silly directions given to them and might even appreciate the suggestion to bring a hat as the sun can get quite brutal as it shines down on an auto lot. 

2. Town and Country Hotel 

“Thanks for choosing Town and Country the San Diego hotel with free sheets and revolutionary in-room toilets. Friendly dogs are always welcomed at Town and Country. We’ve even set aside a special area for them where they can do doggy things like running, city planning, and solving advanced puzzles that require critical thinking. Book your pet-friendly room when we return.”

This hotel had a lot of fun creating their on-hold message. It’s clear from the message that they’re a dog-friendly hotel and have special areas for dogs to run around in. Yet, instead of saying that, they decided to have some fun with it instead. 

You also have to love that hint of sarcasm when explaining that they have free sheets and in-room toilets! 

3. Binkelman 

“Lots of people fantasize about making love to Continentals Maximizer Prodrive selection analysis software, and we understand why. It helps design a fish and power transmission belt drives for your drive system. You just answer your drive specifications, and Maximizer Pro shows you belt options that will deliver the maximum energy savings for your application. That’s pretty hot, I know, but while Maximizer Pro is all out freaky sexy, it’s also cold and emotionally unavailable, so please don’t fall in love.”

Here’s a company that’s product is software. An otherwise boring topic of discussion, software in this on-hold message is seen in a whole other light. This company uses its message to convince its customers that the software product is desirable. 

The message also tells a little bit about the software as well, which works out well for an informational message. The message ends with a silly statement that almost makes the customer feel attached to the product!

4. Walter’s Goodyear

“”Are you afraid of robots? Well, who isn’t? They’re creepy and their internal oils could leak on your couch and your pants, but it’s time to get over our fears so Walter’s Goodyear has hired a robot to answer our phones. Say hello to Vince. “Nice to meet you.” Vince why don’t you tell our friend about our 1795 oil change. “It is an oil change that cost 17 dollars and 95 cents.””

This company uses a fun message with a human voice speaking with a robot that the company hired to tell customers all about their services. The human voice on the recording is funny and uplifting and the robot’s voice sounds more artificial. The robot goes into details about the services offered and this makes it informational, but fun!

5. Rumpf

“Is stress getting the better of you? Then take trombone lessons and eat more horse meat. Romantic trombone music has been clinically proven to reduce the effects of the hormone cortisol and, of course, the unique molecular structure of horse meat stimulates the deeply suppressed urge in humans to gallop, and it’s hard to be stressed when you’re galloping. Take it from us, we’re galloping to the phone right now to take your call and we couldn’t be more relaxed.” 

This company decided to address the topic of stress to its customers on hold. How ironic is that? Yet, this makes the message quite interesting. 

The message also ends with a funny statement that they’re galloping over to the phones right now to answer the customer’s call! Customers can have a good laugh while waiting for someone to gallop on over. 

What’s Your On-Hold Messaging Service Script?

Do you have an on-hold messaging service script? What does yours sound like? Is it fun and uplifting, or is it boring elevator music? 

Bring your customers some light-hearted fun while on hold with your business. Click here to receive a quote on on-hold messages and phone greetings!

How to Develop an Audio Marketing Strategy in 2020

audio marketing

With so many different mediums out there, it is hard to identify and plan the right marketing strategy for your business. What you have to remember about marketing strategies is that the ultimate goal is to connect with your target audience. 

While audio marketing was briefly eclipsed by visual media, the number of individuals engaging with audio media like podcasts and the radio is actually on the rise!

Many businesses have been out of the audio marketing game for a while now, which is why we are going to show you how to develop a successful audio marketing strategy in 2020!

Why You Should Choose Audio Marketing

Audio Marketing is a great tool to connect to your target audience! In recent years, it is shown that audio content has the highest retention rate. 

The nature of audio allows listeners to engage at any time, unlike visual or written content. Millions of people are now listening to the radio on their way to work, streaming music or books in the background at work, or listening to a podcast while they work out at the gym. 

Due to the fact that most audio content can be enjoyed while a person is doing another specific activity, many listeners tune in to their favorite audio media for a dedicated amount of time. 

Think about it, you can’t read a book on your drive to work, but you can listen to one. You can’t dedicate time to watch an hour-long TV episode if you are on a run outdoors, but you can definitely tune into a podcast! 

People in all age ranges, genders, socioeconomic status and backgrounds are listening to audio media! This is a market that still is under-saturated and any business can weave their audio marketing content seamlessly into it. Now is your chance to try it out!

Identify Your Target Audience

The most important aspect of any marketing strategy is to identify your target audience. Many businesses make the mistake of not being specific enough in regards to this!

A business that sells active wear might say, “We want to target women that go to the gym.” This leaves out a ton of factors like location, age, and socioeconomic status. All of these factors play a huge role in how you can effectively advertise to your specific audience!

Your target audience is going to affect the type of audio content you put out, and where you are hosting your audio content!

If you are advertising a product towards the elderly, it may not make sense to host your audio content on Spotify or YouTube, because the likelihood of it reaching your audience is slim. In contrast, if you want to market a product to teenagers, you might not want to use the radio to market to them because individuals that don’t drive usually do not listen to the radio. 

Take time to identify your target audience and then do background research on where your target audience is consuming their audio content!

Different Types of Audio Content

Once you select your target audience, you will be able to choose the type of audio marketing you want to create and where you want to host your content!

There are a few different types of audio marketing you can try out:

  • Podcasts
  • Audio Commercials
  • Audio books
  • Voice Search

Most people are familiar with audio commercials already, however, this type of marketing strategy can cost a lot of money if you want your commercial to air on a big radio station during the prime listening time! 

However, you can try creating a podcast about the product or service you are trying to market by creating your own material and hosting your content for free! 

Whatever type of medium you choose, there are several things to keep in mind to make sure your target audience is hooked to the content your producing and driven to check out more information about your business. 

1) Build the Sound of Your Brand

We can still recall radio jingles or funny commercials years later! Companies that are successful at marketing take time to build the sound of their brand so that when their content is consumed, the listener knows exactly who that content belongs to! 

Take time to choose the voice behind your audio marketing plan and create a hook that draws your listener in every time. 

2) Provide a Service or Offer Help

The second thing to keep in mind when creating your audio marketing strategy is that your audio content needs to address a need! If your commercial is just explaining a product without explaining how it can help improve the lives of your listeners, you can guarantee that no one is actually listening. 

The purpose of the product or service you are trying to promote needs to be crystal clear. Following up on this, the listener needs to know where they can go to learn more about the product or service if they want! 

3) Captivate Your Audience

The last thing you need to remember is to dazzle your audience through your audio marketing strategy! There are millions upon millions of pieces of content that an individual can choose to listen to. 

What makes your content different? Is it hilarious to listen to? Is it the most informative? Is it shocking? Does it build upon itself? 

Choose an angle and stick to it! The growing number of podcast and podcast listeners show us that people are truly interested in all sorts of things! Make what you have to say engaging and you will surely be able to connect to your target audience. 

Don’t Wait, Start Your Audio Marketing Strategy Today!

Now you can see that audio marketing is more relevant than ever before in our society. While some strategies like radio commercials do still cost a pretty penny, there are lots of other affordable avenues to try to make sure your company’s voice is heard!

Narrowing down your target audience and choosing a platform to market your business are the first steps to success. To really drive this strategy home, remember to create a sound brand, share your purpose, and enthrall your audience! 

Have more questions on the best audio marketing strategy for 2020 and how to get started? Feel free to contact us! We’re here to help you succeed. 

7 Simple Ways to Make Killer Radio Commercials

radio commercials

The startling fact is that 92% of Americans still listen to AM/FM radio, despite the plethora of digital platforms available. That’s higher than TV viewership (87%), or the use of PCs (54%), smartphones (81%), and tablets (46%). Most people use the radio to listen to the latest music, popular talk shows, or their favorite sports broadcast. From a marketing perspective, radio is still an effective way to reach your target audience. We’ve compiled a list of nine simple ways to make the most of those radio commercials, lasting a mere 10, 15, 30, or 60 seconds. Check it out!

1. Create Attention-Grabbing Radio Commercials

With a 60-second commercial, you’ve got 15 seconds at most to grab the attention of your audience. Your ad needs to answer the following listener questions quickly:

  • What’s in it for me?
  • How will this product/service make my life or the life of someone I know easier, happier, or better?

Remember that most people are not interested in the detail of innovative products. They simply want to know if it is better in some way than what came before. Once they get that message, you’re half-way to winning them over as a buyer, because they will listen more attentively to the rest of the ad.

2. Good Sound Quality

Unlike television or online ads, radio has no visuals. This means that it’s critical to get the sound production right. Poor sound quality, annoying voices, and other glitches will not endear the audience to your product or service! While the wording of your advert is important, how it is heard is paramount.

The best adverts are those with a clever script that sounds good too. Employing professional sound technicians, and voice-over professionals, is well worth the investment. It could be the difference between an ad campaign bombing out or being a run-away success.

3. Invest In a Good Jingle

Jingles are one area where opinion is divided. That’s because we have all heard bad, corny jingles.

The hallmark of a good, catchy jingle is that it can easily be sung by a wide range of people. Besides that, the lyrics of the jingle need to be clearly enunciated and include the name of your brand or product. Jingles can also include useful information, such as a telephone number or web address.

It is a well-known fact that people find it easier to remember songs than plain old prose. If you want your product ad to feature a brand jingle that millions of people will remember for decades, then invest in a good jingle.

Just as with the rest of your advertising copy, your jingle should include a call to action. Both the jingle and your copy provide ample opportunity for creativity. Use it!

4. Get The Right Time Slots

Most radio stations have a scale of fees depending on the time slots you choose for the airing of your radio commercials. Don’t fall for the trap of selecting the cheapest time slots.  They are the cheapest because very few people are listening during those hours.

You need to tailor your time slot to your target audience. For example, if you manufacture breakfast cereals for children, the best time to air the radio commercial is at breakfast time, when kids will be listening. They will nag their parents to purchase the cereal in question they next time they are at the supermarket!

Similarly, advertising sportswear is best done in the commercial breaks during a sports broadcast. Advertising sportswear at breakfast time, or breakfast cereals during the live broadcast of an evening basketball match just doesn’t make sense.

As well as tailoring your time slot to the most appropriate target audience, you also need to tailor your budget to produce a full-length ad campaign.

5. Get Your Ad Frequency Right

You need to build recognition of your brand or product.  It is said that someone has to hear an ad three times before they recognize it.  Most advertising agencies will recommend that your ad is aired 21 times per week for 52 weeks in succession so that you gain optimum frequency and recognition.

Too many ads in one time period and your listeners will get sick of hearing your ad and zone out.  Too infrequent an airing and no one will even remember you advertised in the first place.

Rely on your public relations and marketing consultants to interpret your marketing data for you, and recommend the best way forward on the frequency of your radio commercials.

6. Keep Them Nibbling At Those Sound Bites

Everything is a process. Once your listening audience gets used to hearing (and liking) your radio advertisements, you need to start an ancillary or follow-up campaign.

Big-brand advertising is very careful about phasing out the old ad and introducing the new one. You don’t want to upset the listeners too much by suddenly depriving them of their favorite ad!

7. Get the Right Radio Station

Consider the location of your business and the reach of your product based on reliable target audience data. For instance, there is no point in creating a radio advertisement that’s played exclusively on East Coast radio stations when your business and most of your customers are on the West Coast. There are three things you can do to find what you need. 

Search for US radio stations by State. Alternatively, check out surveys to find out which are the most popular radio stations.

The third option, and perhaps most viable if you want to link your radio commercials to your other online platforms, is to choose to sponsor a local online radio station.

Online radio broadcasting has the advantage of being both national and global in its reach and can be a particularly good choice for those of you who have niche products or services. 

Engage Marketing Consultants

A PR company like Killer Spots Agency knows what they are doing.  We have made it our business to develop in-depth knowledge of all aspects of audio production.

As an award-winning marketing company, we invite you to listen to the countless samples of radio commercials that we have produced  Contact us via live chat or get a quick quote via virtually any page on our website.  We can certainly point you in the right direction, and soon have you coming out sounding like a symphony!

5 Tips for Writing a Jingle That Will Get Stuck in People’s Heads

writing a jingle

Are you struggling to keep your company top of mind for customers? Wish there was a way to better communicate your brand and its unique offerings, and captivate audiences everywhere? Then you may want to write a jingle!

Not sure what a jingle is, or how you should approach writing one? Intimidated by the idea of embarking on such a creative venture? We’re here to help!

In this article, we’re sharing the ins-and-outs of creating a killer jingle. So, you can write a catchy tune that sticks with customers long after they’ve listened.

What Is a Jingle?

When you hear of a certain brand, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Perhaps it’s the song in the commercial, the catchy one that speaks to what the brand is and what they do. Like carpet cleaning company Stanley Steemer commercial tune: “Call 1—800 STANLEY-STEEMER, Stanley Steemer keeps your home cleaner!”

That song is a jingle, which is a radio or TV advertisement set to a memorable melody or tune. A jingle is usually explicitly written about a brand and its products or services. And its sole purpose is to tell customers about a brand in a way they’ll remember.

There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to what to include in a jingle. The jingle lyrics can include a slogan, a phone number, a business name, or even a description of the services they offer. Anything is fair game.

What Are the Benefits of Having a Jingle?

Now that you know what a jingle is, you’re probably wondering why you’d invest in creating one. Here are some of the major benefits of using a jingle for your advertising efforts.

They’re Easy to Remember

With so many companies and services out there today, it can be hard to stay top of mind for customers. But with a good jingle, you can stick in their head all day and have people consciously (and subconsciously) speak about your business.

Jingles can help you communicate your brand and value in a fun, memorable way. With one, you can be the first company customers think of when they’re in need of a particular product or service.

They Build Up Your Brand

A great jingle does more than make your brand memorable—it makes it fun and accessible. Jingles make brands approachable and can help communicate your brand voice and tone in a more effective way than print advertising. A lighthearted jingle can make customers feel good, and in turn, may make them want to engage with you and your brand.

They’re Cost-Effective

Advertising can be expensive—especially if your products or services are ever-expanding or changing. Jingles can help you establish a brand baseline that you can build upon for all your advertising efforts. So, when changes are necessary, you can simply tweak a line or two to reflect your new offering without losing what makes your jingle special.

Tips on Writing a Jingle

Jingles can be incredibly effective —when done right. Unfortunately, it’s easy to write a jingle that turns off customers or makes them think poorly of your brand. Fortunately, if you follow these tips you can ensure your jingle is fun, memorable, and making a positive impact on your business.

1. Know Your Product

To write a great jingle, you need to know what your product is, and what makes it unique. Before you start to write, jot down a list of everything you think a customer needs to know about your products. Be sure to lead with all of its unique or special attributes as these are the things that will resonate most with customers.

2. Know Your Competitors

Another thing you’ll want to do before writing is to study your competitors. Do any of them have jingles? How do they differentiate themselves from others or position their unique selling points? 

It’s important to know these things if you want to create a jingle that’s distinctly yours. The last thing you want is an advertisement that brings your competitors to mind. So, do your homework in advance and create a jingle that can stand above your competitors.

3. Make It Simple

The best jingles are simple and easy to remember. They use repetition and rhyme and keep the language simple. Remember that recall is the most important part of a jingle—so focus on simplicity first and foremost and avoid using flowery words or jargon.

Figures of speech can be a fun and effective way to make your jargon simple and snappy. Try to incorporate puns, hyperbole, and even similes to make your song unique and effective.

Keep in mind: your jingle should be simple enough that anyone can recite and understand what it’s communicating. Be sure to choose your words wisely and err on the side of simplicity. And make sure it ties into your overarching brand story.

4. Listen to Famous Jingles

It sounds simple, but you can’t write a great jingle without knowing what one sounds like. Take some time to scour the Internet and listen to as many as jingles you can. Think about which ones work and which ones don’t, and why that may be the case.

Analyze some of the most famous jingles—ones like Fanta and Kit Kat. What makes them a success? What do they say about the brand, and how does the jingle effectively communicate their brand offering? By knowing what works about these jingles, you can better write your own.

5. Choose the Right Music

When it comes to a jingle, the music is just as important as the lyrics. The music and tempo have to be appropriate so the jingle can easily be sung by the voiceover artist (and whoever is listening along). And it should be in whatever music genre that would gel most with your target audience.

Additionally, if you plan to use an existing tune, be sure to make sure you’re legally able to do so. No one wants a nasty legal battle because of a jingle.

Ready to Write a Jingle?

Writing a jingle can seem intimidating, especially if you’ve never written one before. But it’s not impossible if you work at it! By following the tips in this article, you can write a memorable jingle that customers will remember for years to come.

Looking for more help? Check out our jingle production services!

Why Is Audio Such an Intimate and Effective Advertising Medium?

effective advertising

Effective advertising in the digital age often is a matter of tell-don’t-show, in a manner of speaking. Sure, you still have to use concrete language and tap into the target audience’s emotions. More and more, however, that can be done through the sense of hearing rather than sight or touch.

We’re talking about audio advertising and the compelling power it has to reach educated, diverse markets. In the following article, we’re going to explore the reasons audio is so intimate and effective for this market. First, however, let’s look at whether the audio hype is myth or reality. 

Is Audio Effectively Better for Advertisers? 

Anecdotally, audio seems like a viable platform for advertisers to get their messages in front of the right people. One look at the plethora of podcasts, streaming platforms, and radio listeners will tell you that. What do the numbers say, though? 

Well, 40% of surveyed consumers use voice to purchase something every month. Furthermore, over half of podcast listeners have annual household incomes of $75,000. Most listen to around seven podcasts per week as well.

We know from this data that the use of voice-related applications is on the rise from both user-activated and consumer standpoints and that the people listening are on-the-rise with more money to spend than the average person. Ever wondered why it’s that way? Here are some reasons.

1. Listener Behaviors Are Well Established

Podcast sponsorship is a pretty safe bet for getting into the audio advertising market. That’s because podcasts easily can list their subscribers. In fact, it behooves them to have that kind of transparency.

Also, given the niche focus of most podcasts, you know automatically what type of behaviors and preferences these users have established. You really don’t have to do as much legwork to figure out everything.

2. Listeners Subscribe Based on Their Trust of a Personality

Something else podcast marketing has going for it many other forms of advertising do not is a built-in endorsement. See, listeners choose a host or team to listen to because they’ve already been engaged. Engagement is built on trust.

The relationship with podcast marketing differs from even radio advertising, which wears the stigma of corporate sponsorships and one-size-fits-all. Podcasts are built around interests, and influencers in this arena understand that when they welcome an advertiser aboard, they’re indirectly adopting acceptance of the brand they’re pitching.

You, as an advertiser, benefit from the intimacy that influencer has established. That can be a win for everyone involved with the right offer.

3. They Are More Forgiving of Audio Interruptions

The standard video commercial doesn’t play to a captive audience. They get up, check the chicken in the oven, use the restroom, or catch up on chores until their program-of-choice is back.

Audio advertising usually plays to a captive audience driving to and from work or handling something work-related at their desks. They are far more forgiving of these interruptions because a) audio advertising usually is shorter (20 seconds to a minute per break), and b) it’s generally tailored to whatever piece of content they’re listening to.

In other words, they find the advertising shorter, more relevant, and easier to digest. As a result, they’re going to be willing to listen instead of redirecting their attention somewhere else. 

4. They Continue to Adopt Audio in a Variety of Forms

The captive audience thing is so important when you think about those primary ways your audience consumes audio content or audio stories. Whether it’s through podcasting, listening to a streaming service like Pandora or Amazon Music, or playing a radio app, the audience is mentally ready to engage.

5. Listeners Also Appreciate the Conservative Size of Audio Files

Data usage is a growing concern for consumers trying to control costs. Downloading audio files goes quick and smoothly over a Wi-Fi network, allowing your audience to listen whenever and wherever they choose.

Ways to Use Audio to Your Advantage

Now that you know why this form of advertising and content consumption is so intimate and effective for your target audience, you need to shift your focus to how you can use this knowledge and formatting to your advantage. Here are some quick suggestions. 

Content First

Start by being a consumer first. Listen to the programs and platforms you’d like to capitalize on. Note how long each advertising spot is, when it appears, and what type of information it covers.

From there, invest in high-quality equipment for shooting and editing. Use layers to enhance the sound quality and noise cancellation to buffer out any remaining distractions. Last but not least, test multiple ads across several programs and platforms to learn what works.

Add Color and Background

Beyond the content itself, listen deeper for maximum effect. By that, we mean to note any use of background music and sounds. Find ways you can incorporate those effects into your own advertising.

Make sure you have permission or the legal right to use whatever you choose for adding to the end-listener experience. This especially is important for longer-form advertising like audio stories (see Reid Hoffman’s Masters of Scale podcast for examples of this technique done right). Lastly, choose the right voice-over person for your ad. 

Partner with the Right Creator

Tailor an offer to the specific audience. That means partnering with a content creator in your niche. Someone who can deliver the right target market for your product or service. 

Change It Up

Use different content creators and change up your messaging and offers. There’s no better way to get a feel for what works and what doesn’t then trying to best your best effort. 

Review Your Results

Pay close attention to the analytics. Using promo codes on special offers that are tailored to that audience is the best way to see if you’re getting an adequate return on investment. 

Audio Is Effective Advertising Because Listeners Choose You

We recommend audio as one of the most effective advertising methods because it’s one of the only venues where the listeners choose you. By that, we mean they’re more likely to stay engaged with your content than other forms of advertising. 

Good luck as you build your audio advertising campaign. If you need professional assistance in any or all of the above-mentioned areas, contact the Killer Spots Agency today.