“Should you use air talent for endorsements? If so, how?” [Milestone Video]

Milestones for Small Business are weekly answers to questions from small business owners across the world. At the end of a year, we’ll have a created a 52-point roadmap to small business success.

Milestone for Small Business #6

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Hi there. I’m Tim Miles, founder and head custodian for the Imagination Advisory Group with this week’s Milestone for Small Business.

Is using the voice of an endorsement or air talent a good idea? If I choose to use a talent, how much freedom do I give them with talking points and script?

It’s a really good question. Few things are more powerful than a connection between a very colorful, very well-known personality on radio or television or even web and their viewers, their audience, their listeners.

A couple of things you have to be careful for.

One, how many endorsements are they doing?

I know some talents, there are a couple in the market in which I live, it seems like one second they’re pitching tires, five seconds later they’re pitching adult diapers. Another five minutes later they’re pitching the strip club down the street.

That really hurts the credibility of both the talent and your brand should you choose to advertise with them.

Be very judicious about picking a talent based on how much they’re doing – also what their brand, what their character on air stands for.

Do their values mirror yours and those of your company? Does their station reflect the kind of advertising you‘d like to have representing your business.

Remember, this is very different than running a schedule on air in that it is a direct anchor to that personality and people are going to make a connection between you and that personality that you both stand for pretty much the same thing.

Now, should you choose to work with them?

I don’t want to tell you to do something illegal … so let’s figure out a different way to do this.

I have heard talk of when you start a relationship with a talent and you first meet them and you shake their hands and right in there [pointing to between a couple fingers of handshake hand – allegedly] you slip maybe $100 to say you know, “I’m really looking forward to working with you. I’ve heard a lot about you. Anything you need.”

And suddenly your ads might be a little bit longer and a little bit more detailed and delivered with a little bit more enthusiasms then the adult diapers or the strip club.

Also, every two or three weeks when you go to change up your ad copy, give them a thank you card with another little something special on the inside to let them know how much you appreciate what it is you’re doing for them.

Contrary to popular belief most on air personalities aren’t paid all that much. Most of the money goes to the sales department and so anything you can to do to help them out a little bit, they’ll remember you for it.

And lastly, don’t give them scripts.

Give them anything they need in terms of a free trial of your service or product, a chance to come and interview customers or interview sales people. Help them in any way. Just don’t write anything for them.

These people are used to improvising, are used to flying without a net, talking without someone writing something for them.

So give them the opportunity to do what they do best.

Deepen your relationship with them both in terms of content and knowledge of your company and in terms of any incentives you might be able to provide for them but stay out of their way when it comes to them performing on your behalf.

Make sure they know you’re company. Make sure they like your company.

Just don’t tell them exactly, specifically, verbatim what to say about your company. I hope you find that helpful. I’m a big fan of live endorsements provided that a talent isn’t doing too many of them. I think you can use them, too.

That’s this week’s Milestone For Small Business. I’m Tim Miles from the Imagination Advisory Group. Thanks for watching, have a successful week.

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