MStique Marketing... Reaching Women One At A Time

Dear Rush, I Understand You're Having Trouble With Women

I heard yesterday on the news that Rush Limbaugh was thinking about having a summit to figure out why women don’t like him. My first thought was WOW… how do I get invited to that! And then my marketing mind went to work and after looking at Rush’s conundrum through the marketing to women filter, I thought a quick note might be just as effective. Besides, I don’t believe he really wants to hear what I have to say anyway… and that is part of the problem.

 Dear Rush:

 The news yesterday was all over the fact that you were trying to figure out why about two thirds of the women in this country don’t like you and that you were thinking about having a summit to try and figure out why. Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m really trying to watch my budget these days, so I thought instead of wasting all that time and money on a summit, I’d just give you a clue. And I have three for you.

 The first is, you are unauthentic. Women see through that like you were a pair of sheer panty hose. People who are successful with the woman audience are genuine and true to their beliefs. The most successful women broadcaster in history is Oprah. And why do we love her? Because she’s authentic. She’s fat, she’s thin and she shares her struggle. She was abused, fought through the glass ceiling, had sexist bosses, has problems with love… and she shares it all. When she makes a mistake, she owns it right away. When you admitted after the 2006 elections that you were carrying water (I believe those were your words) for people you didn’t believe in, you lost any credibility you had. Listening to you, you cannot possibly believe the stuff you say everyday. And right now, our lives are too important to get caught up in your drama and points to “create excitement.” We want solutions, not finger pointing.

 The second point, you are the bully on the playground we all avoided. Women prefer solutions, to name calling. Consensus to “it’s us against them.” We hate being told we’re stupid if we don’t agree. We are the peacemakers of our families and have no time for those who only want to stand on the sideline and call people names. When you said you wanted our President to fail, that was the last straw for every woman I know, Democrat or Republican. You see, if the President fails, we all fail. We worry about having enough money to retire, to put our children through college and taking care of our parents when they get old. Failure is not an option. Women thrive on positive thinking and knowing that if we all work together, that is how we win. We teach it to our children everyday, so we don’t need you trying to scare us into believing in whatever message you’re trying to sell that day.

 And thirdly, I really don’t think you even like women. And I am pretty sure that if you want women to listen to you, calling us names like Femi-Nazi isn’t a really good plan. You see, I was born on the cusp of the real change in women’s rights. I was a freshman in high school when Title 9 was passed. Not that my school paid too much attention, but at least we had real sports teams and got to play against other schools. We only had one set of uniforms so the basketball team and the gymnastics team couldn’t have a game on the same night. And the boys got box lunches for road games and we had to stop at McDonalds and buy our own dinner, but most of the time, things were pretty even.

 I even got my first radio job because of EEOC requirements. I got to do the all night show at WMEE in Fort Wayne Indiana for $100 a week because they had to have a woman on the air, and I just happened to walk into the program director’s office on the right day. I fought for equality in pay and eventually, made as much as the guy who was there before me. I had to fight off the advances of the men I worked with, listen to their sexist remarks and even have promotions built around double entendre jokes like “Go To Bed With Diane.” Boy did that make my parents proud. But I survived it and made a path so the women who came after me had a much more equal path.

 It’s still not equal but it’s sure a lot better than it was. And it was because of the Femi-Nazis that some young woman now can walk into a radio station, get a job and not have to deal with the same discrimination I did.

 So, perhaps, and it’s just my gut feeling, but if you want to appeal to women, understand our struggle. Understand that even today, the pay gap between men and women is still too large. That we’re concerned about how our children are educated and if they have health insurance, and that our bodies are our private property and only we should decide what happens to us. Walk a few steps in our shoes, and then maybe you might understand why we really don’t identify with what you’re saying on the radio.

But I tell that to any broadcaster who is trying to appeal to women. Be authentic, make sure that what you’re talking about rings true in a woman’s world, and most of all, understand our concerns are big picture. Women are the caretakers of the family. We have to manage the big picture. And if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. And right now, from where I sit, you’re part of the problem.

 Best regards and I hope this solves your confusion. But my guess is nothing will change, because you’re not authentic in really wanting it to change. It’s just another stunt, which takes me back to the first paragraph. And thus the circle continues.

Diane

 

Breaking the Cycle of One Way Conversations

For many years, radio was a one way conversation. As a teenager, I remember hanging on every word from Brother Bill Gable at CKLW and John Records Landecker at WLS. They talked and I listened. There was no interaction and they had no idea who I was.

 Now… fast forward technology 30 years. There is no excuse for radio to still be a one way conversation. Oh, certainly we talk to listeners and use them for phone calls. But seriously, how many of you are really creating a conversation with your listeners and connecting on a one on one level?

 A media study by Bivings Group of newspapers in 2008 showed that 58 percent had some form of user-generated content on their websites. That includes user-generated photos, homegrown video and actual op-ed or articles. And 75% of newspapers encourage dialogue among readers via comments about stories. This is how newspaper will survive. Online content and user conversations.

 Add into the mix Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites and you have millions of people all publishing their own content. So how are you interacting with your listeners? Are you becoming part of the conversation or just sitting on the sidelines? If you want them to talk about you… you have to become part of the conversation.

 In a search of about 50 radio websites, I found very little in the way of listener generated content. A few stations had photos sent by listeners but most websites are little more than a billboard of station events and contest information…. with some banner ads for clients thrown in.  It is all one way… station to listener. And almost no conversation or interactivity between station and listener to be found.

 To make yourself contagious… to have the connections that really stick, think of all of your resources and how you can make them more interactive. About 35% of adults are currently on Facebook or another social network and it is growing faster every day. So they understand communication and they like the connection. Blogging is also an easy way to create a two way interaction that allows a sharing of ideas and experiences. Encourage your listeners to send photos, videos and offer them a way to talk back to you. Make the connection with you contagious! It only requires a little effort and almost no money and you will be pleasantly surprised at the marketing benefits!

 

Contagious Connections is a marketing system created by MStique Marketing to help clients make their marketing contagious and more effective in a time of tight marketing resources. Get the most for your marketing dollar by becoming Contagious. To find out more about Contagious Connections, visit MStique online at 

MStique Marketing For Women

 

 

 

The Holidays Can Be Fun... REALLY!

Here come the holidays. When I talk to PDs and Marketing Directors about Christmas, they usually grumble. Too much Christmas music, vacation schedules to be covered and oh those darn client promotions. But I think Christmas can be the best time of the year to connect with your listeners. Call me crazy, but I love Christmas on the radio. Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree makes me smile every time I hear it.

 And I think this year especially can be an awesome time to create a real difference for you and your listeners. The Marketing To Moms Coalition’s most recent survey showed that moms are worried. They are worried about the economy and they are worried about the future. Here’s your chance to use the Law of Attraction and create a radio station that is positive and brings the feeling of community back into the holiday.

 So, let’s shake up that snow globe and dream about the most connected Christmas yet! Here are some of my favorite ideas to turn your station into an uplifting, fun and attractive place to spend the holidays. Remember, it is all about connecting!

 •An ongoing theme right now is giving back to the community. One of the most inspiring and well attended gift fairs I’ve been to is the Gifts For A Cause fair. Invite local non-profits to create gift certificates for things that will help their cause and create gifts that mean something. For example, the food bank sold certificates that provided a holiday dinner for a family of four or baby food for a month, the animal shelter sold certificates that provided cat food for a month to a shelter cat or a week’s worth of food for a litter of puppies. This type of fair can be done as an event or on your website and it is full of good will. It is the perfect feel good gift and the connection level is huge.

• The Buy of the Day. Cash is tight for everyone and retailers are looking for any idea that will bring in traffic. Create a gift Buy of the Day on your website. It is a great way to steal newspaper money and will provide an insider bonus for your listeners.

• Send out your own Secret Santa. Have Santa show up to pay someone’s bill at the grocery, their purchase at the gas station, put money in peoples parking meters, bring cookies to listeners at work, show up at office holiday parties and ring the bell for the Salvation Army. Make your Secret Santa visible everywhere doing something nice for the community.

• This year, make your 12 Days of Christmas all about helping with the stress of the holidays. Include things like a clean house for Christmas, a personal chef for a week, someone to wrap all of your gifts and a girlfriends Christmas party at the spa. Find ways to make your listener’s say “aha”.

• Food.  We all love it and the holidays are a time to share it. Create a board on your website where people can share their favorite cookie recipes. Pick out a few people and invite them in to share them on the air with the morning show. Cookie swaps are huge connectors, trust me on this one.

• The Shopping Elf. Create a place on your website for listeners to share great website for deals and a place for local small business people (who are also listeners) to share their unique gift ideas. Women love to share their finds and you will be surprised how many local people make great stuff. Once again, they are connecting through you!

This is a great time to bring your listeners together, let them connect and help create a mood that makes your station attractive. Be the place people want to hang out because it is fun and positive. Do what Sirius and XM can’t do, what an iPod can’t do, reflect back what your listeners need right now and you will become part of the connection. Create word of mouth because you are touching them in ways only local radio can do. It’s one of the intangibles that makes radio what it is! And the there is no better time than the holidays to make it work for you.

 

 

What We Can Learn From MasterCard

 

Setting the Mood

 “I’m really tired of bad news. Every time I turn on the news, that’s all I hear.”

 “The whole world needs a valium right now.”

 “I’m tired of old white guys telling me what they are going to do for me.”

 The question? When you think about your future over the next few years, how do you feel about life in general?

 Just some answers from a MStique Pulse survey for a client. These answers match some other national surveys we’ve seen that show that women are really tired of bad news and want to make some changes to help create change. Without getting political, how do you take advantage of that mood? By being the oasis in a sea of bad news.

 MasterCard gets it. Their latest promotion involves a cruise for you and 9 of your girlfriends. Priceless.

 The Spa industry gets it. Look at the resort spas in your area and see how many are offering girlfriend getaways, self-help getaways and relaxation training.

 Wyndham Hotels gets it. They’ve created a travel planning service called Women on Their Way, to help women plan great girlfriend getaways.

 State Farm gets it. They are running an ad campaign in women’s magazines focusing on how they can make insurance easier so you can get back to “me” time.

All of those examples are great marketing strategies for making today’s woman want to be part of your brand. They are either building connections or they are trying to make women’s lives easier. Both are very successful ways to create a “that’s me” moment. And it’s the “that’s me” moment that will help your station create a relationship with your listener.

 Let’s look at building connections. Women connect with other women. I just recently saw a poll that showed that women trust their friends more than anyone else, including their husbands. (And remember, 50% of women are not married.) There are no more important relationships in a woman’s world than her friends. And that is an easy connection to use to help you become part of their world. My friend Suzanne Belanger, the marketing director for WVMV in Detroit used to do an unbelievable promotion in the 90’s at Q95. The Cruise For Women Only was a huge event. They would fill a boat for the night with just women and their friends, cruise the river with music, food and some beverages. It was a hot ticket and an event that created unbelievable word of mouth. Believe me, what happened on that boat did not stay on that boat!

 Creating those kinds of connections is not difficult. Women only events whether they are fun, like The Cruise For Women Only, or business or health oriented all have great attendance. I recently saw a hotel do a women only slumber party with special rates for a group of four, dinner, spa treatments, wine tasting and a networking cocktail party. Women’s business networking groups are growing all over the country. Women and wine, Chick Flick movie nights, travel opportunities or lunchtime networking, they all can give you the opportunity to facilitate another women connecting with women event. And you will reap the benefits of being part of that good mood.

 The other technique for creating mood is by doing things that help women relax. With the holidays approaching (yes I said the Christmas word) you have unlimited opportunities to create ways to make the most stressful time in any woman’s life easier. Once again I’ll use one of the best marketers to women as an example, MasterCard. (Since 80% of all purchasing is done by women, they know their customer.) At Christmas, they always create a Priceless campaign with a grand prize that includes some way to make the holidays easier. For a couple of years they did a personal shopper including the cost of the gifts. I can still see the woman watching someone else trim her tree, wrap her gifts for her while saying “great eggnog” as she gleefully watched. MasterCard is very strong at creating campaigns with an emotional connection. Priceless is a great campaign. 

 So as you go into the last half of the year, think about the mood you are projecting. Are you attracting women to your station by making them feel good? Word of mouth is created by appealing to a woman’s senses, by creating a “that’s me” moment. Mood is not just a contest, it is a strategy, a language and a color pallet for your station. Mood is what creates connection. 

If you'd like more information on how MStique Marketing for Women can create a winning mood for your radio station, visit us online at www.mstiquemarketing.com.

Mood and Marketing

A Vacuum Sweeper For My Birthday?

 Right now, as a country, we’re all in a bad mood. And why not? Gas prices through the roof. Food prices through the roof. Stock market in the toilet. Someone you know, or maybe even you, on the brink of losing your home.

 Now, after reading that, don’t you feel like jumping off the roof? And that is my point. What we say and do on-air affects our listener’s moods. And just like the character of Debbie Downer on SNL, who wants to hang out with someone who makes you feel bad?

 Social scientists have been studying mood for years. It is something we all know instinctually, but sometimes we don’t use that knowledge in our work. Think about it, don’t you naturally gravitate to people who make you laugh at a party? And don’t you always avoid that person who has a black cloud over them all the time?

 A recent study of college students demonstrates this principal. A very dry passage about sociology was recorded two ways, one by someone who sounded happy and one by someone who was dry and boring. Those who listened to the passage from the happy recording felt their mood lift; those with the boring recording were more depressed after hearing their version. Same boring material but the presentation made a huge difference in how the participants felt afterwards.

 How does this translate to marketing? Let’s look at our industry wide fascination with gas cards. Everywhere I go, a radio station is giving away gas cards, jocks complaining all the time how much it cost to fill up their tank. Yes, we all are getting hit at the pump, but how does giving away gas cards really translate to bonding with your listeners? I contend that it doesn’t. It is the equivalent of giving your wife a vacuum sweeper for her birthday. Or if you are a wife, RECEIVING a vacuum sweeper for your birthday. You might need it, but you don’t want it and it does nothing to make you feel better.

 Contrast that to the stations I hear that are doing things that make you feel better. One of my long-term clients is giving away a family vacation everyday. The jocks visit the places they go and broadcast live from the resort. It is presented as a great relaxing getaway and even if you can’t go on the trip, it is really fun on the air.

 What would make you feel better? Thinking about $4.00 gas or lounging on the beach with a margarita in hand in Cancun? Call me crazy, but I prefer the beach.

 So before you jump into a big gas card promotion, think about it. How does that really change your listeners’ mood? Does that make you the guy at the party everyone wants to stand by or are you just Debbie Downer with a gas card to giveaway?

 Next time, we’ll talk about things that can change mood, for the good!

 

 

Three Ideas To Connect With Your Audience

Becoming connected to your listener. What does that really mean? That was a question that I was asked by a young programmer the other day. This is a young man who is probably a wiz with Selector and is good with the technical parts of his job, but really had no understanding that radio is more about emotion that great rotations.

His comments reminded me of a great chef who doesn’t understand that customer service from the wait staff, the ambience of the restaurant and the “feeling” his diners had during dinner were just as important as the food. When your main target is women, you must connect to win.

 So how do you do that, connect that is? That was his next question. And here are some ideas I shared with him on connection:

 Women are natural connectors themselves. They are verbal communicators. They talk among their friends and co-workers about their lives, purchasing decisions and life changing decisions they are making. They build different “communities” and use those communities for support and entertainment. Women are the caretakers of the family and therefore are very concerned about health, the environment and pocketbook issues. Women own almost half of all businesses in this country. 50% of women are single. Throw out the “woman driving her two kids to school” model of your listener and really understand what women are doing.

 Build your brand around becoming part of their real lives.

 This is the example I used to illustrate my point to him. 

1 in 9 women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. Almost every family is made up of a survivor. And almost everyone knows someone who didn’t survive. This is a topic that is important to women, especially those over 35. October is Breast Cancer Month. Start thinking now how your station can become involved on an active level and make this a real cause in your marketing. Use emotion to create the picture.

 

• Invite listeners to submit their stories about survival on your website. Then use some of their stories, in the listener’s own words as promos to promote mammograms.

 

• Create a page on your website that listeners may visit to “donate” for a program of free mammograms for those without insurance. You can sell this program to various advertisers who then get hot links on the page. The “donation” is actually a dollar per visit or click provided by you and the clients you sell the program to. This creates incentive to visit your site and is great exposure and PR for clients who are targeting women also. Cause marketing works with women.

 

• Breast cancer is tied to health issues. Create a series of lunches with a Women’s Health Specialist and sell tickets to the events. I attended one last week that was a huge success. There were participating sponsors who all had purchased booths and had time before and after the lunch to market their services from plastic surgery to financial services. And the keynote speaker, a leading women’s wellness doctor provided great information. She took questions after the lunch for over a half an hour and finally had to cut off questions to catch her plane. The women in this audience could not get enough from her. It was a fabulous connecting event for the sponsoring station.

So to simply answer the young programmer’s question, connecting is not about giving away gas cards or playing Beat the Bomb. It’s about understanding what the women in your audience are feeling, doing and talking about, and then getting involved.

 

What are my “communities” talking about now? Things like WII Fit, the Sex in the City movie, cheap vacations, green issues and losing weight.  And the opportunities to connect by joining those conversation are endless.