(By Jeffrey Hedquist) My wife has excellent intuition. She takes no particular pride in it, she’s just used to making the right choice. My intuition is… flawed. Sometimes I’m right, but often I’m wrong. So, I correct course, lick my wounds, and try to learn from my mistakes.
Still – I want to be right the first time. I think we all do. So what I pass on to you is the result of this experiential learning process, so you can be right more often than I am.
Each member of our audience shares that desire to make “the right choice.” Keep that in mind as you create commercials. It’s why we welcome logical reasons for our emotional decisions (or even irrational actions). Deep down, we’d rather get support for our actions, rather than admit we were wrong.
We’ve all experienced buying a car, adopting a computer operating system, and voting a certain way. Post-purchase/decision we start seeing more of those vehicles, noticing how many of our buds use the same OS, etc., and we feel a little happier because our actions are supported by those of our peers.
In crafting a commercial message, assure the prospective customer that they won’t have to worry about being wrong. Give them ammunition to justify their decision to use your client’s product or service. Make it easy, safe, and comfortable for them to invest with your client.
Get clarity from your client on the kinds of problems they solve for their customers, then turn those into stories:
- “My daughter needed an inexpensive, safe car to get to her first job. Barb at Ralph’s Reliable Rides found her a good starter vehicle with plenty of miles left on it that fit her budget.”
- “Susan’s Second Chance Bridal got me a beautiful dress and with a few alterations, made it my own. No one knew it was the gown’s second wedding and I saved hundreds.”
- “When my son & I enrolled in Aikido classes at White Dragon Academy, we figured we’d get solid martial arts training. The new confidence we both gained and the lifelong emotional bond we built is a bonus we can’t put a price on.”
If you’ve been reading my articles you know there are hundreds of ways to tell stories – dialogues, narrative, customer or owner-voiced stories. Use what works best for the audience you want to reach.
That’s what my intuition tells me.
Jeffrey Hedquist, “Advertising’s Storyteller,” has won over 700 awards and brought in millions of dollars for clients. His articles, ebooks, seminars, and coaching have helped stations nationwide prosper. Got a question about radio marketing? Email [email protected]. Read Jeffrey’s Radio Ink archives here.
