Does a Fayetteville small business ever reach the point where they can afford to stop advertising? Can a business ever have so many customers that advertising no longer makes sense?
Fayetteville’s Public Works Commission doesn’t think so.
The municipally owned utility provides electricity and water to 113,000 Cumberland County residents.
If you were one of the 90% of area consumers who tuned-in to a Fayetteville radio station last week, then you probably heard commercials for PWC. And the week before that. And hundreds of week before that.
Since 1905, The North Carolina legislature has allowed PWC, to be the exclusive utility service provider in the Fayetteville area. As a result, they don’t compete for customers because they already have every customer.
So, then, why does a company who has acquired every possible customer and has sold them every possible product need to advertise on Fayetteville radio every week of the year?
Fayetteville Radio Is An Effective Way To Reach Our Customers
“I get that question all time,” says Carolyn Hinson, PWC’s Communication & Community Relations Officer. “The fact is we are a monopoly. People don’t have a choice of providers. We advertise continually on Fayetteville radio, though, as an effective way to communicate directly to our customers.”
“I like to say that utilities don’t come with an instruction manual,” Ms. Hinson adds. “Our radio advertising really helps us to educate customers. Our commercials provide conservation and safety tips. Also, they allow us to explain how customers can lower monthly utility bills.”
“For instance,” says Ms. Hinson, “last January, some of our customers’ heating bills doubled or tripled because of a huge cold snap. The reason for the big bills was that electric heat pumps are the predominate form of heating in our area. They are great for our climate, overall. They become less efficient, though, when the temperature falls below freezing”
“So, this year,” continues Ms. Hinson “we are using our radio commercials to explain how customers can offset the increased cost of using their heat pumps in colder weather. We can get 3 or 4 powerful, money-saving tips into a single 60 second radio commercial.”
Radio Can Target By Time Of Day
A different way advertising on Fayetteville radio benefits PWC is the ability to target their messages by time of day.
“Next year,” says Ms. Hinson, “we will be changing our rate structure to what we call ‘time of use’. Customers will pay for electricity based on the times they use it. The most expensive time to use electricity will be in the morning and afternoon. This corresponds to drive time on Fayetteville radio. So, we will be able tailor our message for those times of day when we need our customers to think about their usage.”
Another benefit of advertising on Fayetteville radio that impresses Ms. Hinson is the tremendous loyalty and credibility that audiences have with the on-air personalities. PWC was able to leverage these relationships when the company switched their phone system.
“We knew,” explained Ms. Hinson, “that during the switchover, customers would have longer than usual hold times when they called us. So, we asked local radio personalities to record on-hold messages for us to help explain the wait. Callers were very pleased to have DJs like WKML’s Don Chase explain why they had to hang on a bit longer to speak to a PWC representative. It made being on hold more fun.”
Radio Can Deliver Life Saving Information Quickly
Radio advertising’s most important role, though, is during times of emergency. “Our service area has been affected by hurricanes 2 of the last 3 years,” says Ms. Hinson. “Radio allows us to share vital, sometimes life-saving. information to our customers quickly.”
“We can’t predict when a storm will hit or its severity. But because PWC has annual schedules on Fayetteville radio stations, with just one quick email or phone call, we can change our regular commercials to storm messages. No other local media can do that.”
Fayetteville radio has become PWC’s biggest form of advertising. When Ms. Hanson first came to PWC 20 years ago, the utility’s use of radio was far more sporadic. This changed when she realized the transient nature of the market. “We are a military community,” she says. “People are constantly moving in and out. Adverting on multiple radio stations consistently allows us not only to communicate with our current customers, but also reach our new customers as soon as they arrive.”
Ms. Hanson is certain any area small business can benefit from advertising on Fayetteville radio. Her advice: “You don’t need to choose the radio station with the most listeners to have a successful campaign, you need to choose the radio stations with the right listeners.”
Learn More About Advertising On Fayetteville Radio
