 Ask
radio listeners to name their favorite ads, and they'll give you a list
that yielded high entertainment but low results. Ask advertisers to
name their favorite ads, and they'll tell you about messages that made
them a lot of money but that no one else remembers. A radio station
measures the success of a commercial break by how few listeners bang
the buttons on their dashboards to change the channel. An advertiser
measures success by how often they bang the buttons on their cash
registers.
Even more dichotomies exist:
Old-school radio people believe announcers
should sound smooth and mellifluous. Flawless. Golden. But the new
school believes people should sound authentic. Regular. Believable.
Has a radio professional told you that your voice isn't suitable for
radio? You'll hear "Leave it to us. We'll use one of our professional
announcers." Interpretation: "We'll make your ads sound exactly like
everyone else's."
The bottom line for radio pros: Smooth, polished radio ads are easy to
ignore. That's why they're less likely to cause a station's listeners
to tune in to a competitor--and why they're less likely to generate
results for you.
The most successful radio advertisers typically buy 52-week schedules
to become household brands. Their goal is to gain the trust of the
public. And there are three reasons these advertisers will use their
own voices in their ads:
- They're more believable than professional announcers.
- They're harder to ignore.
- They
create a personal connection with the listener. This bond of trust is
essential when your product or service is in a category where the
customer has a high level of fear, such as diamonds, used cars or
medical procedures.
However, there are situations when you shouldn't use your own voice. These include:
- If you sound like you're reading a script (though over time, you can work past this tendency)
- When your product or service is part of a no-fear category, like restaurants, electronics or concerts
- When the radio script requires character voices
Another thing to consider is that most radio station program directors
will suggest that you allow them to add a music bed beneath your
dry-voice ads. Reject this helpful sabotage. Music beds are like
soap--they allow the radio station to mix the oil of highly produced
music programming with the repellant water of unstructured talking. In
other words, adding a music bed makes your ad blend in with the
music--and it makes your ad easier to ignore. You won't get any
complaints about your "homemade" dry-voice advertising, but you won't
get any results, either.
Are you now considering being your own spokesperson on the radio? There are a few pitfalls you need to be aware of:
- Brace yourself to endure the criticism of your friends and family.
In a career that's spanned more than a quarter century, I've noticed
that any time radio ad results are sharply on the rise, so are
complaints.
- Avoid clichés and overused phrases.
If what you say feels predicable to your listener, your ad will seem
contrived and artificial. These ads almost never produce results.
- Don't sound like you're reading.
An extemporaneous sound is good. Mispronunciations are good. And
struggling to find just the right word is the stuff of miracles.
Is this beginning to sound like you might have to record a lengthy
interview with your producer and then allow him or her to edit bits and
pieces of your conversation into a warm and cozy patchwork quilt of
unrehearsed audio? That's one possibility.
I never said this was going to be quick or easy.
So play around with your ads, get advice from others, and try to
translate your excitement for your business to your potential customers
in your own words. If you can wrap your arms around these concepts,
your ads will stand out--and they can make you a lot of money.
(Source: The entrepreneur)
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