Archive for March, 2010

Appleton Creative believes one of the most important aspects of any email marketing campaign is the mailing list. Constructed and compiled through opt-in pages (known as ‘squeeze’ pages in the industry, due to their convincing ‘squeeze’-style pre-sales copy), your opt-in pages are essentially the life source for your entire marketing campaign.

And yet, despite their importance, few marketers invest any real time and effort into gearing their opt-in pages towards conversions. Sure, some invest in a flashy header or some slick sales copy, and a few even give their opt-in page a custom skin or product-based background. Yet despite the half-completed steps and slight moves towards effectiveness, few marketers create opt-in pages that actually work. Read the rest of this entry »

At Appleton Creative, we love sharing new ways for our clients to advocate their brands, and Podcasting offers a huge opportunity to share your message in this evolving media environment.

Podcasting is a great way to listen to what you want to, when you want to. In fact, according to Arbitron, nearly 28 million Americans have listened to a podcast at some point. Naturally, advertisers and podcasters want to keep these listeners interest with a well-executed campaign.

Here are four tips for launching a successful podcast ad campaign:

1) Don’t underestimate your listeners-
Lucky devil, you have something to say and people will want to hear it. Podcast marketing offers you the opportunity to reach a specific, targeted audience. Your listeners will be knowledgeable and sophisticated. At Appleton Creative, we often remind producers to use industry terms and keep the content high-level. Things that you may feel you need to “dumb down” for the public should remain tight with strong speak and topic jargon.

2) Be Brief and Be Gone
Podcast listeners are shown to be supportive of ads as long as they are quick. Shorter ads dramatically decrease the impulse of the listener to fast-forward. Media powerhouse Clear Channel is also pushing “less is more” mantra for its radio-advertising clients. If you feel you have to have 60 seconds to sell, then break them up into four, 15-second spots with frequency.

3) Switch up the Ad Content
Subscribers really don’t seem to mind short, clever ads, but they do loathe repetition. Appleton Creative encourages you to keep in mind that these unique subscribers use podcasts to fill a void or learn something. Use your podcast spots to highlight different features and cover different perspectives. We often recommend changing your ad to suit the season, current events, or promotions.

4) You’re Not A DJ…and that’s ok.
Broadcast radio listeners often switch the dial quickly. It’s important to quickly grab attention and keep it. All too often, we see local radio leaning towards poorly written skits and loud banter. The advantage of podcasting over broadcast is that the listeners have subscribed and actively sought your content, so there’s no need for theatrics.

Podcast advertising has so many positive benefits and the trend is growing. Appleton Creative can partner with you to craft your message, and, with our high-tech, fully equipped, audio editing suite, record your ads get them to market.

Podcasting gives innovative companies the chance to become pioneers and leverage the power of this emerging medium. Let your brand be heard!