About 17 years ago I learned about an inventor, entrepreneur, all-around good guy named Doug Hall.

Doug is involved in marketing and has his own radio show, more on that coming up.

He comes up with all kinds of marketing ideas for people from many walks of business life. If you’re familiar with Celestial Seasonings Tea (that you see in the grocery store with its own section) a lot of the packaging is the work of Doug Hall and his Eureka Ranch, where creative brainstorming sessions are conducted.

A typical session is described like this- The participants gather to toss around ideas in free form style. They will play games and involve toys to facilitate thinking outside the box. Then, they switch gears and seriously compile the ideas for consideration. This method has resulted in hundreds of marketable concepts for clients of Eureka Ranch.

Brain Brew is Doug’s radio show. It started airing on PRI- Public Radio International, then has recently switched over to the internet radio site. The show is still an excellent source of ideas and friendly banter. I am featuring it here so you can sample it for the special flavor and inspiring moments that occur.

Enjoy and check out more of Doug’s work here.

The Brain Brew radio show over to the right will be a fixture here. You’ll get the same show by clicking the radio boxes either in this post on in the side bar.

I know this old marketing trick is worn out and it still works. But this one came about in a real way.

Living back and forth in NYC and North Carolina gives me a chance to take advantage of events to stay in touch with
SEO, marketing and how it applies to Charlotte, the Carolinas, and the the world.

I made this video in NYC during the past Christmas Season. My intent was to post it for you, and all my loved ones and relatives.

Well here it is. ( finally) This quick Holiday Greeting to you is sincere even though it is now summer.

As cold as it was in NY last December, this scene is always welcome. People having fun, enjoying the

Holiday’s and celebrating life. I appreciated the moment then and enjoy the memory through this video. Hope you do as well.

Of all the ways to present an idea, there is one that is most effective.

This method has been

• studied,
• analyzed,
• pondered,
• researched
• and tried

until it just flat out wins the prize for best, most effective way to communicate.

No kidding

Here it is, from human developmental specialist Bill Torbert. Bill is an associate of Suzanne Cook-Greuter, one of my favorite people on the planet.

Step one- Frame what you are about to say- Put it in context. This is important because most people have not a clue where you are coming from ( out of the blue usually ). When you frame it with context, they know.

Step two- Advocate. Tell what you want. If you want to change a local street name to Conan O’Brien Boulevard, then say so.

Step Three- Illustrate. Show what it will look like or describe it in a way that brings it to life.

Step Four- Ask for others input. Be open to new twists on your idea. Solicit feedback and opinions.

Using this formula will get you the best communication possible more often than not. It’s a way to stack the odds in favor of accuracy when you’re trying to get an idea across.

Bonus info

Here’s the interesting thing about these four steps. The middle two are self centered and the way manyfolks ( including me) usually jump in to a typical talk.

The outer two are other centered and create a balance for the overall communication.

To be blunt-

Jerks use the middle two pretty much all the time.

More diplomatic people use all four together in an artful style of talking that gets best long term results.

This style of talking and writing can be used

• on the phone,
• in sales letters,
• emails,
• and with family members.

It gives you the best chance of having the best communication and it is simple to do.

Here’s an example of how you could use it-

Let’s say you have a sudden need for food for an event.

You walk into a chicken place and have two choices.

1-     You can use steps two and three and blurt out ” I need 50 pieces of chicken put in boxes and ready to go in 20 minutes.”

2-      You can use all four steps.

(1)”Hey, how are you? We have a group of 30 people to feed, they are already gathered at the community building and getting hungry.

(2)I would like 50 pieces of chicken to go.

(3)If you could pack the chicken in boxes and recommend some extras like side dishes that would help too.

(4) I’d also welcome any suggestions you have from the menu as I’m sure you’ve got experience in this sort of thing.

As simple as this method is, it can make a huge difference in the effectiveness of your message.

Next…

Some people don’t want to use it. It doesn’t fit their style.  The funny thing is, they end up using the middle two steps and get a short circuited, limping result and wonder why.

Using this full method takes patience and extra effort. It feels a bit longwinded sometimes, but it works.

Charlotte Marketer Plays Key Role in Academy of Country Music Radio Personality Nomination.

URL- http://www.KyleWhitford.com

Charlotte, NC

02-08-10

Kyle Whitford is pleased to announce his association with The Academy of Country Music’s  Major Market radio personality of the year nominee, Catherine Lane.

WSOC 103.7 radio’s midday personality received her nomination Friday, February 5^th , 2010 . The submission was conceived, produced and directed by Kyle Whitford with Catherine Lane.

This marks the fourth major national radio personality nomination Whitford has  produced in recent years.

• His submission for the Jeff Roper Morning Show won The Nashville based Country Music Association’s personality of the year, large market, in 2003.
• A CMA nomination for Catherine Lane of WSOC 103.7 for Major Market personality of the year in 2008,
• Catherine Lane’s segment included in the ACM Major Market Radio Station of the year winner in 2009,
• and now the latest nomination for ACM Major Market Personality of the year.

“I am excited to be a part of this prestigious media honor.” said Whitford “

Catherine Lane is one of six national radio personalities to be nominated in the Major Market category. Charlotte is market number 25 of the top 25 US radio markets comprised of such cities as Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Dallas.

_________________________________________________________________

Kyle Whitford Marketing offers creative concepts for advertising, radio and TV production,

Search Engine Optimization , Search Engine Marketing and consulting.

Charlotte seo

Working in Charlotte media for over 25 years, I have been involved in hundreds of advertising campaigns. The  marketing of any product or

service requires a media mix including SEO and any other media that gets the message delivered to the prospect. But there is more. Read on and

see why  if you don’t cover all the bases you are making a mistake. Why?

First consider the purpose of advertising. Is it to get a message out? No.

The purpose of advertising  is to motivate qualified people to take focused action and trade their value with you.

The shallow thinking of just getting a message out accomplishes little. Graffiti does that. The words ‘Bob loves Mary’ spray painted on an

overpass gets the message out. Thousands of people see it and register the idea, ‘ Bob Loves Mary.

Big deal. From an advertising standpoint, it goes nowhere.

Marketing is not easy. It is NOT a matter of putting up a Craig’s list ad or even buying a radio , TV campaign.

First there needs to be some purpose driven thinking behind why you are even marketing the product or service.

I have seen the same wrongheaded scenario literally thousands of times but it is hard to blame anyone who does makes this mistake.

Here’s why.

• People are in contact with advertisements all day for many years.
• They start to assume they know what advertising is about.
• They assume that since they saw a funny TV commercial and laughed out loud,  it must have been a good commercial, right?

Wrong.

Totally wrong thinking. A good or effective commercial  message is one that actually motivates a prospect to

complete the buying  process.

Doesn’t matter if the commercial is funny or well produced or uses the latest fad or spokesmodel. What matters is  the end result and potential

follow through. ( This is also true of web design but that’s another post for another time.)

When your goal is to market a product or service successfully, it helps to stand back and look at the big picture. Ask-

• Who and where is your potential audience?
• Are they already in the market ?
• Are they saturated ?
• How can they be reached most effectivly and efficiently?
• To what message would they be receptive ?
• What’s their language, ( literally and metaphorically),
• do they perceive that they can afford it?

Good SEO is just one spoke in the marketing wheel.  ( I like that cliche so it stays.)

The reason SEO was even born is because the audience was already using the web to search for

products and services. Helping potential customers or ‘followers’ find what they are looking for is one of the uses of SEO.

So we are back to square one.

The purpose of advertising  is to motivate qualified people to take focused action and trade their value with you.

That’s why using whatever means are available is the key. Of course over time traditional channels have developed to carry advertising messages

to consumers but there are plenty of alternative ways as well.

• T-shirts,
• coffee cups
• and other carriers.

So back up and take an overview of your marketing plan.

Mass media tends to cover more ground less effectively than SEO , but within mass media there are opportunities to get highly focused in similar

ways to SEO.  (Example- a specific sports cast on a sports radio station.)

To maximize your effectivness all these options need to be explored.

So which Charlotte SEO has made this mistake more than once? That’s right. Of course, I have.

It is easy to get so close to your work that you miss the big picture.

Even with the sweeping changes the web has wrought, the various forms of media will be here for a long time.

( always wanted to use the word- ‘wrought’.)

The way of the world is- transcend and include. That guarantees radio, tv, and print will be viable forms of communication for many moons to come.

At least that’s what the smoke signals said this morning

But there is plenty of evidence that people like traditional ways of doing things.

There is a place for cliche. I find it year after year, decade after decade. People actually want to feel the security of familiar words and phrases.

I have seen and even personally written guideline booklets  on writing copy that listed rules like this: ‘Never use old cliche phrases. Always find a new way to word an old thought’.

But that simply does not hold up in real world writing. I have seen the pattern so many times that I now think it is misguided for a teacher to instruct students to always find a new twist.

Yesterday, I heard a radio DJ announce an ad that started,

“Mothers Day is just around the corner.”

Yes. Every holiday and celebration is ‘just around the corner’.

What an old, tired, stale phrase.  But people want to hear it.

For many, there is a certain security in the familiar. I have come to understand that audiences are in a highly focused mindset.

For my own clarity I think of it as a trance.

People want their values reflected back to them.

They demand it. They will fight for that sense of security.

If their values are predictable, and they all are, then using those values, objectively, gets results.

Values keep people in a happy, secure trance.

Think about it. Most of us feel comfortable with our first language. There is a security and sense of home base in it. The reflex to return to it is a natural gravitation. It feels right.

Same thing with cliche. Sure, it’s old and worn out but that’s what makes it so dependable. It has value and value gives us meaning.

Meaning gives us identity. To take away cliche is to threaten personal identity.

Examples:

• It’s back to school time
• you’ll be glad you did
• drive a little save a lot
• open nightly till nine
• while supplies last
• void where prohibited
• Christmas is just around the corner
• pass the savings on to you
• for the whole family
• that new car smell
• kids 12 and under in free
• dear old dad
• for more information.

Everything is old at some point. Like the old familiar songs. Still people want to learn blues guitar and sing the old way. It’s a release.

When a phrase has been observed long enough, it is no longer a subject. It becomes object.  Like practicing slowly

until you get fast on speed guitar. (OK, enough guitar analogies–hey, at least they are not sports analogies.)

That makes it obvious except to those who still see it as subjective, personally identified with it.

It is amazing, the invisible glue that holds cultures, families, couples, businesses, individuals together.

Values.

Some of the copy samples on this site contain cliches.

Yes, a writer should be able to find new words for an old idea.

But, be aware that it’s not always best.

One- Stage a live broadcast. It builds excitement, a sense of urgency in a one-time event. A live ‘remote’ can get results like nothing else.  A radio personality on the air, in person, at a store is out of the ordinary. Getting attention is important to building a relationship.

Two- Give your client a unique, memorable on air feeling with a jingle.
This is a tried and true method of delivering a special signature sound . It creates association, familiarity, and sales. Jingles cost a little extra up front but the long lasting benefits can be the best advertising investment.

Three- Develop a series of radio ads with a recurring theme. A fun soap opera dialog between a man and a woman could be a vehicle to carry your clients message week after week. There are endless themes to choose from. Police officer to stopped driver, two ridiculous roommates, bartender-patron, and child to parent. Jingles also fall in this category and when you have one it adds to the familiarity and identity of the message.

Four- Build a campaign that will last over a longer period of time, giving your client a chance to build momentum. A series is a good way to accomplish this. A real estate office could feature a different home or community each week. A restaurant could highlight a certain favorite dish. Series’ can be stretched out over a year and recycled
Giving you repeat sales that a one shot ad just won’t do.

Five- Use the clients voice on the radio. This can give a distinctive sound signature to each ad plus it uses an authentic spokesperson for the ad. I suggest breaking it up with an announcer’s voice or other for contrast. Never use a character voice for the entire spot. It can become old fast and takes away from the attraction.

Six- Produce a shorter version of the spot and run it as an additional schedule. Even a little extra is added exposure for the client and added sales for you.

Seven- Bonus tip! Use a local celebrity as the spokesperson for the product or service. This is similar to number five but with the added benefit of versatility. You can change ‘spokespersons’ to freshen things up. You might even try a combination of client voice and spokesperson.

For even more ideas on how to make this happen today contact me.

Remember, when you listen to good radio production there’s more to ads than meets the ear.