3 things to expect with long radio campaigns
Want to ensure a smooth year with your new advertising campaign? It can be extremely stressful if you don’t know what you’re getting into. Here’s a guideline of things that will catch you by surprise if you weren’t prepared by a professional.
A quarter worth of disappointment – Your advertising campaign is not going to work very well for a while. That doesn’t mean it isn’t gaining steam. It’s just the way it goes with branding campaigns. If you’re not giving people a reason to break their buying cycle, you have to wait for them to be ready to buy. This is actually better for you. It means you don’t have to discount your prices to bring them in. You just need to show them that you’re a great option when they’re ready. That means, it takes a while to get going. It’s different for each industry, but I’d suggest you expect 3-6 months of weak response to your branding campaign off the top. It’s scary. But, it’s a lot scarier if nobody warns you. Your reward for your patience is a lifetime of relational customers (as long as you keep advertising.) These are the guys you want. They’re the customers that don’t haggle with you over pennies. They buy from you because you’ve positioned yourself as a responsible expert. That only happens with long branding campaigns.
Complaints – The key to a good branding campaign is consistency. All your messages must sound and feel the same. They must all fit under the same “umbrella.” Remember though, not everybody is going to appreciate the brand you’ve chosen. When you air the same style of commercial year after year after year you will eventually discover the people who hate your ads. This is not a reason to change the campaign. It’s just an inevitability. It’s actually a good sign. It means your messages are being heard. Keep in mind that the detractors are not your ideal client. They’re just the litmus test for a good campaign. So, the next time you hear a complaint about your campaign, rejoice!
Impatience – You’re going to want to change your campaign really often. Please, please, don’t! This is a very common reaction from business owners. You hear your own commercials differently than everyone else. As a result, you think they “burn out” quicker than the average listener. When you think your message is getting old, give it another six weeks. You can run a great campaign without changing the creative once in an entire year. For the average business, I would suggest no more than six ads in a year.
If you need someone to help you through all the emotions, tests, and stresses of your new campaign, feel free to ask me to come along for the ride. It’ll be worth it in the end.