Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

jeff,

you elicit the key point - where do you prioritize your time. our advertisers are happy (but could be made happier), and they`re most interested in our online offering.

for now, we`re holding steady, trying to expand with the current resources and certainly not making any moves to reduce our footprint.

certain things are underfoot that may change this significantly, and they don`t require a lot of energy or distraction on our part. if they happen, we`ll have a far bigger/better radio footprint.

rich


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Rich Sloan , Co-Founder, Chief Startupologist, StartupNation

Rich,

Thanks for sticking with this topic and for your explanations, especially at 12 midnight after a really long day, I`m sure.

This goes back to brand: each and every exposure either adds to or takes away from your core brand value. SuN online: big plus. SuN radio scope: not so much.  Selling the program can become a combination of the two, along with the reach of your book, other PR exposure, etc. Taken as a whole, my concern is that the radio buy looks weak, therefore weakening an otherwise strong brand with a great niche audience others would kill to get.

Reaching entrepreneurs, and providing a vibrant community they use and interact with, has to be like herding cats, but you`ve found a way to do that. That has to be a very valuable audience for everyone from small business software to banking to travel to, well, you get the idea.

Maybe to put it another way: everything you guys do has an excellence to it which reflects your core values and beliefs. The one outlier, it seems to me, is the radio syndication.

But I am sure you`ll see this as an opportunity to grow and push the envelope, rather than a criticism (which it isn`t, anyway). That`s a sign of a true entrepreneur - constant improvement in an ever-changing environment.

I`m sure you guys will tweak this and make it better. I`ll stay tuned!

I have to disagree.

I don`t think your opinion on their radio markets hurts their brand at all.
Most people (me included) have never even heard the radio show.

We just listen to the clips of it online here.

Nikole,

I haven`t ever heard it live, either.

From the perspective of a possible radio advertiser, here`s how it might go:

* Excellent website - check
* Great book - check
* Vibrant online community - check
* Radio reach - Poughkeepsie @ 4am Monday? - um, no check

That`s where I was coming from - the perspective of the advertiser. Plus, the overall brand, since a broadcast schedule like this doesn`t exactly scream major markets, regardless of the explanation.

All of a firm`s exposure is figured into the brand. Good, bad, indifferent. If we don`t or can`t listen live (and participate in call-ins, which I think would be fun for us to do), that`s not a vote for indifference - it`s bad. Obviously, there may different markets for the site versus the show, which is cool, but the two together should create some amazing synergy.

Anyway, like I said, I just see it as a weak point in an otherwise strong brand exposure. I`m sure that`s not news to anyone in Michigan.

I watched the msnbc program yesterday morning. You guys were great! I loved the elevater pitch segment, it was fun! Great Job!

Erin

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