This advertiser success story is from KCLR-FM, a Zimmer Radio Group station in Columbia, MO. According to Megan Black at Second Street, the company that helped KCLR execute the idea, the client took in $9,000 in revenue from the idea, over 75 hot leads and 240 opt-ins. And for KCLE it was a $2,500 sale.
The client was Steve’s Pest Control and the idea leverages a football quiz to drive leads and opt-ins. The goal was 10-15 new customers.
With the help of Second Street, KCLR created a quiz leveraging a fun play on words for the pest control company: “What Kind of Football Fan Are You: Are You The Best or a Pest?” The advertiser wanted a way to connect their brand with the Mizzou college football team. Not only would a quiz about football be a good tie-in, but the pest control company also had pulled together a pair of tickets to a Mizzou game and a ton of branded swag for a random winner.
At the end of the quiz, the station leveraged a multi-page registration form which asked for the user’s email address and included an opt-in for both the sponsor and the station’s newsletters. While collecting a list of opt-ins was good for the client, they really wanted to identify qualified leads they could directly target as potential customers. Three survey questions asked about homeowner status, current pest issues, and whether or not the user currently had a pest-control provider. The quiz brought in 244 opt-ins for the advertiser. One hundred and thirty-six of the leads were homeowners, and 77 said they did not have a pest control provider. The advertiser’s sales team reached out to the hot leads and converted 24 of them into new customers. That resulted in $9,000 of revenue for Steve’s Pest Control. The advertiser was thrilled with the results of the contest and loved the chance to connect with the local football team.
KCLR-FM’s Rebecca Milner is the client’s account executive. We spoke to Rebecca.
Radio Ink: How did you come up with the idea?
Rebecca Milner: We came up with the idea to run this quiz because our advertiser, Steve’s Pest Control, wanted a way to be associated with the upcoming football season, and more specifically, the University of Missouri football team. Everyone in Columbia, Missouri starts buzzing about football at the start of the fall and our advertiser knew that they needed to be a part of that conversation. They also wanted a way to identify some hot leads in the community.
Radio Ink: What elements of the idea excited the client?
Rebecca Milner: Our client was excited that they would be able to tie into Mizzou football in a fun and interactive way. By incorporating a quiz into their marketing mix, they were able to be associated with a fun idea, as well as an exciting football-related prize. Our advertiser understands that tapping into the goodwill of a community involves engaging a beloved base of sports fans.
Radio Ink: Take us through the pitch you made to the client?
Rebecca Milner: At Zimmer, we truly strive to know our clients so well that we can sense their wants and needs before they even present them to us. Based on previous conversations, we knew that Steve’s Pest Control, Inc. was looking for more ways to be associated with Mizzou football and we also knew that their business was looking for a way to identify several, quality leads. Knowing the ins and outs of their business made this promotion an easy sell. Our station made $2,500 from this promotion.
Radio Ink: How difficult was it to execute?
Rebecca Milner: This promotion was not difficult to execute at all. Our advertiser was great to work with and Second Street’s platform is extremely user-friendly!
Radio Ink: How did you monitor the promotion and what tweaks did you have to make a long the way?
Rebecca Milner: We closely monitored this promotion to guarantee its success. The entries started to roll in right off the bat; however, if numbers started to level at any point, we would send out an additional email newsletter to our station databases or we would engage our audience through Facebook or on-air mentions. Also, our digital team sends out daily promotion updates to our sales team so that they can check with their clients throughout the entirety of their promotions in order to ensure that expectations are being met (or in this case, exceeded).
Radio Ink: How do you know the client got results?
Rebecca Milner: Once the promotion ended, we closely followed up with the client to monitor whether or not they were reaping results. We offer coaching, where needed, so that we can ensure our clients are able to convert their leads. Our frequent “checkup” meetings confirmed that Steve’s Pest Control, Inc. was indeed successful in converting 24 of their leads into customers, generating a grand total of $9K in revenue. (Their original goal was 10 to 15 new customers, which would have essentially caused them to break even.)
