At Contractor 20/20 - Plumbing, Marketing and Advertising, HVAC Marketing and Advertising &
Electric Marketing and Advertising is our Specialty. Contractor 20/20 serves over 100 independent
contractors in 40 states with complete direct mail. TV and radio advertising agency services and
consumer research services. We have developed, researched and tested the "most successful"
marketing techniques. We are the largest advertising agency serving independent contractors
in the nation. If you wish to maximize your sales to prior customers and new customers - if you want to learn how other contractors
hav achieved 15-20% net profit, give us a call at (607) 770-8933, ext. 80 and request a referral list.
RADIO ADVERTISING
Note: this was originally a post I made to the ServiceRoundTable.com.
I have been managing radio advertising for 27 years.
The keys to success in radio advertising is 4 fold.
1) Proper Targeting. (who hears the spots) Both surveys of your own customers and
reports from Arbitron will help you identify the radio station that best will reach your
target customer.
2) Proper Frequency. (how often they hear the spot) For the service side of your
company to keep the customers you already have the customer needs to hear your commercial
2 times a month. With most radio stations a schedule of 20 spots a month. Monday through
Friday 6 am to 7 pm will do. To get new customers you need to have your commercial
heard 4 times a month for most stations running 40 spots a month will do that.
To take customers away from the competition you need to have your spot heard 6 to 8 times
a month, running 60 to 80 spots a month will do. These numbers work for advertising
that is need driven such as a break down. For impulse needs such as kitchen and bath
replacement multiply the number of spots needed by 2.5 to 3 times as many.
3) Effective Copy. The script of a good radio commercial has three parts.
A statement that satisfies the emotional reason the consumer buys (you deserve a Cadillac).
A statement that gives a rational reason to buy (Cadillac has great airbags).
A call to action that gives a reason to buy now (right now get no payments, no interest for
6 months).
Successful spots can also use customer testimonial and announcer endorsements.
4) Overall Cost. There simply has to be enough listeners in the area that the
radio station serves that also live in your service area to support the cost of advertising.
In advertising there is a concept called "cost per percentage point (CPP) of audience reached.
You determine it by dividing the cost of the spot by the size of the listenership per spot.
You then have to compare that number to the population numbers to check that the CPP is
justified. OK, I know I just lost most of you. But the same way I can't size an HVAC unit without
proper training ... I don't expect 95% of you to understand the science of advertising either.
In conclusion, if you take the right steps you can expect success 80% of the time.
A good radio spot should produce sales in the first week on air.
I am proud to be associated with the largest and most respected contractor groups in the nation as a
PHCC/QSC
(Quality Service Contractors Industry Partner) and as a Service Roundtable Consult Partner.
A Final personal note.. The marketing industry has a long dark history
of disreputable operators. If you have been in business for a time, no doubt you have your own story to tell.
That is why I urge you to check our referrals … see for yourself how our counsel has been a blessing to
contractors from Coast to Coast. If you do, you will learn how
faithful to our clients' interests we are, so different from too many clients' past experiences.
Click Here to E-Mail Mike
