CREATE AD-HOC MARKETING GROUPS OF LOCAL RETAILERS
FOR HOLIDAY SALES SUCCESS
The fourth quarter is well along and, in many markets, the traditional big bump in holiday sales is looking more like an ant hill. Fortunately, heavy campaign spending—almost all cash in advance—is helping Q4 look better than last year. But what can you do when local retail advertising lags and the holidays draw near? Create your own local groups of advertisers, that’s what. This gives more businesses the opportunity to reach holiday customers and drives up spending by retailers who might otherwise skip (again) holiday radio advertising.
Here’ how to create your own groups of retail advertisers right now:
1. Pick a geographical area or trade group
The easiest groups to organize in a hurry are located in the same area. They could be located along a particular street, within a specific neighborhood or area of town, or in a known, easily-identifiable area.
Alternatively, you could organize all the hair stylists you can grab into a holiday retail marketing group. It could be gas stations, muffler shops, women’s clothing stores, a diverse group of family restaurants, whatever. They become a group because they have a type of business in common.
2. Give your marketing group a unique name
It could be creative or corny. Anything from “West Side of the Square Radio Marketers” to “Home Cooking For the Holidays Restaurant Group”. It doesn’t
matter what you call it as long as the name says something about what or where the group is located and is not used by any other entity in town.
3. Create 3 Competitive Advertising Packages
I normally don’t like packages. The consultative sell with spot schedules geared to specific customer needs is almost always preferable. BUT: we’re on short notice here and time won’t permit us to do specific needs analyses for every business in each of our new holiday retail marketing groups. SO...we create three ways for our customers to advertise:
Good, Better and Best.
You can name these packages as creatively as you wish. The tried-and-true Silver/Gold/ Platinum. Or Christmas-oriented monikers such as Santa’s Helpers/Mrs. Claus/Jolly Old Elf. Silly is okay for this one. You can name your packages to conform to your format, too: Blue Christmas/White Christmas/Jingle Bell Rock. Or Christmas classics: Sleighride/I’ll Be Home For Christmas/Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire. You get the idea. Have fun and be creative.
4. Price aggressively but don’t give anything away
You want to create a one-call close if you can so don’t go in at the top of your rate card. Don’t give away the farm, either. And whatever you do, remember what makes radio advertising work: repetition over a short time span.
No two-spots-a-day-for-a-week plans. No sponsorships. And no individual bonus spots! Make sure everyone is on at least three to five times a day for three weeks. More often if you can. You not only want these packages to work right now but to give you good reasons for going back to those customers for Q1 business.
5. Create a group benefit
Make your custom-named and special-priced group even more unique by doing things for all its members together.
Examples include:
- Airing as many spots as possible promoting the group. Who they are, where they are, why they’re unique, why customers should come in right now
- Remotes from the group’s geographical area, up to and including the morning show, coffee-with-the-coaches show or other high-visibility programs that really put the spotlight on your special group.,
- Giveaways or contests that only include the retailers in your groups.I don’t normally like “Register Here To Win” promotions, either, but when many retailers in a specific area contribute and participate, it really works. It also makes those who choose not to participate wish they had!
- Help organize a holiday-themed kiddie parade or similar activity for kids that’s just in your group’s geographical area—something that will compel adults to come to the area and shop
6. Print up a one-sheet and get it out there
Make sure one or more are in every retail establishment in the area for which you
want to create your holiday marketing group. Then hit the phones. As you know,
I’m no fan of Old School cold calling but this is the exception to the rule.
Make your offer irresistible—and start closing.
Organizing ad-hoc retail advertising groups for the holidays shows local businesses that you understand the realities of retail in the current economic climate and that you’re going the extra mile to help them accomplish what radio advertising does best: bring customers through their doors.
This idea is not only great for flagging Q4 sales, it also creates a solid base of happy clients that you can call on again—right away—to pump up Q1!
