Actual for You - The Fundamentals of Direct Response Radio Advertising

First, Two Important Concepts

Throw out all you think you know about advertising, radio advertising, and especially direct response advertising. It's best to begin with a clean slate, a blank whiteboard so-to-speak. There are two important concepts I want to introduce before moving forward.

Concept One: Radio as A Highway From Your Business to Your Potential Customers

Think of radio advertising as a 5,000 lane highway from your business to groups (station audiences) of your potential customers. The many lanes on this highway are the many different radio stations and radio networks that are available for you air your radio advertisement. It is on these "lanes" that you send your message to your customers.

The lanes are clustered in such a way that they reach groups collections of customers who have similar tastes and demographic profiles. Therefore, some of these lanes lead to groups that have a high concentration of people who match your target customer profile. As a result, advertising on those lanes (stations) is more profitable than others with a lower concentration of your target customer profile. These groupings are the radio formats, which are used in radio advertising to enhance the efficiency of, or return on, advertising efforts. For more about radio formats, see our summary at http://www.strategicmediainc.com/radio-advertising.php.

Concept Two: Radio Advertising is a Profit-Driver, Not a Cost Center

At this juncture, the one thing many business people can't seem to put out of their mind is the one of "how much does it cost" to advertise on radio. We've written extensively about this question because it is one of the most common that we get. The problem is that embedded in this question is the presupposition that radio advertising is a cost. The concept that one needs to fully grasp is that radio advertising is not a cost center. That is, it does not stand alone without any relation to revenue or profit. It is detrimental to think of direct response radio advertising as a cost because that leads to managing as though it's a cost, which means minimizing or eliminating it. Contrast this with managing it like it's an investment, and maximizing the return you realize on it.

Direct response radio advertising - by its very definition - is a profit-driver. If it's not driving a profit, it would not exist - or at the very least it would not be called direct response radio advertising but instead "brand" or "awareness" advertising. Profitability is a fundamental aspect of direct response radio advertising.

On To the Fundamentals

Now that we've cleared our minds and allowed for two basic concepts about how to think about radio advertising, let's move on to the meat of the fundamentals of direct response radio advertising.

The Basic Formula

We'll begin with the basic formula involved in all direct response advertising:

You buy placement in radio media to air your radio ad, which gets your message broadcast to a certain number of people. This results in a cost per person reached with your message. In advertising this is known as CPM, or cost per thousand impressions of your ad.

Merger and Acquisition Databases
Acquisitions let owners establish a base, such as: obtain a going concern in a particular location and establish a niche, i.e. bring in more business of a certain type in the market. Acquisitions also help to obtain entry into adjacent market areas and increase the prestige of the company. Mergers, in addition to these benefits, offer reduced work level and a way to cope with larger competitors.Companies with extensive databases on key business relationships, product lines, focused sectors, and financial performance indicators provide a rich and integrated information source for investment banking, corporate finance, C-level executives, management consultants, marketing, and business intelligence professionals. Merger and acquisition databases are useful to people who want actionable answers and ideas in seconds. Merger and acquisition database are useful to consulting firms to research and confirm key transaction details, such as target and acquire names, prices, terms and key acquisition multiples. Some companies provide merger and acquisition database online, and people can search for deals a decade old, or one that happened just last week.Various companies prepare databases by monitoring numerous business sources including publications, reports, and online reporting services on a daily basis to track mergers and acquisitions as well as issues impacting mergers and acquisitions in selected industries. The professional analysts of these companies subscribe to a number of proprietary information sources and compile the most meaningful transaction data into a single easy-to-use source. Mergers and acquisitions database is searcha, a blank whiteboard so-to-speak. There are two important concepts I want to introduce before moving forward.

Concept One: Radio as A Highway From Your Business to Your Potential Customers

Think of radio advertising as a 5,000 lane highway from your business to groups (station audiences) of your potential customers. The many lanes on this highway are the many different radio stations and radio networks that are available for you air your radio advertisement. It is on these "lanes" that you send your message to your customers.

The lanes are clustered in such a way that they reach groups collections of customers who have similar tastes and demographic profiles. Therefore, some of these lanes lead to groups that have a high concentration of people who match your target customer profile. As a result, advertising on those lanes (stations) is more profitable than others with a lower concentration of your target customer profile. These groupings are the radio formats, which are used in radio advertising to enhance the efficiency of, or return on, advertising efforts. For more about radio formats, see our summary at http://www.strategicmediainc.com/radio-advertising.php.

Concept Two: Radio Advertising is a Profit-Driver, Not a Cost Center

At this juncture, the one thing many business people can't seem to put out of their mind is the one of "how much does it cost" to advertise on radio. We've written extensively about this question because it is one of the most common that we get. The problem is that embedded in this question is the presupposition that radio advertising is a cost. The concept that one needs to fully grasp is that radio advertising is not a cost center. That is, it does not stand alone without any relation to revenue or profit. It is detrimental to think of direct response radio advertising as a cost because that leads to managing as though it's a cost, which means minimizing or eliminating it. Contrast this with managing it like it's an investment, and maximizing the return you realize on it.

Direct response radio advertising - by its very definition - is a profit-driver. If it's not driving a profit, it would not exist - or at the very least it would not be called direct response radio advertising but instead "brand" or "awareness" advertising. Profitability is a fundamental aspect of direct response radio advertising.

On To the Fundamentals

Now that we've cleared our minds and allowed for two basic concepts about how to think about radio advertising, let's move on to the meat of the fundamentals of direct response radio advertising.

The Basic Formula

We'll begin with the basic formula involved in all direct response advertising:

You buy placement in radio media to air your radio ad, which gets your message broadcast to a certain number of people. This results in a cost per person reached with your message. In advertising this is known as CPM, or cost per thousand impressions of your ad.

Use The Right Benefit Statements on Your Website (and in All Your Marketing)
The experts say you need benefit statements in all your marketing – on your website, on your brochures and flyers, in your 30-second introduction and in all types of advertising. This is true.There could be so many benefit statements for your business, how do you choose?Marketing is the process of communicating to people about your product or service so they can make a purchase if they perceive they want or need it. If they are not aware of it, don't know how to purchase it or don't perceive it fulfills a want or need, there can be no sale.The key word in that paragraph is ‘perceive'. Your marketing, and therefore your benefit statements, should focus on the perception in the marketplace, not necessarily the actual benefit.For example, in my business one of the greatest benefits many of my clients realize AFTER working with me is confidence. My clients' confidence in their business abilities sometimes skyrockets. So why don't I market based on this? Confidence is so important in business ownership. Prospective customers will often decide against making a purchase because they sense a lack of confidence in the seller.When prospects are considering hiring me, they do not perceive that they have a confidence problem! Therefore, if I am marketing to my target market based on increasing their confidence, my marketing will fall flat. It will not connect with my target at all.My target market comes to me mostly because they lack certain business knowledge or are overwhelmed by all the business stuff and need an advisor as well as a coach.Here's another example. A couple is having love life isyour target customer profile. As a result, advertising on those lanes (stations) is more profitable than others with a lower concentration of your target customer profile. These groupings are the radio formats, which are used in radio advertising to enhance the efficiency of, or return on, advertising efforts. For more about radio formats, see our summary at http://www.strategicmediainc.com/radio-advertising.php.

Concept Two: Radio Advertising is a Profit-Driver, Not a Cost Center

At this juncture, the one thing many business people can't seem to put out of their mind is the one of "how much does it cost" to advertise on radio. We've written extensively about this question because it is one of the most common that we get. The problem is that embedded in this question is the presupposition that radio advertising is a cost. The concept that one needs to fully grasp is that radio advertising is not a cost center. That is, it does not stand alone without any relation to revenue or profit. It is detrimental to think of direct response radio advertising as a cost because that leads to managing as though it's a cost, which means minimizing or eliminating it. Contrast this with managing it like it's an investment, and maximizing the return you realize on it.

Direct response radio advertising - by its very definition - is a profit-driver. If it's not driving a profit, it would not exist - or at the very least it would not be called direct response radio advertising but instead "brand" or "awareness" advertising. Profitability is a fundamental aspect of direct response radio advertising.

On To the Fundamentals

Now that we've cleared our minds and allowed for two basic concepts about how to think about radio advertising, let's move on to the meat of the fundamentals of direct response radio advertising.

The Basic Formula

We'll begin with the basic formula involved in all direct response advertising:

You buy placement in radio media to air your radio ad, which gets your message broadcast to a certain number of people. This results in a cost per person reached with your message. In advertising this is known as CPM, or cost per thousand impressions of your ad.

Strategies for Implementation-How to Follow Through on Your New Year's Resolutions
For most of us, the start of a new year is a time of reflection. A review of the year gone by and an opportunity to set goals for the year ahead. Intentions are good and motivation is high.The challenge lies in the predictable loss of steam that ensues as we move past the holiday season and back into our workaday lives.Make no mistake. Setting goals is easy. Following through is the hard part. To assist you in seeing those New Year’s goals and resolutions come to life, Bywater Consulting Group presents you with:Liz Bywater’s Strategies for Implementation: How to Follow Through on Your New Year’s Resolutions1) Review your goals. Keep the important ones. Discard the ones that don’t make sense.2) Prioritize. Decide what requires immediate action, what belongs in the mid-term, and what can be deferred to a much later date.3) Organize. Figure how to best approach the daily, weekly, monthly, and annual tasks entailed in meeting your goals and resolutions for the year. Put a system in place for efficiently attending to each of these tasks.4) Enlist help. Don’t try to tackle it all yourself. Delegate where feasible. Outsource where appropriate.5) Share the news. Tell someone about your goals and your strategies for reaching them.6) Create accountability. Set up a system for reporting your progress to someone who’s invested in your growth. This can be a business partner, a boss, a peer, or a spouse.7) Celebrate your successes. When you’ve made progress toward a goal, recognize it. Take pride. Use it as incentive to keep moving forward.8) Get feedback. Ask others how they see ye it is one of the most common that we get. The problem is that embedded in this question is the presupposition that radio advertising is a cost. The concept that one needs to fully grasp is that radio advertising is not a cost center. That is, it does not stand alone without any relation to revenue or profit. It is detrimental to think of direct response radio advertising as a cost because that leads to managing as though it's a cost, which means minimizing or eliminating it. Contrast this with managing it like it's an investment, and maximizing the return you realize on it.

Direct response radio advertising - by its very definition - is a profit-driver. If it's not driving a profit, it would not exist - or at the very least it would not be called direct response radio advertising but instead "brand" or "awareness" advertising. Profitability is a fundamental aspect of direct response radio advertising.

On To the Fundamentals

Now that we've cleared our minds and allowed for two basic concepts about how to think about radio advertising, let's move on to the meat of the fundamentals of direct response radio advertising.

The Basic Formula

We'll begin with the basic formula involved in all direct response advertising:

You buy placement in radio media to air your radio ad, which gets your message broadcast to a certain number of people. This results in a cost per person reached with your message. In advertising this is known as CPM, or cost per thousand impressions of your ad.

Who is Watching the Regulators?
I have been doing a lot of research on regulatory bodies, including the FTC. Recently in the FTC’s report on franchising 432-pages I noticed a some discrepancies, which were contrary to my personal knowledge and observation of the agency; specifically the franchising division.If the FTC is watching American Business, then who is watching the FTC? Some could say private sector attorneys and you can always fight the FTC, but even giants like Microsoft end up settling out of court, due to the cost of litigation these days. The FTC can take away a million or even a billion dollars of hard earned brand name value by grandstanding in the mass media and filing a case. What a complete sham? It costs too much to prove you are not guilty of violating something in the myriad of over regulation? Wow, is this the best the United States of America, the greatest nation in the world can do? Is this the best that the Federal Trade Commission, the darling of the Justice Department can do? Are you kidding me, that is it? That’s all you got? You could not be first picked on a third grade recess basketball team. Filing bogus cases and grandstanding to prove that you are doing your job and get next years budget? Why?So you can employ more people in the Beltway? The unemployment rates there are so low you cannot even get a legal citizen to come mow your lawn in Woodbridge, VA or Bethesda, MD. They even had to import the DC Sniper from the other Washington, Washington State because all the locals are too busy working to go around shooting people, well unless you are a US Marshall with road rage you open fire on a US Navy Sailor in the middle ertising but instead "brand" or "awareness" advertising. Profitability is a fundamental aspect of direct response radio advertising.

On To the Fundamentals

Now that we've cleared our minds and allowed for two basic concepts about how to think about radio advertising, let's move on to the meat of the fundamentals of direct response radio advertising.

The Basic Formula

We'll begin with the basic formula involved in all direct response advertising:

You buy placement in radio media to air your radio ad, which gets your message broadcast to a certain number of people. This results in a cost per person reached with your message. In advertising this is known as CPM, or cost per thousand impressions of your ad.

Some percentage of those people will respond (call, visit your web site, visit your store), giving you a response rate.

Of those who respond (otherwise known as leads), a percentage will be converted into customers (orders), and by that conversion rate generate profit and revenue.

From this formula, you will derive your media "CPO", or "cost per order", which is found by dividing media spend by the number of orders achieved with that spend (media spend in the numerator/number of orders in the denominator). This is the amount it costs you in radio advertising to acquire one new customer, which is why it is also called "cost per acquisition" ("CPA").

The important question at this point is this: Is the lifetime value ("LTV") of each of your customers, on average, greater than this CPO? This fundamental question applies whether your business is a direct response advertising business (which includes radio advertising, print advertising, DRTV, catalog, or internet) or a traditional retailer. Every business pays to acquire a customer, and every business has a certain propensity to retain that customer over a period of time in a relationship consisting of subsequent purchases and therefore profit streams. Regardless of whether your business uses direct response radio to acquire new customers, or it uses one of the other approaches to customer acquisition, your success will be fundamentally based on whether your business model facilitates a strongly positive lifetime value. If it does not, there is little that radio advertising, or any other form of advertising, can do to change this.

If your LTV is not greater that your CPO, your business isn't profitable and you'll want to stop advertising so you can make the changes to both the advertising and the business model that will result in profitability. Even if LTV is greater than CPO, you will want to increase that amount to maximize your profitability. To do this, you'll need to increase LTV and/or decrease CPO. This process is called business (or campaign) profitability optimization, and it is absolutely essential to the long term success of any direct responses radio advertising effort.

Improving Lifetime Value
There are a number of ways to increase the LTV of each customer. Let's look at three of the main ways:

1. Increase price without increasing cost. One way to do this is by increasing the percentage of orders that include high-margin upsells. Retailers do this all the time. They put super high margin items right at the checkout. Direct response advertisers can learn a lot from this. Identify widely appealing, complementary items and ensure they are offered as part of the sales process.

2. Increase repeat purchase. You have paid to acquire that customer, now develop a relationship and continue to meet their needs to drive repeat purchase. If they only buy once from you, you don't have a very viable business unless that first purchase is incredibly high margin.

3. Reduce your cost structure. Take advantage of your increased volu

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