Being known before you're needed

This Tuesday, we held our summer session of Radio Sales Essentials. One of the information highlights is our discussion on the purpose of advertising and the concept of branding. As shared in class, the purpose of advertising is: To help your clients become known before they are needed.

We share the ubiquitous example of State Farm. In any room, with any age of people, if you were to say, "Like a good neighbor –" Everyone would immediately respond, "State Farm is there." Or mention O'Reilly Auto Parts, and you'll have the crowd singing "O, O, O, O'Reilly – Auto Parts – OW!" You just sang it in your head, didn't you? That's the power of a brand. The great news is you can give the clients in your market that same brand recognition, not on a national scale like these clients, but on a local scale where it matters to them.

It's as though we planned it, but we didn't. This week, Seth Godin's blog gave some great questions to ask as you develop your brand. Most clients are well-versed in brand creation, synergy or consistency. That's where your expertise and knowledge are invaluable in helping them create their brand. Here's the 'template,' according to Seth Godin, on how to create a brand:

Begin with this: Your name doesn't have to say what you do. Starbucks, Nike, Western Union, Maya Angelou, The Grateful Dead… these are fine names, but they are not descriptive. They earned a secondary meaning – the brand stands for something, because the work stands for something, and so the name is associated with that.

Clarity matters: Being specific, consistent and clear in what you do and stand for is challenging but worth it. It requires less compromise and a willingness to walk away from all the soft edges that the committee might be insisting on. Understanding versus action: Is it possible to be clearer in your name and public statements so that it's really obvious what you do, so that more people would understand? Of course. We could change Louis Vuitton to "Really expensive bags for socially insecure people," but I'm not sure it would increase sales. Who is this for? What do they believe, what do they wish for and treasure? Ignore the others.

Where is the tension? What will happen if I don't do something right now? What if I keep quiet? What is imminent, and what will I miss? The default is the status quo, the standard response is, "maybe later." If you don't create tension, there will be no change.

No one ever bought anything on an elevator. Your pitch isn't designed to fully explain what you do or even to make the sale. Your ride on the elevator only exists to make it more likely that someone will follow you out of the elevator asking you questions about what you do.

There are companies whose sole purpose is to help clients develop a brand. That can be expensive, particularly for SMBs. With your knowledge and expertise, and now being armed with some of these tips or some of the things we regularly share in RAB training, you can be the person who helps them develop a long-lasting brand strategy. Talk about impact; the words you create for the client could be used for the next 50 years!

Helping your clients become known before they are needed is at the core of what we do. But what do they want to be known for? That's the brand you can help them create. Watch their business grow once they have clarity in the market and name recognition! Want an example of that? Look at the plumbing client Nick Rasmussen from Zimmer Media, who shared with us during this week's live presentation. Based on the brand's strength that Nick and his team at Zimmer have created, the client has gone from $385,000 in sales in 2016 to a projected 3.5 million in 2024. It was all done using a branding strategy, and up until now, it was ALL done exclusively on the radio. Find the on-demand version here.

Happy Friday!

Jeff Schmidt is the SVP of Professional Development. You can reach him at Jeff.Schmidt@rab.com. You can all so connect with him on X and LinkedIn.