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It’s the end of the year. All the budgets are spent for 2007. Most marketing and programming people are looking at little or no increase in marketing budgets for 2008. But the world is changing…. fast. The choices women have for entertainment are changing even faster. So the question I am getting over and over again is … what can we do with our money to make it go further?
One of the keys for maximum results is making sure that the message and the strategy actually relate to your audience. If you don’t relate… you won’t connect. And your message is then falling on deaf ears. So over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing some tips with you on how to create better messages for your marketing and promotions. How better to relate to women in a way that gets results. And hopefully… we can help stretch those marketing budgets to make an even bigger impact, deeper footprints in a world of short attention spans.
These 8 marketing rules are tried and true… proven by the best marketers in the world today. We can all learn a lot from their success.
Rule 1: Stay away from stereotypes, show real women in real situations.
Women don’t want to be labeled as soccer moms, super woman executive or mini- van carpooling mom. When producing your TV spots and on air testimonial promos, stay away from canned “visions” of women. Use authentic women in real life situations. Women react when they have a “that’s me” moment. One of the most effect TV spots this year are the Volkswagon spots where they survive the unexpected accident. Especially the spot with the two couples chatting about the movie… then BAMM, they are broadsided by another car. That is a “that’s me” moment that every women reacts to. Find that connection so your audience is saying… “that’s me!”
Rule 2: Focus on the Connection
In general… women want to get along. They prefer to connect, for everyone to win and for everyone to be happy. So when designing your events… find events that everyone can participate in and feel like winners. Do things that make your audience feel good. Most radio stations do not take enough advantage of working with charities and promoting community benefits. Find the charity organizations in your city that help women and help them. Provide ways for your audience to help too.
For example, there are a number of the franchises in almost every city, the place where you can go with your friends and make dinner for your family for the week. It’s a great idea and most women love the fact that they can have fun and do something good for their family. So use that client to your advantage by creating a special day where women can go with their friends and make dinner for less fortunate families. It’s a great opportunity for women to work together doing something fun and rewarding. Women want to connect with other women. Put your radio station in the middle of the connection and you will brand your station in a way that really matters.
Rule 3: Tell stories… relate to her life.
The best on air personalities tell great stories. One of the funniest bits I have heard that demonstrates this was done by Kelly McKay at WZPL in Indianapolis. She had been talking about her program directors mono brow… something women can relate to. We all want to do something about the mono brows of the world. So she talked her PD into getting his mono brow waxed. It wasn’t a huge deal, just a properly placed phone call seconds before they ripped the wax off his head… and then the scream we all knew was coming. Women get their legs and lips waxed all the time. So we could feel his pain… and enjoyed the mental picture greatly.
Tell stories that relate to what women do everyday. It isn’t how many songs you play in a row… it is what you are saying that relates to her life that creates the connection.
Rule 4: Make it multi-sensory.
Women do not think in straight lines… they think of multiple factors all at once. They listen to the background music in a store, they notice the colors in your logo and website and they smell what is going on in the grocery store. What can you do to make your radio station more multi-sensory?
Take the time to write promotional copy that creates a real picture. If you’re doing a trip to the Caribbean… then your copy should make them feel warm, see the blue water and smell the coconut suntan lotion. If you can’t close your eyes and see, smell and hear the destination… keep writing. Connect by touching all the senses. Remember… radio is still theater of the mind.
Rule 5: Add The Little Extras
Reward loyalty by giving those heavy users and database members something extra. Cosmetic companies know the value of adding a few samples to the bag when I am purchasing that $60.00 moisturizer.
Coldwater Creek is a perfect example of a company that knows it’s female customer and how to keep them loyal. Their clothes are not cheap but they do an unbelievable business, and 70% of their customers make over $80,000 a year. Through a very well designed email marketing strategy, they constantly provide customers with targeted discounts, discount gift cards and gifts with purchase such as a free watch with a $100 purchase around Mother’s Day.
The Gap with it’s younger cliental offers free, Gap branded music CDs with catalog orders.
The little extras work for radio too. If you are managing your database correctly and tracking results, you should be able to isolate the group of active users in your database of listeners. From free events to bonusing those people with extra prizes, your own branded CD to doubling their prize in call in to win contests… there are hundreds of ways to add the little extras to your relationship with your listeners.
And if you need some ideas, let us know. We’ve got a million of them!
Rule 6: Tap Into the Emotional Power of Music
Radio plays lots of music, but do we ever really focus on the emotion of that music? Music is the soundtrack to a woman’s life. They remember special events with clarity and detail, and many times a song is part of the details. Ask a woman what a song on the radio reminds her of, and most times she will have an answer.
When using music to market your station, from TV to on air promos, think about the emotion in those songs and make it work for you.
Women love stories. Combine the two and make the package an emotionally complete package. For example, on Valentine’s Day have listeners call in and record a short story about their significant other and include the song that is part of their moment. Most songs are about love in some form and they are memorable because the hit an emotional cord. You can use that emotion to your advantage. And remember without some emotion, there is no bonding.
Rule 7: Create Listener Evangelist
Listeners love a sense of ownership in your radio station, because to them it is not your station, it is “their” station. How can you use that sense of ownership and have them become part of your marketing team?
•Gather feedback and then use that feedback to create events, promotions and station features. People are becoming used to having input in their own media. If you don’t allow participation, they will find another way to get the entertainment they want, on their terms. Surveys, Listener Advisory Boards, blogs and message boards are all ways for your listeners to add input into “their” station.
•Make it a point to share knowledge with them. If you have just done a music test, make that an item in your next email. Talk about some of the songs that everyone seems to love and anything else that will make them feel part of “their” station.
• Build word of mouth networks. Women talk, believe me. I sat at lunch a week before Thanksgiving and listened to a whole table of women talking about how mad they were that their favorite station was already playing Christmas music. It stressed them out and reminded them of all the things they had to do and it wasn’t even Thanksgiving. I know that conversation continued elsewhere. Make sure you are blogging or offering your listeners a chance to communicate with you and you with them. That way, you have some control over the word of mouth generated about your station.
• Encourage your listeners to meet and share. A station I have worked with in the past has created a partnership with a business womans networking group. The group is very large and their events well attended. The radio station uses that group as a way to network and create events for a big part of their audience. The women love the group because they get a lot out of it from both a knowledge base and through social networking. So it is a win/win for all parties.
How can you get your listeners together in ways that is a win/win for both your station and your listeners? Spa nights, educational events, exercise events and family events are all ways for your listeners to meet and share. And that will begin the circle of good word of mouth!
Rule 8: Form Good Brand Alliances
No brand can be everything to everyone. As much as we’d like our listeners to spend 24 hours a day with us, we all know that is not possible. So how can we spread our brand and create new alliances so we are still part of our listeners lives even if they are not listening to us at the moment?
What do women do and where to they go? Find the places in your market that are natural attractions to women and become part of that attraction. For example, Curves is a women’s only exercise club. Can you provide the music for them or special workout shirts for their members? Or what about creating a special blend of your morning show’s coffee and selling it through a local grocery store with all proceeds going to a women focused charity? Extend your brand through good alliances and you’ll become more than just a music machine to your listeners.
Next time… Marketing to Women Mistakes to Avoid.
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