Bill Moore fell in love with radio when he and his dad were listening to the radio while working around the house on weekends. “That introduced me to the personalities. To me, the DJs were the rock stars and I was hooked. In my teens and throughout college I had a favorite morning show. I followed them from station to station and listened every day.” After interning and working as a media buyer, Moore heard a recruitment ad for AEs at his favorite station with that same morning show. “This was my chance to work at my dream job. Fourteen years later I still work with that same morning show at my favorite stations.” Bill Moore is a 2016 Radio Ink Radio Wayne Award Finalist in the Interactive Seller category.
Moore joined Greater Media Philadelphia as an Account Manager at WMGK in Feb 2012. He quickly made a positive impact at the station. He has become so successful at marketing for his clients, specifically on the digital side, that through their referrals, he’s expanded his business throughout the country. His digital programs have generated tangible and substantial results for a wide array of clients. A great example is the in the Halloween category. Three years ago, Moore worked with a select group of Halloween Haunt owners in the Philadelphia market, and the programs were so successful, he was invited to speak at a haunt gathering in Florida in 2015. His subsequent programs earned him an invitation to TransWorld (the largest Halloween Haunt convention in the country) in 2016. At TransWorld, he shared his digital marketing expertise with haunt and entertainment operators educating them on the successful impact targeted digital ads can have on their seasonal business. This year, Moore is set to double his digital Halloween revenue and will be working with clients in six states to help them grow their business.
On Thursday, September 22 at the Radio Show in Nashville, Radio Ink magazine will be introducing the industry to radio’s most successful Sales Managers, General Managers, Digital Sellers, and Account Executives. Thanks to the Radio Advertising Bureau, we are able to recognize these industry greats every year with awards named in honor of Wayne Cornils, who worked for the RAB for many years and was one of radio’s greatest ambassadors.
The Radio Wayne Awards are the only industry awards that recognize those people who are in the trenches, responsible for bringing in the revenue for the industry they love, all over the country. Over the next month we will be recognizing finalists from all of our categories so you can learn just how they became the best at what they do and how they represent the industry.
Bill Moore is a 2016 Radio Ink Radio Wayne Award Finalist in the Interactive Seller category, and here is our special interview with Moore.
Why did you get into digital sales?
Moore: I saw the value that digital offered early in my career. Utilizing tools that better serve my clients and separate my campaigns from competitors, has always been my goal; whether it be dealer group programs, vendor programs, event sales, or digital. Digital helped clients activate their message for better interaction with the brand beyond the on-air spots. I was fortunate to grow in the industry as the technology was being introduced and gravitated to it instantly. Digital products allowed me to think about the advertiser’s goals in conjunction with how our listeners were using the station. I developed campaigns to expose advertisers’ messages to speak to listeners on air, on site, online, through mobile, video, and social media. I believe that using every tool available to surround the consumer would get them the best results to enhance their marketing objectives. Digital is one way of accomplishing the marketing objective by offering the highest level of listener engagement to experience the brand.
What is the key to being successful at selling digital today?
Moore: Completely understanding the client’s marketing objective allows me to know what tools work best to accomplish the goal. Since the digital landscape is continually evolving, educating myself and my clients on various digital tools allows me to know how and why each product works and the benefits of it. The digital world innovates quickly and the “next best thing” may or may not be a good fit. At the same time, clients likely cannot keep up with the advancements, so our knowledge and expertise allows us to be an effective consultant to the client.
What are your challenges selling digital and how do you overcome them?
Moore: Sometimes clients think they have digital covered, when in fact they’ve barely scratched the surface. Educating clients on the application of the digital tools is important. Clients know they have to be in the digital world. Some do it right, some just do the minimum. When I ask clients about their digital strategy, most clients usually react with, “I already have that covered” and try to dismiss me. When I push further to focus on working towards the marketing objective, rather than a specific digital tool, it allows me to create a program which integrates digital and radio’s other valuable assets. It may call for targeted display, video, social, mobile, a custom mobile app, or all of them. Listening, and knowing how to apply the tools in accordance with a client’s goals allows me to fully create a marketing plan, not just push a digital tool on them.
Tell us about your biggest digital success story over the past year.
Moore: My greatest gauge of success is when my clients recommend me to their business associates and competitors. After years of success working with haunted houses and other seasonal event advertisers, a client recommended me to an international trade show for haunted houses. The trade show had learned of the success of the targeted digital display strategies I have used for event sales, and invited me to come speak as an expert on digital advertising at their show. I ran an hour-long paid seminar for 100 people, teaching them how digital marketing would be beneficial for their business. In preparation for this 4-day tradeshow, I spent months with my digital department creating informational packets showcasing digital strategies that were handed out at our booth and at the seminar, the look of the tradeshow booth, and helped create a website — www.greatermediadigital.com — for the purposes of the show. Following the trade show, the website has served as a place that sellers can showcase our assets to their clients, utilize the information for other account manager training, help to build proposals, and help “bring to life” Greater Media Digital. I generated over 100 viable leads and further enhanced my credibility with current clients and prospects. I earned campaign commitments at the show, and with the follow-up I now have clients in over 10 states and in England. My digital revenue for the Halloween season alone is expected to grow 75% this year. The strategies I have deployed have helped generate significant revenue both to my company, and more importantly, to my clients. My digital performance was also a key factor in being awarded a monthly President’s Club winner each year that I have been with Greater Media (4 years) and to qualify for the annual President’s Club award.
How do you educate yourself so you are always on top of your game?
Moore: I genuinely enjoy learning about the digital trends in the industry. I subscribe to digital marketing RSS feeds and blogs, participate in weekly webinars, meet with digital departments of ad agencies to learn about trends and tactics their clients are looking for, and debrief with my digital team and vendors on new ways to use the tools. I recap every program with my clients to hear about their successes, challenges, and questions. By listening to the clients, it allows me to build more successful programs and bring those opportunities to new clients. I constantly collaborate with my digital team and other sellers internally to find out how they use digital with their clients and apply those successes to my own campaigns. Because of the changing landscape of digital advertising, ongoing education is needed and helpful in creating long-term relationships as a valuable consultant for their business.
Congratulate Bill on being a 2016 Radio Wayne finalist at [email protected].
More 2016 Radio Wayne Finalist Profiles:
Radio Wayne D.O.S. Finalist (Beasley) Jenna Land
Radio Wayne Sales Manager Finalist (WIP Philadelphia) Vince Gambino
Radio Wayne Market Manager Finalist (Federated Media) Jim Allgeier
