The Secret of Effective Commercials

According to marketing guru Roy Williams, author of The Wizard of Ads, most business owners are uniquely unqualified to write a commercial for their own business. The reason? The business owner is on the inside looking out, trying to describe the business to a person on the outside looking in. The business owner has too much product knowledge about his or her own business, which often results in commercials that answer questions no one is asking. Most business owners insist on spending their 30-seconds talking about themselves ("we’ve been in business for 30 years", "we have all the brands you know and love", "we have friendly personnel", etc.) rather than telling the customer what’s in it for them. This makes for extremely ineffective advertising.

Frankly, people don’t care that you’ve been in business for 30 years, nor do they care that you have " a select group of merchandise at 50% off." What they care about is themselves and their families. They care about how they can obtain the creature comforts they desire, they care about saving money, and they care about their safety (Michelin sells tires by concentrating on safety, not by talking about tires). Address these issues and your radio commercial will be much more effective.

If you want your radio commercial to be effective, concentrate on the sizzle rather than the steak. Give people a reason to come to your store. Tell them how they’ll benefit. Talk about benefits, not features. Use the theatre-of-the-mind to paint a picture (radio does this better than any other medium). Don’t waste your time with unnecessary details like phone numbers. If you must talk about yourself, talk about your unique selling proposition. Tell people what makes your store different or better than your competitors. Perhaps it’s free delivery, an exclusive product, or special financing. Give people a reason to shop with you rather than a competitor.

For more tips on how to make your radio advertising more effective, ask your Best Broadcast Group Advertising Specialist. We’re in business to help you do more business.

To be effective, radio commercials must be powerful, dynamic and attention getting. Avoid using killer clichés and needless "fluff". For example, the following killer clichés should never be used in a radio commercial:

1) For all your ______ needs...

2) All the brands you know and love...

3) A select group of __________...

4) We've been in business for _____ years...

5) Now that __________ is in the air...

6) __________ is just around the corner...

7) And while you're there...

8) Stop in soon...

9) Savings throughout the store...

10) You'll save big...

There are many other killer clichés that should be avoided in radio copy, which is why radio copywriting should be left to a professional. However, if you insist on writing your own copy, please allow us the opportunity to "punch it up" before you have it produced.