This is a story, from Before I worked in the radio industry. I was employed at a restaurant, and was involved in their advertising decisions (because I just happened to be a recent College graduate in the Radio and Advertising field). Time after time we would see Marketing Reps from the local Newspaper, Magazines, TV stations, and numerous Radio stations come in and pitch their product. They would leave rates, specials and promotions they were doing… which all left the owner of the restaurant – Unenthused. To cut to the chase, it’s likely because these reps were simply asking for money to be in their product…in their newspaper, on their radio station, etc. Never was their pitch about the restaurant. The odd time an idea would be ‘mentioned’, or an actual radio commercial ‘script’ brought by, but mostly the pitch was ‘our radio station this and that, advertise with us’.
But then one day, a new sales rep from a radio station came in with a radio – a ‘ghetto blaster’ it was called. (Yes this term ages me). He asked for 30 seconds of our time, and then played a radio ad custom made for the restaurant. Wow. That was the first time I ever saw the restaurant owner’s eyes light up about advertising. I could see her wheels spinning, thinking about how many people would hear about the restaurant, the image that would be established, the potential new customers… all because she heard a radio commercial for her restaurant, instead of just hearing about a radio station rate card. It was shortly after that I started working in the radio field, and would bring up the potential value of spec spots. For the radio station reps who embraced it, they set up more meetings and presentations. They were happy to have a creative idea to present, a recorded sample of how the client could sound on the air…instead of just selling the radio station. For them, Spec Spots became a foot in the door, ‘breaking the ice’, a conversation topic, a better impression on the potential client. Why better? Because the conversation was about the client, and how they could sound on the air. The radio sales reps were presenting possibilities, ideas, something more exciting than the cost of advertising. And the cost of doing this for the radio station was minimal, but the payoff was new clients, or existing clients committing to more air time. Sure not every meeting landed a new client, but every meeting established more attention and appreciation from businesses than just asking for a purchase order. When Overnight Radio was founded, one main aspect of our value, is creating spec spots. An idea not thought of before, a sound that’s not the usual afternoon voice at the radio station, something unique to present to a potential client…that could very well finally make them a (bigger) client. So if you’re a monthly package client of Overnight Radio, don’t forget the value of Spec Spots. Radio Spec Spots are one of the most cost-effective ways to pitch ideas and impress clients. So use your units effectively, pick a client and request a spec spot. Happy Selling, Sincerely, Jaysen Cole.