Radio Ink Magazine January 29, 2018

‘alexa, play radio.’

The Amazon Echo with Alexa stood prominently on the table in the living room beside my dad’s chair. We were visiting for Christmas, and the novelty of this new device was instantly embraced by my kids and my wife.“Alexa, play Christmas music,” said my wife. Suddenly it started to play something traditional.“No, Alexa, play ‘Cake by the Ocean,’” said one of the kids. It began to play.“I don’t like that song. Alexa, play some ‘Jingle Bell Rock,’” said my daughter.This dialogue of starting and stopping happened about 20 times, changing tunes about every 10 seconds.I had been considering getting Alexa for our own home, but after that instant disagreement, I told the family I didn’t want to go through a constant battle.But like it or not, these devices, whether…

behind every storyboard

DEBORAH PARENTI EVP/PUBLISHER Streamline Publishing parenti@aol.com We've been hearing a lot about "telling radio's story" this year. About reaching beyond the metrics and analytics to decipher and define just who those numbers and clicks represent. As a researcher at Eastman Radio once told me, "You have to make the numbers dance. Give them life. You don't see people by citing '20 percent.' People start to come to life when they are 'one out of five,' because one out of five becomes stick figures. It's that basic."Basic to telling the radio story is sharing those stories. Throughout 2018, Radio Ink will be spreading the news in a series called "Advertiser Success Stories," every Monday on RadioInk.com and in every issue of Radio Ink magazine. These success stories…

a look ahead into 2018

ROY H. WILLIAMS President Wizard of Ads Inc. roy@wizardofads.com 2018 is looking to be a good year for small business.My personal definition of a "small business" is an owner-operator doing between $1 million and $75 million a year.The following are the small-business trends that seem to be emerging in 2018:1. Small businesses are falling out of love with social media and with SEO (search engine optimization).2. Broadcast radio and broadcast television are regaining their previous stature within ad budgets.3. Business owners are beginning to learn the power of having a memorable personality. (The typical company spokesperson is "polished and professional." Which is just another way of saying "bland, vanilla-neutral. Unremarkable. Interchangeable. Easy to ignore." Criticism is the price of personality. Which is why so few company spokespersons…

innovators & entrepreneurs

Mike Gallagher uses Grabien’s products for his Salem-syndicated program Tom Elliott is the founder of Grabien, a service that's streamlining news production. He has a journalism background (The New York Sun, New York Post), but moved into radio as an executive producer for its bigger platform. We had a conversation about the inspiration behind the service, and staying on top of fast-evolving media platforms. Find him on Twitter @tomselliott. Krantz: So, Tom, what is Grabien? Elliott: Grabien is a news-clipping service, where we do a lot of the work producers hate. I usually say, "We clip the news so you don't have to." We save producers time so they can focus on higher-skilled activity. We've also added tools to enable them to supplement our content by…

do you really understand your clients?

BARRY COHEN Managing Member AdLab Media Communications The most common misconception among your prospects and clients: "All my customers read, watch, and listen to what I do." Wrong! Does your client or prospect hate hip hop? Jazz? Talk? He or she may, but his or her customers may love it. Clients need to understand that their own tastes simply do not matter. It's all about their customers. If they ever want to sell anything, they need to learn exactly who their potential customer base really is —not who they think it is. And yes, it’s your job to help them figure it out. How, you ask?Help your prospects and clients design a survey, a contest, an onsite event — whatever it takes to get the answers. Educate them…

how to steal business from your competition

LISA THAL General Sales Manager, Hubbard Interactive Cincinnati The new year is here, and some clients are doing business with the competition instead of you. Do you know why? The sales teams that consistently exceed expectations tend to be more aware of what is keeping them from earning business. This makes them ready for any objection potential clients may present to them. They're then able to find a way to build trust with their clients and shift their thinking. They ask clients to have an open mind to the information, as they feel confident they can help their customer.Most people buy on emotion and back it up with logic, and our clients are no different. The most successful team members are those who give their clients the emotional…