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Marketing Strategy
Are you overlooking something that’s holding you back? How my “aha!” moment could help
We’re bogged down in information, but some epiphanies are worth sharing. Recently, author Steven Pressfield* in his “Writing Wednesdays” blog, reveals an insight inspired by Rosanne Cash.
He writes, “Training = Turning Pro. Amateurs have amateur habits. Pros have professional habits. How does the pro acquire professional habits? By training. (The amateur by contrast either trains like an amateur or doesn’t train at all.)”
First, I think, “Of course” and then I say, “A-Ha!”
Reading great authors who are thinkers and leaders in my career path, I bolster my knowledge of advertising, sales, and writing. Several Wizard of Ads (WOA) partners are authors. Many are teachers. All are students. Evolving in their orbit, I find the concept of Training = Turning Pro is fundamental.
My surprise “A-ha” moment is the realization that after voicing ads for several years (as one part of my profession), I didn’t begin studying voiceover in a semi-professional way until 10 years ago. Then two years ago, WOA partner Johnny Molson (a fine fellow and an expert in many disciplines), shared the name of his exceptional voiceover instructor. With a country singer lament, I crooned: “Why didn’t I find her 30 years ago?” BECAUSE (A-ha moment solidified, codified, and horrified) I wasn’t seeking to become a professional 30 years ago. Ahhh… I was an amateur. I guess I thought turning pro just happened. HA! I’m still a work in progress.
You follow a professional trajectory. But are you overlooking something?
Taking something for granted? If you own/operate a business, you know you can’t be THE Professional in every aspect. That’s why you seek A Professional to handle the professional things you don’t have the desire or the time to develop. When I need a professional, I turn to WOA Partners. That’s my professional advice… of course.
Here’s to the epiphany that Turning Pro doesn’t just happen. You must make the choice. Thanks, Steven.
*Steven Pressfield has written several books including Gates of Fire, The War of Art, The Virtues of War, and The Legend of Bagger Vance.
To learn more about how we can help you, book a call with Ryan Chute of Wizard of Ads® today.
Marketing Strategy
Sunday School can create true believers. What they get right about training.
I was 4 in front of about 200 people and I loved it.
It was a Part about the meeting between Aaron and the Priests of Levi – a Sister called Mom to see if I would help with her Part. Mom’s excitement fired up my own. My job was to point at and describe the jewels on the breastplate of the Levi. Her son had drawn a perfect picture complete with robes, beard, and stern, no-smile eyes daring me to get it wrong. The sketch was bigger than me.
Every adult in the room was poised, afraid I would forget, panic, and go running off the stage to Mom. I could smell the fear and scoffed at it. I mean, I was almost 4 – not some kid.
Joining the ministry school on my own was my ultimate goal. Forced to wait till I was 6, it was the “Second School” for me. Not less important, just smaller. My favorite was the report card after your Part…..G for Good, I for Improving, and W for Work on this. Your critique was public, followed by a paper report card.
This was a public speaking course on steroids.
I choked back tears the first time (only time) I got a W- especially since I knew I had “asked questions, engaged my audience, and used illustrations”. That particular instructor didn’t like me much – a 7-year-old can tell.
As a woman, I wasn’t allowed to talk facing the audience. I blamed the Apostle Paul – or you might know him as Saint Paul. He made one casual comment about women not teaching in the synagogue and I wasn’t allowed to stand at the podium and give my “part”. The gentler sex could still participate but only by creating a type of skit, a play really, with another Sister. The congregation could “listen in” which meant a woman wasn’t actually teaching, keeping the Bible-Based-Boundaries and Paul’s sensitivities safe.
I loved making up scenarios that made my “part” more interesting. I could write the topic like I was talking to my grandma, my teacher, my doctor, my… well, anyone I wanted and in any setting. That almost made up for a table vs. a podium. It was ultimate role-playing.
My dad – he was allowed to speak from the podium of course- once had a part about the ancient scrolls and much to the delight of everyone in the audience (except the people snoozing!) he had created a scroll to illustrate how tough it would have been to find the passage you wanted by – yup! You guessed it! He “dropped” the scroll and let it roll down the center aisle.
That was attention-getting – and I know people still remember his talks, decades later.
I loved when our family – or just me – gave experiences at the larger conventions – with audiences of thousands. It was a teaching moment and a chance to tell a story that might change someone else’s mind or even their heart. It was a chance to make a difference.
Like the year my parents decided that instead of a once-a-week family Bible Study- we would get up a half hour earlier and read a chapter or two. It was hard, and not fun with a big age span between all 7 of us. It was embarrassing to admit on stage how hard it was. But that became the part other families really keyed in on. It was hard, but it became easier. The moderator asked my dad to really emphasize how difficult it was to make this a routine.
That was real life and never left me- the hard stuff is tough to start doing. And telling a few hundred other families was embarrassing but it helped them. Somehow, once we celebrated the routine of doing it, we stopped. I don’t remember why. It just, somehow, trickled away.
That can happen with important stuff. Like healthy eating, flossing, cleaning your bathroom, …..working your business….(see what I did there ?)
I remember realizing that the “speaking school” meetings were in fact, a type of sales meeting.
Working in business, sales and training meetings have been a part of my weeks for almost 40 years. Monday morning success stories. Client focus groups. Uncoveries that lead to brilliant strategies.
I love making a difference and talking to people who want to learn and discover and DO!! My stories now are quite a bit different… mostly. Well… maybe after a beautiful glass of wine, there is the potential for a bit of an overlap.
My earliest resume included my public speaking training and experience, along with my door-to-door volunteer work. Nothing partisan – just the facts ma’am.
I love to share what I have done, read about, and been taught. I have lived the title of Trainer for decades but really, what is important to me is to discover what is possible. And what I love is when people – groups or individuals – let me know that it worked. They are intrigued and inspired by what is possible. And always, so am I.
Talking to a huge auditorium of people can be easier than talking to one person, but the opportunity to make a difference and help is the same and just as much fun.
I don’t remember exactly the jewels on the high priest’s breastplate anymore, but I will never forget that they were important. For focus. For my focus. And if you get a “W” it can also mean “Wow – look what you can do. Do it again!!”
Sales training should almost never be about the product.
It’s about the sharing and the possibilities and what comes next as you map out the success you want for your business and your people.
To learn more about how we can help you, book a call with Ryan Chute of Wizard of Ads® today.
Creative Content
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What Kids Can Teach You About Story Persuasion
“Mo-ooom, Jimmy hit me!”
“He hit me first!”
“Well, he called me a poopy-head”
As a parent, you’ve experienced this magical bit of storytelling.
And I’m only partially sarcastic in calling it “magical.”
‘Cause the magic comes from the lesson on storytelling.
On the Nature of Stories
Aristotle says that a story has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
But as comedian Larry Gelbart said, ‘So does a piece of shit!’
Without delving into what Aristotle meant, that description doesn’t do you much good.
So what Aristotle means is that a story isn’t a mere chronological retelling of events where this happens, then this happens, and then that happens, and so on in the manner of an itinerary.
No, no, no.
A proper story doesn’t have an arbitrary beginning. It has a determinative origin.
Nor does its middle just have a random series of events happening one after the other. It has a causally connected playing out of consequences and choices.
Finally, a story doesn’t have any old random endpoint. It has a meaningful conclusion.
And here’s the magic part: the meaning of the story is intimately connected to it’s beginning (and it’s end).
Your Kid’s Innate Storytelling Mastery
So when the first child cries out saying, “Mom, Jimmy hit me!” he’s telling a story.
A narrative wherein he’s the victim of unprovoked aggression by a predatory (and allegedly poopy-headed) Jimmy.
So what’s Jimmy to do in the face of that narrative?
He changes the beginning of the story.
And by changing the origin of the action, he changes the story’s meaning.
No longer a tale of unprovoked aggression, it becomes a saga of tit-for-tat justice.
Now Jimmy was the one subjected to an unprovoked strike, making him the victim, forced into deploying countervailing violence as self-defense.
So how does the first child respond?
He can’t let that counter-narrative stand, so he moves the beginning back even further.
By changing the origin to Jimmy’s provocation a la fighting words that challenged his sacred honor, thereby demanding an appropriate response, the narrative changes once more, back to his favor.
Look, there’s a REASON why for any and every conflict, we always want to know “who started it?”
Just as there’s a reason why the two parties involved will always argue over WHEN the conflict really began, trying to pin the blame of first offense on the other guy.
Because when and how the story begins determines the meaning of the tale.
Applying This to Your Ads
So what’s this gotta do with your ads?
If you don’t intentionally frame the beginning of the conversation with your audience, then the default origin becomes:
“Oh, great, here comes another loud-mouth jack-wad looking to sell me something.”
And that’s a poisonous narrative you just can’t let form in people’s heads.
So do what your kid would do!
Move the origin of your conversation backwards to where it’ll serve you rather than condemn you.
As in, “this whole story started LOOOONG before your ad hit the airwaves…”
It started when some defining life event sent you on a mission.
A mission that involved making the lives of customers better by _______
So you’re coming to the audience to share an experience, or perspective, or a funny and self-revealing story. Not to sell, but to bond.
For example, The Most Interesting Man (MIM) doesn’t start his story by pitching beer, for heaven’s sake!
It starts with legendary feats and mythical lore that has made him the most interesting man in the world. Some of which his ads tell you about.
It is only at the end that the MIM offers you his Wisdom to “prefer Dos Equis” as your beer of choice and “Stay Thirsty, my friends.”
Just imagine if he started with that advice instead of ending with it.
That makes for a much different — and far less persuasive — story.
It’s the same with you and your ads.
Don’t start your story with a pitch.
Start your story with an origin that’ll serve you and foster a narrative that’ll cause your competition to cry out to their mommies for relief.
To learn more about how we can help you, book a call with Ryan Chute of Wizard of Ads® today.
Marketing Strategy
Are you making bad decisions about how to spend your marketing dollars?
If you are using faulty data, you’re making flawed decisions. Hopefully, we can agree on that.
We believe in never asking customers how they heard about us, like never and forever. Here are four reasons why you should never ask this question and use the data to decide how to spend your marketing dollars.
It’s a question about you, not them. Your marketing has worked if they’ve called, emailed, or shown up. They are communicating with your business. They’ve entered your sales process and want to know if you can help them, when you can help them, and how much it costs. How quickly are you answering these questions? Because this is what they care about at that moment. They do not care or have even given any thought to how they came in contact with your business and have a problem they want to solve. So don’t make the conversation about you or your marketing.
The second reason is that you put the customer on the spot with this question. The customer doesn’t want to look stupid and say, “I don’t know.” So they will give you an answer, because then maybe they can get their problem solved.
The third reason is that just by how you ask the question, you skew the results. Whether it’s online, on paper, or done verbally doesn’t matter. Just the way the options are presented skews the outcome. Because the quicker the customer can answer the question, the quicker they can solve their problem. For example, starting with the Internet will probably be your highest result because it’s a safe answer.
The fourth reason is something complicated called last-touch attribution, which is a fancy way of saying the last marketing contact before the customer engages with your business. If they heard a radio ad or saw a TV ad that directs them to your website, and you ask whether you heard about us on the Radio, TV, or Internet. What do you think the answer is going to be? Your offline advertising is doing its job of driving people to your website, but your survey data will never reflect that.
There’s an old computer database expression, “Garbage in, Garbage out.” Don’t get caught making decisions about what’s working based on Garbage data. You want to track direct and organic visits to your website. That is a leading indicator of whether your offline advertising is working. To trend this data, you need a Trailing 12 graph. See page 63 of Jim Canfield and Kraig Kramers book “CEO Tools 2.0” for more information on Trailing 12 charts. They remove seasonality and show you if you’re trending in the right direction.
The other leading indicators you should watch are raw inbound phone calls, chats, web forms, and visitors—all of your initial touch points. Trend the touch points at the beginning of the customer conversation. If those are trending up, your business will be growing. To learn more about how we can help you, book a call with Ryan Chute of Wizard of Ads® today.
Marketing Strategy
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Derby Cars and Critics Both Race to the Bottom. But Your Leadership Must Not
The sun is bouncing off the windows of downtown buildings. Your company’s banners are snapping in a light breeze. A massive crowd is barricaded behind supersized hay bales, forming a prickly necklace down a wide sloping avenue. The fans erupt in cheers, propelling every derby car on its gravity passage to the finish line.
Everyone is having a grand time and you did it.
Your business won approval from the city, recruited volunteers, encouraged employees, enlisted additional sponsors, procured prizes, and purchased advertising. You found vendors and filled quiet streets with crowds. Wow! Call it a success? You want to. But this one guy dropped a screaming F-bomb and launched a bird from his fist E-V-E-R-Y T-I-M-E your company truck and trailer drove by to gather racers and return them uphill to the starting line. He’s a downer. Time to engage.
“What’s the problem? Do you have a complaint? Please don’t swear around all these kids.”
“Don’t mess with my first amendment rights.”
“Ah, that’s not the issue here.”
“Hey man, **** you.”
Huh. Did this guy work for you once? An unhappy customer? Does he loathe gravity propulsion? You’re not trained for PSYCHO-analysis. Your arm hairs are dancing.
During the post-awards cleanup, a customer taps you on the shoulder, “Hey, just wanted to let you know, I really loved the day. Great fun. It’s times like this… you know, the community gathering here… it’s why we buy your tires and bring our cars to you. You do stuff like this. Thanks.”
Wow! You don’t hear that all the time. Okay, is that why you do it? There are lots of reasons really. You like doing it. It’s who you are. You’re a car guy. You like seeing adults having fun like kids. Yes, it’s a lot of work. Is it worth it? Does it help the bottom line? Is that customer a unicorn? Well… A LOT of people seemed to have a lot of fun.
Highlighting the pros/cons of organizing or even sponsoring events isn’t the purpose of this story. This is a true-story-people-lesson.
Certain people are fools. Many more are gracious.
A few even give you face-to-face five-star reviews. When you’re doing the right thing, you probably know it in your heart, your gut, your mind, and in the little hairs dancing on the back of your neck.
Forget the fools. Keep reaching for the stars.
If you need new branding guidance, book a call with no other than Wizard of Ads®. We'll help you figure out what new perspective on branding can work for your business.
Marketing Strategy
What Kids Can Teach You About Story Persuasion
“Mo-ooom, Jimmy hit me!”
“He hit me first!”
“Well, he called me a poopy-head”
As a parent, you’ve experienced this magical bit of storytelling.
And I’m only partially sarcastic in calling it “magical.”
‘Cause the magic comes from the lesson on storytelling.
On the Nature of Stories
Aristotle says that a story has a beginning, a middle, and an end.
But as comedian Larry Gelbart said, ‘So does a piece of shit!’
Without delving into what Aristotle meant, that description doesn’t do you much good.
So what Aristotle means is that a story isn’t a mere chronological retelling of events where this happens, then this happens, and then that happens, and so on in the manner of an itinerary.
No, no, no.
A proper story doesn’t have an arbitrary beginning. It has a determinative origin.
Nor does its middle just have a random series of events happening one after the other. It has a causally connected playing out of consequences and choices.
Finally, a story doesn’t have any old random endpoint. It has a meaningful conclusion.
And here’s the magic part: the meaning of the story is intimately connected to it’s beginning (and it’s end).
Your Kid’s Innate Storytelling Mastery
So when the first child cries out saying, “Mom, Jimmy hit me!” he’s telling a story.
A narrative wherein he’s the victim of unprovoked aggression by a predatory (and allegedly poopy-headed) Jimmy.
So what’s Jimmy to do in the face of that narrative?
He changes the beginning of the story.
And by changing the origin of the action, he changes the story’s meaning.
No longer a tale of unprovoked aggression, it becomes a saga of tit-for-tat justice.
Now Jimmy was the one subjected to an unprovoked strike, making him the victim, forced into deploying countervailing violence as self-defense.
So how does the first child respond?
He can’t let that counter-narrative stand, so he moves the beginning back even further.
By changing the origin to Jimmy’s provocation a la fighting words that challenged his sacred honor, thereby demanding an appropriate response, the narrative changes once more, back to his favor.
Look, there’s a REASON why for any and every conflict, we always want to know “who started it?”
Just as there’s a reason why the two parties involved will always argue over WHEN the conflict really began, trying to pin the blame of first offense on the other guy.
Because when and how the story begins determines the meaning of the tale.
Applying This to Your Ads
So what’s this gotta do with your ads?
If you don’t intentionally frame the beginning of the conversation with your audience, then the default origin becomes:
“Oh, great, here comes another loud-mouth jack-wad looking to sell me something.”
And that’s a poisonous narrative you just can’t let form in people’s heads.
So do what your kid would do!
Move the origin of your conversation backwards to where it’ll serve you rather than condemn you.
As in, “this whole story started LOOOONG before your ad hit the airwaves…”
It started when some defining life event sent you on a mission.
A mission that involved making the lives of customers better by _______
So you’re coming to the audience to share an experience, or perspective, or a funny and self-revealing story. Not to sell, but to bond.
For example, The Most Interesting Man (MIM) doesn’t start his story by pitching beer, for heaven’s sake!
It starts with legendary feats and mythical lore that has made him the most interesting man in the world. Some of which his ads tell you about.
It is only at the end that the MIM offers you his Wisdom to “prefer Dos Equis” as your beer of choice and “Stay Thirsty, my friends.”
Just imagine if he started with that advice instead of ending with it.
That makes for a much different — and far less persuasive — story.
It’s the same with you and your ads.
Don’t start your story with a pitch.
Start your story with an origin that’ll serve you and foster a narrative that’ll cause your competition to cry out to their mommies for relief.
If you aren’t a showman or a storyteller, you’re still in good company. Wizard of Ads® can help you create the brand or marketing story you need to drive your user experience. Book a call.
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Frequently asked questions
Questions? We’ve got answers.
Who does the Wizard of Ads® for Contractors work with?
Wizard of Ads® for Contractors work with healthy and growing Residential Home Service Contractors hungry to grow by multiples, like you.
You are ready, willing, and able to grow your business. You are open to change and are seeking a distinctive angle of approach to gain the time and attention of a too-busy public.
You know that lasting relationships take time, patience, and good energy to nurture and cultivate. We carefully enter into every arrangement with the intention of working with you for as long as you own your business. You prefer lasting partnerships.
You are already a solid operator. You have successfully grown your business and appreciate the impact the right brand story will have to get to the next level in your operation. You know a strong relational message takes time to gain momentum, but it’s worth the one-time short-term discomfort for the long-term gains.
Marketing cannot fix a failing business.
We accelerate what’s already happening in a business. If your business is on the rocks, marketing will only speed up the inevitable.
You’re focused on lasting change that leads to exponential, profitable growth, not just sales at any cost. Intuitively, you know that communication that enhances every element of your customer's experience and your employee's culture is the key to your success.
How does the Wizard of Ads® for Contractors charge?
Traditional marketing agencies are designed to capture the greatest amount of revenue from a client, regardless of results. Every last item is billed and expensed to the client. Typical agency fees can represent a whopping 55% of the entire advertising budget. That means a $5 million dollar advertising budget, you would spend $2.75 million on agency fees.
Think of Wizard of Ads® for Contractors as the Anti-Agency.
Our income is not tied to your advertising budget. Our income is exclusively tied to your growth. Our goal is to maximize your advertising impact with the lowest reasonable spend. This allows you to spend only what is necessary or to put extra horsepower into aggressively growing in your market.
The genius of this model is that it perfectly aligns our motivations as true partners for exponential profitable growth without the pain of being unaffordable. Ultimately, we are confident in taking the risk of being underpaid in the first few years because we know the results always speak for themselves.
Next, we do not accept commissions, referral fees, kickbacks, or other compensation from any service providers we recommend or engage for production work. Most agencies do. This includes the 15% agency commission for media buying. This approach is considerably different from the compensation plan employed by most advertising agencies, as it eliminates any potential conflicts of interest and allows us to focus our entire attention on helping you grow your business profitably as a true partner. For example, a $500,000 annual media buy would involve a $75,000 commission that we would have removed directly from your media providers' invoices.
This is the perfect pricing model for Residential Home Services.
By tying ourselves to gross revenue, we only have one motivation. Your motivation. We have no motivation to convince you to spend more money on marketing than what is necessary, and since we are a variable expense to sales, we NEVER become too expensive to have us on your team.
In almost every case, we end up lowering the amount of money you spend. We will stay within your planned marketing budget, including your media spend, production, and our Annual Fee. Add on the fact that you get any and all commissions back for media buys and various services provided by outside providers, and you will actually save money having us on your team.
Don’t forget, we have the largest buying power in North America for media buying, meaning for every dollar you spend buying media, we only spend 27 cents on average. This stretches your reach, impact, and frequency in a way no other agency (or yourself) can achieve on your own, saving you hundreds of thousands of dollars, eventually millions, every single year.
Clients who heed our advice and embrace our Marketing Strategy quickly add $1 million in incremental revenue to their business, making your investment a smart bet and a bit of a no-brainer.
There is no longer any guesswork, hope, or fear that our marketing strategies are going to work. If our client’s are able to abandon any limiting beliefs about marketing, deliver operational excellence, and play the long game, our marketing strategy will accelerate their profitable growth.
Wizard of Ads® for Contractors pricing model is based solely on the topline revenue of your company. It consists of an Upfront Fee and an Annual Fee. These fees are inclusive of scheduled travel, services, and all other expenditures as outlined in the Consulting Agreement.
The Upfront Fee covers the intensive Uncovery Process, the first year’s Media Buy, the Creative Process, and the Market Research while the Annual Fee goes toward implementation, ongoing creative and consulting, and next year's media buy. You get a team of 3.5 people, with direct access to a top tier Creative Lead and Media Buyer, and on-demand access to me as your Master Strategist. You will also have a full-time Account Manager keeping everything on track.
While the upfront does have an initial pinch, it is easy to amortize the investment over the many years we will be working together to grow your business. Wizard of Ads® retain clients for 10 years, on average. The sale of the business is the number one reason for termination. We actively terminate the bottom 1% of clients who are unwilling or unable to follow our strategies.
Wizard of Ads® for Contractors believes that all rewards should be directly correlated to the success of our clients. This means that the Wizard of Ads® for Contractors only receives a raise when the company achieves growth. For example, if your gross sales for the year have increased by 25%, the Annual Fee you pay us in the following year will also be increased by 25%. Likewise, if your gross sales decrease, our Annual Fee will decrease by the same percentage during the following year.
This is an exceptionally easy and fair way to track and reward success. This model was developed by Wizard of Ads® over 35 years ago and has served us well because it serves our clients well.
As a rule of thumb, we take the risk of working for considerably less than our actual value in the first few years as we help accelerate growth. This means you need to be willing to pay us exceptionally well when you start doing even better.
When should I engage The Wizard of Ads® for Contractors?
There are four key revenue stages for engagement with the Wizard of Ads® for Contractors.
- Under $3.6 million in revenue
- Between $3.6 and $10 million in revenue
- Between $10 and $20 million in revenue
- Over $20 million in revenue
Under $3.6 million in revenue is an investment in your brand. This will serve you well in establishing your brand story early on and help you with your name, logo, and truck wrap design. It's easier to create pictures from a story than it is to make a story based on pre-drawn pictures. You'll be glad you did. Everyone on a fast path to growth is.
Most clients start with Wizard of Ads® for Contractors between $3.6 and $10 million in revenue. They have often seen a natural ceiling with their leads for demand service and are looking for ways to push past the ceiling. This can only be done with a properly executed brand strategy, specifically in mass media with a sticky story.
Between $10 and $20 million in revenue, Wizard of Ads® for Contractors has some natural economies of scale. This is a sweet spot where Wizard of Ads® for Contractors can offer some added value in getting the ball rolling.
Over $20 million in revenue is actually the lowest cost point of entry as a percentage of revenue, but not the cheapest time to start with the Wizard of Ads® for Contractors. Leveraging all economies of scale aside, we have been left out of the upside along the way, so engaging when over $20 million in revenue means we have to mend a lot of fences damaged along the way. This is also where clients see significant savings in their media buys and production costs.
There are also three market sizes to consider.
- Primary Markets are the top 50 cities in America.
- Secondary Markets are the smaller cities in America.
- Tertiary Markets are the more rural trade areas in America.
When considering an engagement with The Wizard of Ads® for Contractors, consider what size market you are in. For example, a $3.6 million company in a Primary Market will struggle to get the necessary reach needed to make a splash. You either have to be more patient than a larger company or spend more money to accelerate your reach.
Alternatively, a $5 million company in a Secondary Market will look like a pretty darn big fish in a medium-sized pond.
A $20 Million company in a Primary Market will feel like a $50 million company using our strategies to potential customers.
The key to remember is that the earlier you start with the Wizard of Ads® for Contractors, the lower the investment to get started. As they say, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today.
Are production costs included in your fees?
The Wizard of Ads® for Contractors Creative Lead will create the ad copy, cast the voice actors, source the production house, direct the performance, pick the music bed, manage all the edits, and provide you with the completed ad for final approval before sending to air on your behalf. This is included in our fees.
You pay for the production house, actors, royalty-free music, and jingles directly to avoid any potential for markups, commissions, or management fees.
We have many friends in the industry that give our clients good deals due to the large volume of work we provide them. We will introduce you to them.
How long before a brand-forward strategy starts working?
In approximately three months of activation, we’ll just be getting live on air. In six months (3 months on air), you’ll be getting anecdotal feedback from people that you are being heard, but there will be no direct line to revenue.
After 6 months on the air, you’ll think you made the biggest mistake of your life signing up for this branding nonsense. After 9 months on the air (12 months in) you’ll see the light at the end of the tunnel.
At 12 full months on the air, you’ll know why you did this branding thing. Two years from now, we'll be clinking champagne flutes as you wonder why you didn’t do this sooner.
How long before we’re live?
The general guideline is 70-120 days, depending on the level of production needed and if there is a name change to your business.
This includes an onsite visit, a deep dive into research, and getting things created, negotiated, approved, produced, and live on the air.
- Uncovery - 15-30 days based on travel. 1-2 days onsite.
- Research - 30-60 days based on the scope of work.
- Creative and Media Buy Process - 45 to 60 days
- Offline Production - 15 days for radio. 30 - 60 days for television.
- Online Production (if switching) - 60 days
This means planning for roughly 90 to 120 days in the proper development and production of a completely unique Marketing Strategy before anything hits the airwaves.
Are you exclusive?
Creatively, yes. During the term of this Agreement, all Creative Partners assigned to your Account shall not engage, directly or indirectly, as an employee, officer, manager, partner, consultant, agent, owner, or in any other capacity, in any competition of the client, including any company engaged in marketing consulting.
For clarity, the Creative Partner is defined as the individual Wizard of Ads® Partners who is responsible for creating your creative strategy and ongoing creative copy. Competition is defined as companies that engage in the same industry and business units (e.g., HVAC, Plumbing, etc.) as you. The market area is defined as the area where the marketing message naturally reaches through DMA or 60 miles from the city center of the client's service area(s).
Naturally, we exclude any potential future competition in markets where you are not currently active at the date of signing.
We do not limit Media Buyers in any market. Media Buyers get better deals for larger volumes, making it beneficial for the client to have the Media Buyer available to do as many buys as possible to secure the best deals on the client’s behalf.
Do you do digital marketing?
In rare circumstances, Wizard of Ads® for Contractors will provide specific digital marketing solutions. Wizard of Ads® has very specific Partners that provide digital services that serve Residential Home Services effectively. Under no circumstances will digital marketing services be offered without Wizard of Ads® for Contractors' core solution.
It is most likely that Wizard of Ads® for Contractors will work with your existing digital partners and suppliers. If you do not have a reliable digital provider, we would be happy to introduce you to a number of great providers that play nice with Wizards.
Do you do jingles?
Wizard of Ads® for Contractors can assist you in getting a jingle for your business. Like any other tactical element of a marketing strategy, we do not produce a jingle for the sake of a jingle.
If you do not have a story or a strategic reason to have a jingle...or an ad campaign to tie it to, do not waste your hard-earned money on a jingle. You are wasting your time and money.
When you do build a single unified marketing strategy that incorporates a jingle for a specific (often scientific) reason, we have a Jingle Wizard who has studied the art and science of jingle design.
He will score you an original, royalty-free jingle, including professional singers, musicians, and producers. He will not knock off a generic jingle from a publicly available music bed that sounds like everyone else's jingle.
Your jingle will serve a very specific reason and produce a very specific result. Have you guessed how much we love jingles yet?
Who owns the copyrights?
Wizard of Ads® for Contractors owns your copyright for two very specific reasons. We also provide a fair use clause in all contracts to ensure you are in no way limited to the access of your creative works, whether you are working with us or not.
The first reason we own your copyright is to ensure that we do not have to go up against our own creative works in other markets we serve. This means you are not allowed to lend, give, borrow, tweak, rent, lease, or sell your creative works to any other company at any time.
The second reason we own your copyright is that we can establish a one-time value for your creative works in the event that someone steals the content. Upon selling you the copyrights, you can go after the perpetrator for theft and make a considerable bounty in a slam dunk case.
Here is how Wizard of Ads® word the fair use of your copyright for as long as your business is in operation:
All writing and/or marketing materials we create for you are not works-for-hire. Wizard of Ads® for Contractors hereby irrevocably grants you, and your successors in interest, the non-exclusive, royalty-free, non-transferable, and worldwide right to use the Works in connection with the marketing of your business pursuant to the Marketing Strategy for so long as your business is operational.
How do I measure brand results?
There are a number of interesting ways to measure results. Some people like to get unique identifying telephone numbers, or create branded URLs that redirect to landing pages or the website. However, much of this is a waste of time and energy as it never tells the true story of the brand journey and how it affected the decision-making process.
Other indicators of brand effectiveness include tracking new customers, reactivated customers, or running a brand equity survey to get a sense of your share of mind. Digitally you will see direct search increase, which cannot be affected by anything digital, as well as branded keyword inquiries increase. You’ll, of course, need to get your digital people to add these to your campaigns if you hope to see an increase in conversions.
Wizard of Ads® for Contractors tracks the simplest of indicators. Top line revenue. When your branding takes effect, and the company responds in kind from the phone call or form fill-on, top-line revenue will increase. Efficacy is plotted on a T12, and total lead volume from all sources is tracked.
12 things you should know before signing up.
- Quality relationships take time. Branding is a long-term strategy. That’s why most contractors do it wrong, or not at all. There is always a lag between the start of the new campaign and the time it takes your customers to connect the dots. You MUST BE READY, WILLING, AND ABLE to endure this lag period. In our experience, the lag is typically 6 to 9 months, depending on how competitive the marketplace is, your company’s reputation, your budget in relation to reach, and the eight uncontrollable environmental factors. During this time, we will be helping you implement a transition plan to ease the pain. The good news is that this lag only happens once.
- Decisions by Committee. We completely reject the notion of decisions by committee. We work with a single, courageous decision-maker. We welcome decision influencers, but we only look to the Owner for the final decision. All decision-makers and influencers must be involved in the Uncovery and Marketing Strategy Presentation if they want to offer input in the future. It is critical that we have a 100% fully approved plan that can be defended and championed by all leaders in the organization.
- Proven Strategy. That means we are not the low-cost provider. With nearly 200 home service clients and a book of strategic devices, tools, and tactics, this isn’t a guessing game for us. We know what to do to make your externally triggered grudge purchase appealing to your potential buyers. If you can deliver the goods, we can continue building relationships. If you are uncomfortable with the idea that you are paying us less now so that you can pay us considerably more once revenues allow, please do not commit. We intend to be your true partners, in sickness and in health...so long as you own your business.
- Automatic Payments. Everything is on automatic payments. If you struggle with managing cash flow, figure that out in your business first. We accept all major credit cards and ACH payments.
- We Cause Problems. If you don’t have a capacity issue now, I promise you will in about 9 months. Let’s deal with recruitment out of the gate as part of your comprehensive marketing strategy.
- We Own the Copyrights. All writing and/or marketing materials we create for you are not works-for-hire. We irrevocably grant you, and your successors in interest, the non-exclusive, royalty-free, non-transferable, and worldwide right to use the Works in connection with the marketing of your business pursuant to the Marketing Strategy for so long as your business is operational.
- Brand Building. We will be steering you to limit the use of discounts, rebates, coupons, and sales to attract clients. We know this feels counterintuitive to many, and we will clarify our reasoning. Rest assured, we have considerable experience in creating similar offers that are not damaging to your profitability, your brand’s integrity, and your preferable long-term client relations.
- Creative Authority. We must have creative authority over the words. You can accept copy as written or reject it outright, but you cannot modify the words yourself. If you do not like something as written, we are happy to discuss it and make the necessary change to maintain the integrity and intention of the words chosen. Alternatively, we will scrap the concept and create new copy that you are happy to get behind 100%.
- Proprietary Algorithm. The media buy must be structured in a very specific way, including running a full 52-week schedule. It is based on brain chemistry, not P&Ls. Once we have committed to the buy, it’s important to avoid adjustments unless they are calculated additions.
- Knucklehead Factor. You should expect knuckleheads. For example, when you start running ads that are certain to get attention, you need the courage to continue running those ads, even when you receive complaints. We celebrate complaints. It means we’ve made people feel.
- Digital Weasels. In about three months from the time your advertising campaign hits the airways, your digital marketers will show you a marked increase in direct and organic traffic. Some Digital Marketers will mistakenly claim this success as their own. Done properly, you can continue to spend less and less on digital lead generation by increasing your branded keyword online presence.
- Annual Marketing Meetings. Travel permitting, we prefer to hold Annual Marketing Meetings (AMMs) outside your city. Years of experience have taught us that we get better results when decision-makers are outside their sphere of influence, away from the day-to-day distractions of the office.
Ready to transform your world?
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