A little while ago I happened to listen to my wife’s favourite radio station which she loves because it is her style of golden oldies music. Catering for the over 50’s as it does, the commercials are all about retirement homes, health aids and prepaid funerals. That’s why I was surprised to hear an advertisement for a steel fabrication company being run on the station.

Because that station has a comparatively small listening audience, the cost to run a 30 second commercial is not huge. A smart sales representative had obviously convinced that company to buy some advertising even though there was not the faintest chance that decision makers for the sort of company they want to do business with would ever listen to the station.

I imagine it was just that the commercials were cheap and the company got on the radio.

No matter how cheap the cost of running your advertisement, if you don’t get the right media for your target market it’s like wetting yourself in a dark coloured suit… it gives you a wonderful warm feeling but nobody notices!

Remember the basics of Marketing 101:

1.    Decide your target market
2.    Get the message right for the market
3.    Get the right media to reach that market

It doesn’t matter how good your message is… if you’re not getting it in front of the right audience then you’ll never generate prospects. A good advert in the right media for your market can work wonders; a good advert in the wrong media for your market just won’t work!

Winstons_Wise Words_CoverIf you’re planning to use direct marketing, then A Marketer’s No Disaster Checklist is essential. Marketing guru Winston Marsh takes you through a 50 point checklist of things to do so you can disaster proof your campaign. Discover everything you should put in place before launching your campaign. Get it here. Part of the Winno’s Wise Words series.