Sound ADvice Logo

Part 2 – Field Guide

10 Tips to Being Your Company
Spokesperson

1.) Introduce yourself as the Owner, CEO, or President.  There is NO reason to either voice the ad or be in the video if you don’t introduce yourself. 

2.) Don’t read a script. Unless you are a trained professional, a prepared script can lose its authenticity and “sound” like it’s being read. Have your station prepare a list of questions to interview you in the studio. Give frank and honest answers to all of the questions. Your station will build a salient message around those answers and the selling points you deliver.

3.) Don’t go out of character. Be yourself. If you’re not humorous by nature, don’t try to be funny in your ads. At the same time, if you are a bit of a character, build upon that identity in your message.

4.) Stick to it. You’ll get tired of hearing your message long before the public will.  Let each spot run long enough to be effective. And if it is strategically correct to be front and center in one media, then it should be correct to consistently do so in all media.

5.) Check your ego at the door. It’s not about hearing your own voice or having mom see your picture, it’s about bringing credibility and memorability to your campaign.

6.) Be approachable. If you are to be front and center in your advertising, you must also deliver your promises by being front and center in your business. If customers cannot approach you directly and easily with complaints and comments, then you do not qualify to be your own spokesperson.

7.) Clarity. Follow all of the rules of good salesmanship in your messages. Your campaign cannot be about you and your company. It must be about what you and your company can do for your prospects and customers. Always talk from a customer’s point of view.

8.) Look for others to add to the campaign. After a good run of just yourself, look for ways to add an additional person(s) to the campaign,  i.e. wife, child, employee, etc.  Keep in mind that all the same rules apply to the additional person as they do to yourself.

9.) Listen. Listen to your customers, your trusted advisors, and media professionals before going ahead. Test-market your voice and photo to see how the marketplace perceives you.

10.) Network. If you decide there is marketing merit to being front and center in your advertising, then consider extending your character into a planned networking campaign. Do lots of meeting and greeting and have a coupon or small gift you can use to entice the people you meet to come to your business.

In summary, you are always on the lookout for good standout ideas that your competitors cannot copy. They can NOT copy your voice or picture. Using it correctly and consistently might be that standout approach you have been looking for.

SoundADvice is a co-production of this station and ENS Media USA to help local businesses increase their sales and their return on investment in advertising. Your SoundADvice marketing tips are emailed to you on our behalf from ENS Media USA.

ENS Media USA's address is: 6523 S. Killarney Ct., Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57108

unsubscribe from this list