Improve the Mood by Marketing through Sound

(If you missed out on the previous installment, here is the link to Visual Sensory Marketing)

Marketing through traditional means like signage and print ads affects how businesses look, but how many businesses consider how they sound?

One great aspect of using sound in marketing is that there are so many different ways to implement it! There are signature sounds, which immediately trigger the memory of a specific brand or product when they’re heard – think about the iPhone and its iconic “Marimba” ringtone or the McDonald’s “I’m Lovin’ It” jingle. On-hold music and messaging also market through sound as well as present a cohesive brand image. Overhead music and messaging that play in-store or in the office contribute to the overall feeling of the room.

Creating a soundscape for a space influences the mood of a customer and can affect how long the customer stays in the store or office, as well as their inclination to spend money. For example, if a store is designed to feel comfortable and welcoming, customers are more likely to take their time while shopping and spend more.

From the tone of the voice talent in your radio ads to selecting music to play on-hold, we’ve got several suggestions for getting the most out of marketing with sound.

Voiceover
Choosing a voice talent to use with your marketing campaigns is all about invoking personality! The sound of your voice talent creates a human image for your business. A faint, unsure voice may not encourage the most confidence and trust from potential clients, while a clear, authoritative voice would. From on-hold messaging to radio advertisements, select voice talent that represents your brand’s personality and fits the type of message you’re trying to communicate.

On-Hold Messaging
Putting callers on hold may seem like a necessary evil, but it’s easy to make the most of it. Play personalized, branded messages about your business on hold. Depending on your on-hold provider, your messages can be updated and changed throughout the year, making it easy to spread the word about upcoming events, new products or seasonal specials. Not only do these messages promote events and products but they also present a cohesive image of your business through sound.

Overhead Music and Messaging
What customers hear while they’re in your place of business is another critical component of audio marketing. Do they hear noise or conversation from other cubicles? Do they hear radio advertisements for your competition? All of these situations can create a negative customer experience or sub-par work environment, but using an overhead music service eliminates these issues.

Overhead music choices should be aligned with your brand identity and the tastes of your clientele. For example, classical music makes a better score for an upscale jewelry store while kid-friendly Top 40 songs fit better for a dentist office. Custom overhead messages are yet another creative way to integrate sound with your marketing efforts. Keep customers informed and engaged with your own custom messages instead of blasting radio spots for your competition!

Quality
Would you find a radio advertisement compelling if it sounds like it was recorded on a smartphone? Probably not. Even if you’ve selected the perfect voice talent and the most fitting background music, your sound production will totally lose its impact if it’s rendered in poor quality. If you’re broadcasting the radio in your place of business, there’s the added risk of broadcasting a unpredictably weak or fuzzy signal.

Make sure you’re producing voiceovers and music with clarity and precision. A cautionary tale comes from one of our own on-hold clients. When the client switched to a new VoIP provider, the provider asked the client to put them on hold so they could record our production and put it on the new phone system. Not only was their recording fuzzy and unclear, but it also caught someone picking up the phone, interrupting the whole production! Needless to say, a shoddy recording does not project a professional image to your customers.

When creating a sound plan for your business, it’s vital to keep both your brand identity and your clientele’s taste in mind. And, of course, make sure your work is of the best quality possible!