Radio Sales Café

I am working to develop a new market which is on the fringe of our listening area. Any suggestions or success stories on how to approach businesses where you stations can't be heard.

Our station is a large regional station. Business owners like to tell us that we're not a "insert city-name here" station- we're a "****" station.

I always like to come back to them and say something like: "Yes, we're headquartered in ***. Are you happy with just informing potential consumers in this town to come into your business or would you like to expand to a new market?"

That usually gets them interested. From there, I point out that in our area, people drive all over to get what they need. It's not uncommon in our listening area for someone to travel 40 miles to go to a dentist in one town; 35 miles in the opposite direction to get to a doctor; and another hour or two in any direction for shopping excursions. Then I end it by asking them: If our listeners travel like this on a regular basis, why wouldn't they come here as long as they know you exist and right now, they don't.

Fred,

Being that we're on the fringe of a large market, we face this issue all the time. What we have done is to put together information on the audience we do reach so the potential advertiser is looking at the buying power of the people who can hear us. The rates in the large market next to us are pretty stout, so we suggest that an advertiser take just one ad off one station and buy a whole week on ours where he is sure to get results.

I'm reminded of a story told to me by a salesperson in a suburban market who was trying to sell a big city car dealer. The dealer said that he had never listened to her station and probably never would because he couldn't hear it very well. The salesperson said "You know, I don't care if you ever listen to my station, but there are a lot of people who do. They buy cars and you aren't reaching any of them." She got an initial buy and turned the dealer into a regular advertiser due to the results he got.

Fred! Get a min. wage writer/producer to develop a series of 60 sec. "Salutes" to the market, profiling the people behind its history, tourism and commerce. Do them in the old "rock radio" style, where in 60-90 seconds, you're in, you're out and back to regular programming. Cross-promote and schedule at fixed times during the day. Have the mayor, the president and the gm of the tourist board, the chamber, and movers and shakers behind other historical/tourism/commercial entities do their thing. Get a letter from them saying the Market of Anytown salutes WXYZ in their Salute To Anytown. Use these letters when you e-mail a follow-up package to owners (individual, sub-total, and total value of promos, "Salutes", sponsor mentions, and advertising vs actual investment). Pitch businesses to take shared sponsorship (2 or three non-competitive sponsor mentions per ad). Podcast and stream them with relevent pictures. The extra time to prepare gives you a great sales thrust. Get industry sponsors as well as the typical owner-managed, free standing retailers to sponsor. Other sponsors? Get a list of bids submitted on city projects, get the bidding firms to sponsor. After, send a t-you letter to the mayor and city department heads, thanking those companies for their sponsorship. Add to the portfolio and do it again next year. Get the local paper to write a story, and get the publisher to talk up the town as one of the interview subjects.

Thank you so much for confirming my direction!! That is exactly how I have been approaching the businesses in the market I am trying to develop. As soon as I present them with the idea to talk to the listeners that travel to their area for dentist's, Dr's appointments etc.. they perk right up and begin to listen. Thanks.

I have several towns in my territory that are on our fringe. When starting with a new town, I have found that a cooperative approach will get them going. I have created Xmas Toy Giveaway promotions and "****" Town Days" that split the cost of advertising amongst the businesses and allow them to pool their advertising into a great community message. This gets your smaller shops involved too since they don't typically have a big budget. Once they get used to seeing you on a regular basis and "adopt" your station as their own, then the larger businesses will usually start doing some stand alone stuff.

Andy - Great idea - with application to any station in any market, irrespective of its status as a hometown or fringe signal. "Jingle Jim" Reilly suggested something similar awhile back: contacting the local historical society and having them write the copy for features on the town's history. One imagines a "This Day in (Anytown) History" could work also. I see newspapers occasionally doing this as a (generally unsponsored) feature; no reason a radio station couldn't make a great series with similar content. Thanks for sharing it! -Rod