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In this issue...
Front & Center
Jerry Thacker
Yellow Pages
Advertising for
the Novice
Marjori Masitto Krause
The Perilous
Pursuits of Stem
Cell Research
Mark B. Blocher
Responding to
NARAL's Attacks
Thomas A. Glessner
Learning to Love
Debra O'Leary
Nickel-and-Diming
It for Life
Dinah Monahan
The Joys of
Fundraising
M. Thomas Lothamer,
with Michele D. Shoun
Choices!
Laura Baker
Marketing 101
Jerry Thacker
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PHOTO BY TERRY WILD STUDIOS
By Jerry Thacker
An old broadcaster got tongue-tied one day on the air. Instead of referring to the listeners as the "radio audience," he called them the "audio radiance." While it was just a slip of the tongue for that radio announcer, it's a pretty good way to describe the character of some of the best marketing tools CPCs have.
People need to hear the personal stories of those whom you have helped. Let your audience hear your clients' stories in their own words. Let folks hear you explain the vision for your ministry. Let them listen to testimonies from the hearts of your volunteers. These sounds will radiate the passion shared by those in your ministry. Such audio radiance should characterize the audio tools you use in marketing. Television is great, but audio is the "theater of the mind." Audio stimulates imagination and empathy in ways that video communication does not. Of course, the low cost of using audio is also a plus. Here are a few ways that you can use audio media.
1. CHRISTIAN RADIO. Take your local Christian station manager out to lunch. Offer to give him or her a tour of your center. Let the manager get to know your ministry and its needs. You may find the station folks are willing to run some public service announcements (PSAs) about your needs for material goods, diapers, and volunteers. One center we visited received thousands of dollars' worth of contributed materials each year because of the regular use of radio spots freely contributed by the local Christian stations.
2. AUDIO CASSETTES. The lowly audio cassette can present your ministry to a broad variety of people for just a little more than the cost of a letter. If you know or can contact Christian air personalities from local stations, you may find them willing to help you produce the master tape for a mailing or handout. Duplication is readily available from many sources that you can find locally or on the Web. Use a good search engine such as www.metacrawler.com to find duplicators to take the master and make copies. A quarterly audio update could be used in a mail-out to your supporters or prospective supporters. Make sure the content is substantive and heart-touching. Remember, both audio and video media are great communicators of emotion. And emotion is the only thing the three-year-old and the Ph.D. have in common.
3. THE WEB. Adding audio clips to your web site or having downloadable audio clips can make your web site less monotonous. In addition, midi-type music that plays hymns or soothing music when people come to your web site can make your site and your center appear a cut above the rest.
4. THE PHONE. Simple systems that can play music and messages to callers on hold are readily available. While we would hope that no one would be on hold for very long, the fact is that the audio information communicated to a caller on hold may be an important part of a favorable image you will build with a potential client.
When it comes to assessing the presentation of your site, don't just look at how things appear to the eye. Yes, that's important. Fresh paint and wallpaper can do a lot. But also take time to listen to the audio impact you are making with what you do, what you say, and how you communicate. Perhaps better use of audio tools can make what you do more colorful, vibrant, and attractive. How's your audio radiance?
| ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jerry Thacker, B.A., M.A., is president of Marketing Partners, Inc., and Publisher of At the Center. He can be reached at (800) 588-7744 or at info@atcmag.com. |
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