What would it look like if we think less about who to call and more about which categories are entering a natural buying cycle right now? The best radio salespeople Follow Consumer Behavior, which guides them to ask three questions, creating an unfair advantage for their prospecting.
- What are consumers buying right now?
- What are they preparing for next month?
- What seasonal needs are becoming urgent?
Let’s look at Potential July Hot Categories. July spending is driven by hot summer activities, travel, and family events. Summer will end soon, and fall preparation is underway. Some of these target categories that might guide your July prospecting might look something like this:
- HVAC Service & Replacement
- Pools & Spas
- Pest Control
- Vacation Destinations & Attractions
- Restaurants
- Outdoor Power Equipment
- Boat Dealers & Marine Services
- Home Improvement Contractors
- Auto Repair & Tire Dealers
- Back-to-School Retailers
Now, let’s look at Potential August Hot Categories. August is a transitional month as students head back to school, fall athletics start up, and year-end planning begins. August prospecting might look like this:
- Back-to-School Retail
- Colleges & Trade Schools
- Auto Dealers
- HVAC Service & Replacement
- Health Care Providers
- Sports Bars & Restaurants
- Home Improvement Contractors
- Insurance Agencies
- Furniture & Mattress Stores
- Financial Services
Now, use Google Trends to your advantage. Search for seasonally relevant terms to see search volume. Search for terms like HVAC repair, back to school, football tickets, pest control, college enrollment, boat sales, etc. Get creative.
You’ll see search volume and interest rise weeks before businesses launch advertising campaigns. Google Trends can help you stay ahead of the curve.
Stay tapped in to what’s happening locally. Follow Community Events, and get specific with your prospecting. Consider summer concerts and festivals, school opening dates, college football schedules, and county fairs.
What does your community’s local tourism look like?
In East Tennessee, August football excitement can generate opportunities and increase interest in sports bars and restaurants, tailgating, home entertainment businesses, and beverage distributors. These opportunities might extend to auto dealers and furniture stores.
As you stay tapped into local happenings, Monitor Local Hiring. Leverage sites like Indeed or ZipRecruiter. When you see multiple companies in one category hiring aggressively, that’s often a sign that demand is increasing and marketing support may be needed.
This often draws a direct parallel to Consumer Behavior trends. HVAC companies, retailers, and restaurants might need more help, even if it’s for the season, as demand surges.
Now, make a Category Heat Index. Take your monthly hot categories and rank them on a scale of 1-10. Consider these factors:
- Seasonal Demand
- Consumer Interest
- Profit Margins
- Competition Level
- Ability to Benefit from Radio
The highest-scoring categories become your primary prospecting targets.
What would it look like if you and your teams were proactive with your prospects? What happens if you spend the last week of every month identifying the next month’s ten hottest categories?
Consider the station’s audience and format. Take your list of hot categories and run them against audience propensity and spending power data to determine best fits by format. This might help you uncover more focused opportunities.
What would it look like to build prospect lists, develop category-specific ideas, consider the format’s audience and what they are likely to purchase, and walk into meetings with relevant solutions before competitors even realize those businesses have entered a buying cycle?
Simply put, it helps you stay ahead of the curve and creates an unfair advantage over your competitors. I’m for anything that helps you grow your opportunities each month.
