Thursday, September 21, 2006

ListBuildingIntensive - September 20th Teleconference.

Dan Kuschell's Radio-based List-Building.

...and now, something a little different...

After 7 consecutive ListProfitAcademy postings, I decided to review a live Harris Fellman teleseminar. Mr. Fellman can be described as an overnight success that was years in the making. Within the past nine months, Harris has translated his marquee Codename Catalyst product and interview series into a six-figure annual income. He is arguably one of the hardest working people in Internet Marketing today. His weekly "Intensives" seminars cover the 4 pillars of Internet Marketing:

- Ad Copy (i.e. copywriting for sales letters)
- Affiliate Marketing
- List Building (today's blog focus)
- Viral Marketing

For the September 20th ListBuildingIntensive, Harris brought in Dan Kuschell, an Arizona-based direct response marketer with T.V. infomercial and Internet experience. However, Mr. Kuschell's strength is using his radio shows to grow lists - a skill that brings him fame, sells products, and earns massive amounts of cash.

I know what you are thinking - what does radio have to do with list building? Well, if Kuschell's experience is any indicator, this often overlooked medium can take people from any background with any business model (MLM, retail, service, information marketing, etc.) and explode their success. From simply giving away books on-air, Dan turned a Phoenix radio host's endorsement into repeat guest appearances, several temporary radio series, and eventually a "career" as an on-air profit magnet.

So How Can Radio Help Us?

Radio is the best medium for viral marketing, in that one well-placed endorsement can influence thousands of captive listeners, who in turn speak to their networks about you. Whereas television ads can cost several hundred thousand dollars and never pay off, 30-minute radio infomercials can cost less than a thousand dollars each. When executed properly, radio is an effective, responsive tool that adds credibility and complements existing marketing strategies. Just imagine the power of adding, "As heard on [Radio Station X]..." to your existing ad copy.


How do you Get into Radio?

Mr. Kuschell described the 4 main ways of starting a radio campaign/program for your business:

1. Free Publicity.

Get yourself an interview with a radio announcer/host who will ask a series of questions and moderate discussion. Unfortunately, you are not in control of the situation, and may accomplish very little in the way of name recognition.

2. Hire a Public Relations Firm: $5,000+ monthly to get 2 indirect "non-targeted" hits on average.

3. PR Blasts: Fax and e-mail campaigns to radio stations to get PR material placed.

4. [Recommended] Buy into the Business.

Pay for 30-minute time slots in exchange for full content and delivery control. Positions you as the expert, and is the best way to get responses from listeners. Positioning, i.e., the "Celebrity Factor", is what separates the so-called "gurus" from novices in all fields. So, we must apply Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich strategy:

Interview the Experts to Become an Expert.


(Editor's Note: Think and Grow Rich is a must read.)

Dan emphasized that all of us want to do something once that will generate residual income. Whereas PR and one-on-one activities are laborious and time-consuming, buying radio airtime gives you an instant "one-to-many" relationship that is duplicatable and monetizable.


Alright, I'm in Radio. What's My Action Plan?

Kuschell emphasized that by formating your 28.5 minutes correctly (Three 30-second breaks not included) and developing a unique angle within a niche, your radio presence will position you for growth. Therefore:

1. Offer listeners a HOT topic and/or promise that will improve their lives.

2. Have a radio "fast start": Develop "sizzle" in your delivery to counteract short attention spans.

3. Create easily identifiable, meaningful acronyms that tie into your business.

4. Offer free gifts.

5. Have a tightly scripted CALL TO ACTION to close your show.


How Can I Make My Show Free?

Dan enumerated 4 ways by which we can cover the costs of our radio program:

1. Direct payment from others in exchange for "self-serving" interviews.
2. Generate product sales.
3. A combination of the first two tactics.
4. Get sponsors to buy ads and/or offer giveaways on your show.

Keep live operators available to handle prospective customers. Make sure that they take contact information first, then ask "How would you like to pay for shipping and handling?". 50% of people do not proceed, but 50% accept the costs. Then, make additional offers (50% success rate), and trial product offers (25% retention). Dan suggests that 90% of people keep the products beyond the 60-day trial period, so when all is said and done, successful radio hosts make pure profit every time they go on air.

The best stations for promoting a business, and those most open to beginners follow the Talk Radio, Variety, and Christian (religious) formats.


Summary.

Harris and Dan's 90-minute seminar was a high-octane introduction to radio-based list-building. It is a practice many Internet marketers may find hard to grasp. Nevertheless, by generating the second biggest registration in the Intensive series, people are apparently still open to new ideas.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dan Kuschell's websites include www.prosperitybasedliving.com and www.achampionvision.com.

Accelerate your list building with Harris Fellman's ListBuildingIntensive - only one click away...

No comments: