Radio Commercial Sales Tips from American Music Concepts

Odwalla Fruit Juice is on the move in all 50 states and they are looking for your help. Significant marketing money is now in the hands of local distributors to promote the Ultra-Endurance Race Across America, Bonnarro Music & Arts Festival and most recently their new program, State Parks Across The Nation For A Greener Future … Planting trees in State Parks all over the USA.

We are creating musical jingles for Law Firms all over the country. May I share a an idea that your toughest Law Firm prospect will love?

There is big money to be scooped up this Spring in Pool Chemicals from some of the top names including BioGuard, HTH, Baquacil and Pace.

There are three key categories for Radio/TV Sales in 2010 and it’s my pleasure to share them with you this week.

Like it or not, it’s tax time again. Hit the phones this week and get in front of as many tax specialists, financial planners, money managers and accounting firms as possible. The key to working with this business category is to propose long term schedules not just a quick six week flight. These professionals are in business 52 weeks a year and they’ll relate to your long term proposal. I am a business owner and schedule at least four sessions per year with my finance professionals.

Features like Tax Time, Let’s Talk Money & Taxes and a Morning Money Minute are great opportunities for your clients and the station as well. You should also have sponsorship opportunities for Real Estate, Mortgage Loans, IRA Managers and College Financing, too. These are important topics and deserve attention throughout the year not just in first quarter when you’re scrambling for new clients.

Make room on the program schedule for these features at 7:20 AM, 12 Noon, 5:55 PM, Midnight and Saturday & Sunday mornings. These are valuable prime spots that can generate high rate new dollars. Your audience will enjoy the information they hear on these fixed position features and the long term billing will come in handy long after April 15th.

It’s a great idea to join at least one local civic group in 2010. The contacts you will make will be priceless and your return on time investment will come back ten fold. There are hundreds of civic organizations to join … Here’s a list of some of the best ones:

Rotary International, Lions Clubs International, Kawanis International, Shriners International, Knights Of Columbus, Freemasonry, Salvation Army, American Legion, Elks USA, Humane Society, Habitat For Humanity, Jaycees, Junior Achievement, Optimist International, Sierra Club, and Special Olympics … These civic organizations can all use your help and they’ll be so excited to have a member of the local media join their team. Civic organizations like Rotary International meet once a week and they are always looking for guest speakers. At least make the circuit and offer your speaking services for 2010.

Civic Organizations are made up of the movers and shakers in your hometown and the friendships you make will pay off in a very big way for many years to come.

Circulation Directors have marketing budgets to help them obtain new subscribers and the quickest way to make that happening is to distribute free samples. We had a new Home Depot opening in our market and I approached the Store Manager with the idea of doing a “no charge” remote broadcast for the grand opening. My next call was to the Circulation Director of The Family Handyman Magazine. I asked for $5,000 and 5,000 free sample magazines to hand out at the Home Depot event. They loved the idea and in one day delivered the check and cartons of magazine samples.

Each Circulation Director has their own conversion rate of sample copies to paid subscribers … It’s a great subject to bring up during your initial contact. A quick visit to your local Barnes & Noble magazine section will open the doors to this limitless world of new business. They carry thousands of magazine titles in every imaginable business category … The next event you host bring along a magazine as a co-sponsor. Brides Magazine would love to participate in your Bridal Show. Money Magazine would jump at the chance to distribute samples at your Job Fair. Reader’s Digest would be a great prospect to call on for your Book Traders Show and get a jump start 2010 by calling on Hobby Farms Magazine for next year’s State Fair.

Just when you think you’ve run out of prospects, Jingle Jim delivers another great Monday morning idea starter!

How’s your current relationship with your local Chamber of Commerce? If your friendship with your old downtown pals could use a lift  … I’ve got a great idea for you both.

Schedule a three minute morning show segment on your radio stations to help promote your local Chambers of Commerce. The Executive Directors in your market will be lining up for their chance to promote upcoming Chamber events, membership drives, etc.  … You can interview new members, old members … perhaps even declare your morning show’s favorite business “Pick Of The Day.” It’s a great service to provide the local business community and the public relations boost is priceless.

We’re here if you’d like to get a jingle made for the new morning show feature … After all, if you’re going to do it … do it right. I have an idea for you how we can create a jingle package for your new feature at no charge to the station.

Here’s a very cool idea that is sure to help you close a 52 week contract:

Your hometown has an historical society … stop in this week and make the executive director your best new friend. Tell your new pal that you want to help build awareness and traffic for the organization as a public service. Ask the society to prepare 52 :30 second historical anecdotes about your town …. and sell the :15 open and :15 close to a local sponsor.

Banks, Credit Unions, Mortgage Firms, Real Estate Brokers and Financial Planners are all great prospects for this promotion …. The Historical Society will do all the work and you make all the money!

One of the fastest growing business categories for Radio/TV Sales is Law Firms.

Every AE in America should have at least one Law Firm on the air at all times. There are many Law Firm categories up for grabs including Bankruptcy, Criminal Law,  Family Law, Health Care, Insurance, Labor/Employment, Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury, Real Estate, Taxation and Trusts/Estates.

All it takes is one Law Firm running a 52 week schedule on your station to open the floodgates. It should only take you a short time to have one Law Firm on the air from each of these categories.

Attorneys are smart, hard working and aggressive marketers. They are looking for great ideas … and running a schedule on your station is a great idea.