Thursday, March 26, 2015

How To Market Your Music and Your Book

Being an artist or an author is one of the greatest forms of expression we have.  These art forms are here to help and inspire others.  Getting your projects noticed however is seemingly one of the toughest things to do. 

In this internet era and more specifically this social media era there are many platforms that can get you out there.  I'm going to share a very specific one with you in a moment.  First let me share this conversation I had with Cyrus Webb on Wednesday.

Cyrus and I were discussing promotion and marketing.  He was also sharing how he comes up with ideas for his hit show Conversations Live.  He asked me if I ever watched the show Being Mary Jane.  Like many of you I am a fan of Gabrielle Union and love her work.  Cyrus asked If I ever noticed the song at the beginning of the show. 

He said that that song touched him and he said to himself that he wanted to find out who the singer was so he could interview her.  Well he did and FYI if you want to hear that interview, here it is.  

http://hosts.blogtalkradio.com/cyruswebbpresents/2014/01/07/singing-sensation-coleen-mcmahon-stops-by-conversations-live

Coleen McMahon is her name.

Coleen was actually discovered by the producers of Being Mary Jane on YouTube.  Yep YouTube!

Platforms like YouTube, FaceBook, Twitter, and Instagram have become a means for the average person to become great.  Now realize that Coleen did and does much more than just post her songs on YouTube.  Marketing and promotion of your work must be a priority in order for you to het discovered.

Shows like Conversations Live with Cyrus Webb is a platform for you to reach the people that are genuinely interested in what you have to offer.  I mean if reaching an audience of over 500K people a week is something that interests you, you may want to investigate this further.

Tap into this resource this week get your promotion for your project beside established authors, singers, actors and even film makers like this...

Actor Jamie Kennedy
David Pic Conley, recording artist
Dionne Warwick, recording artist
Freda Mays, author
Rapper Lion from the Lake
Author Melissa Thomas
Filmmaker Tim McSpadden
Filmmaker Rob Hill
Actress Sulinh Lafontaine
Actor Tom Downey
Model Trell Green
Author Kelly Johnson
Author Khara Campbell
Recording artist Otis Lee
Shoe designer Tani of Ink Bottoms

Reserve the exact show you want your promotion on befor April 1, 2015. Only $75. Only 3 spots available first come first served so act now.

Call 414.366.6128
www.radiocommercialsthatwork.com

To have your promo spot on Conversations Live with Cyrus Webb

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

The Problem and Solution To Marketing

Do you have something to sell?  It does not matter if you sell a product or service online or in a brick and mortar store, we share a common problem.  How do we sell more of our stuff?  Back in 1999 I started an engineering firm that was quite successful.  That is until may marketing and sales efforts became more and more difficult.

This was the beginning of the era of internet marketing.  To say that I was clueless was an understatement.  I used traditional methods of spending hours and hours of looking up email addresses and phone numbers.  Of course as my business began to boom and investors starting giving me money the time I had to spend on Sales and marketing began to drastically drop.  As a result of that and some other poor business decisions by me and my new partners, the whole thing just flopped.

Whether you are an author, a musician, or any type of small business owner, sales and marketing are the life blood of what you do.  As the saying goes, "Nothing gets done until someone makes a sale".  The question and the problem ultimately are the same.  How can I sell more of my stuff?  Knowing some basics of marketing can save you a ton of time.  First you have to know your target market and exactly where they will look to find what you offer.

Over the past 8 years I have spent a ton of time and study on the solution to this one problem.  Don't get me wrong, I like many, have fallen pray to many internet marketing scams.  Yep, you know the ones that promise an answer in order for you to take you business to unbelievable heights.  Of course you can get all of that for the low low price of $497 (or what ever ridiculous price they quote).

So don't feel too bad if you have fallen for some of this as well.  Most of us have.  The truth is that even if you wasted your money on some of those scams, you made that purchase for a reason.  The reason was very simple.  There marketing appealed to a few things with in you.  They addressed a real problem you where faced with (i.e. making more money).  They offered you a solution to that problem.  They also tapped into your insecurities and emotions.  The final thing they did was promise you hope.

My specialty is creating radio commercials that work.  Over the years I have found the words to say and how to say them to talk to any target market that is out there.  You see the tactics of those internet scam artists actually work.  The difference is that with your company you are not trying to make a quick buck.  You are sincerely trying to offer useful products and services to a core target market.

If you have ever been scammed you are familiar with the OMG moment that you had when you realized that you just wasted your money.  I know I do.  For this reason I have a personal policy of NEVER creating sales and marketing materials for people or companies that I can not trust myself.

The Solution

What we do (for honest business owners like you) is create commercials that make your target market say, "I Want One".  There are several things that need to be done in order to actually call this a solution.  Before I get into those however let me say this.  There is absolutely no way that anyone can offer you some sort of cookie cutter solution.  What works for one company may not work at all for yours.  This is why our approach involves really getting to know, not just your company, but the reasons and the passion behind why you do what you do.

Let me explain this a little more.  You see people don't by what you do, they buy "WHY" you do what you do.  The simple truth is that no one really cares about you or your company for that matter.  That being said, the "why" in what do takes the focus off of you and puts it squarely on your potential customers.  They buy the what's in it for me.

Do you remember a few years back when the iPhone made a commercial showing a girl talking to her dad using video.  They were talking about her new braces and her dad was trying to get her to smile.  You remember it right.  That commercial was pure genius.  Not once did they mention what the iPhone could do.  The didn't mention one feature.  They simply showed their product in use by people just like you.  They tapped into a part of us all that made us all want one.

This is what we will do with you.  We will help you tap into the "thing" that will make your target market want to buy what you have to sell.  We will spend time with you creating ads that capture the attention of your customers and cause them to take action!  With radio you have just a few seconds in order to capture the attention.  After that every single word and sound MUST be focused on keeping it.

This is the promise that I can make to you.  I will spend time talking with you and analyzing your current business.  I will get to know you in order that I can actually care about what you are offering.  If I can not help you, I will tell you I can't.  However, if I know I can, I will produce your commercial, I will teach you how to use it appropriately, and I will hold your hand through the whole process.  Through our connections we can currently put your commercial in front of over 500K people every week.  Let us put a voice to your product or service.  We are simply the best at what we do.

Want one?

www.RadioCommercialsThatWork.com

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Where Should I Put My Commercial?

Having a commercial that gets results is one thing.  You also must be very selective about where you air it. This is of even more importance if you are in a niche market.

Knowing your target market is vitally important. If you are going to take the time to produce a radio commercial shouldn't you also know exactly where your target market will be listening?

If you sell wedding cakes it may not be best to have your commercial aired on a show about auto repair. Knowing where your market is listening is pretty easy to find out. In fact you should find actual shows, stations, podcasts or internet net broadcasts that already cater to your target market.

If you are an author or a music artist you may want to put your ads on a show like Conversations Live with Cyrus Webb.  Cyrus really has an audience that is always looking for stuff like that and his audience eats it up.

If you are into creating apps for smart phones you can find a bevy of podcast on business development that you could probably even barter with to have them run your commercial. They may even consider interviewing you on their show!

The key point is to go where your audience and potential customers already hang out.

www.radiocommercialsthatwork.com

What Makes A Good Radio Ad?

This is the million dollar question.  A good radio ad is one that produces results.  It is just that simple.  Whether you have an upcoming event, a product, or service to sell, you want results.  Never get caught up in the fact that your commercial is on the radio.  Many people get excited after they have paid for commercial spots and then hear it on the radio.  In fact you will listen to the radio all day just to hear your own commercial.

If only your target market was like that.  The truth is that if you don't capture your target market's attention within the first 3 seconds they have already tuned you out.  Don't waste time with a music intro.  Get right into addressing something that your target market will respond to and pay attention.  Here are some great openings to a commercial...

  • Are you in a bad marriage
  • Do you have mice
  • Are you looking for a church home
  • Are you grilling out this weekend
  • Looking for a car
These openers for several different markets have one thing in common.  They all start with a question that the hearer that is looking for that will pay attention to.  Opening your commercial with a question gets attention because it will get a only one of two responses...Yes or no.

When you pose a question to your target market it works to get there attention.  Now of course not everyone that is listening to the radio at that time will need or want what you have.  However, EVERYONE that is looking for it will pay attention because you spoke directly to a need they have.

In your commercial remember one thing.  NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOU!  What I mean is that they only care about who what you have solves there problem or answers their question.  No one cares how long you have been in business or how many employees you have.  They don't care what you look like or what kind of car you drive.  They simply care about themselves.  Make sure your ad is focused on them and not how great you are. 

Make sure you commercial is about how your product or service addresses their need not your ego.

www.radiocommercialsthatwork.com

Why Radio Ads Don't Work

Everyone knows that when you are listening to your favorite radio show that TUNE OUT time comes when commercials start.  It is not often that a commercial actually catches and keeps your attention.  There is a reason for this.  No one cares what you are talking about!

Sounds kind of bleak doesn't it?  Radio ads have the potential to really help you grow your business and become known as an authority in your field, if they are done correctly.  I want you to pay attention the next time you are listening to the radio.  Yes, I want you to pay attention to the commercials.  When you hear one does it make you say, "I want one."?

I want you to also notice that big companies NEVER just let a radio station make a commercial for them.  This is one of the big mistakes that smaller businesses make.  They allow a group of radio people that have no experience in marketing make a commercial that is suppose to make people buy from you.  I mean of course a radio station has all of the best equipment in order to make a great sounding commercial.  The question is do the have the expertise to really convince people to buy from you? NO!

The reason larger companies use marketing professionals and script writers is because it works.  I mean if all you have is 30 or 60 seconds to make your case to potential buyers don't you want to make sure that it will work?  Especially after you have put done some hard earned cash?

In those few seconds that you have you need to do 3 things.  You need to show that you understand a problem that your target market has.  You need to offer a solution to that problem and you need to connect with them on an emotional level. 

Don't just let radio station put something together with a lot of bells and whistles.  A commercial on the radio has one job and that is to convince your target market to buy form you...PERIOD.  If it does not do that, you have just wasted money that I am sure you actually needed.

www.radiocommercialsthatwork.com