Mid-Missouri Marketing Resource Blog

Jake is a nice-looking young man with a trustworthy face.  He looks no more than 35 years old.  He wasn’t what I expected for the owner of a used car dealership, so when we sat down to discuss his radio ad creative for the first time, I initially thought maybe this was the owner’s son. But since having a trustworthy face doesn’t help to sell trust over the radio, I asked Jake what he could tell me about his dealership that might make his brand stand apart from all of the other dealerships in the area.

Here is Part 2 in our 2-part series on common mistakes that businesses make trying to write their own radio ads. While the first three mistakes are frustrating enough…these last four cause professional writers and producers everywhere to groan inwardly and smack their foreheads in exasperation.

When it comes to advertising on the radio, it’s common for business owners to feel that they are in the best position to know what needs to be said about their business on the air -- and how to say it.  It’s easy to understand why they feel that way; it IS their business, after all.  However, in most cases, they’re incorrect.  They are no more in a position of expertise on how to advertise their own business than a non-doctor is on how to diagnose his or her own problem.  Unfortunately, there are still those business owners who will go on ahead and write their own radio scripts anyway… and we find that, most of the time, they make the same 7 mistakes...

You may know or work with someone who you think has charisma and a pleasant speaking voice. So, naturally, the next time you need a narration for your presentation, advertisement or even just an update for your company’s phone message, you probably already have that person in mind for the job.