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music overhead announcements small business

4 Audio Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses

Small businesses working with limited resources are often overshadowed by competition from larger businesses with larger marketing budgets. And yet, small businesses need to outshine competitors and distinguish themselves from the rest, just like the big guys. So what to do? By incorporating affordable yet effective audio solutions such as Message On Hold, Overhead Announcements, Background Music, and Podcasts, small businesses can match their larger competitors when it comes to brand awareness, customer communication, and customer satisfaction.

Message on Hold

First impressions are extremely important to small businesses. The chances of your Message On Hold being a prospect’s first impression of your business is likely, therefore should be capitalized on. By incorporating a professional and informative hold message into your business’s marketing tactics you can enhance the perceived image of your brand.  And during call transfers and peak hours, an effective on hold message has the potential to decrease caller hang-ups and keep callers on the line longer, ready to do business.

Small Business Message On Hold Ideas:

  • Tell callers about current or upcoming sales.
  • Explain what makes your business unique from competitors.
  • Answer FAQ’s.
  • Announce time-sensitive information like upcoming events or limited time offers.
  • Introduce new products.
  • Provide alternate forms of communication like where callers can find you on social media.

Podcast

A podcast is another word for audio blog. Content is delivered in an interesting, informative message that packages content and personality. Providing your target audience with useful podcasts will increase the opportunity to build a following and reach your clients and prospects. Podcasts are extremely affordable and effective. The more creative and engaging you are, the better!

 Small Business Podcast Ideas:

  • Answer FAQ’s
  • Interview an industry expert
  • Give information on upcoming events, products, or services.
  • Turn your company newsletter into a podcast. Talk about what has been going on at your company.
  • Give listeners a set of tips about a particular topic related to your business.

Overhead Announcements

For retail stores, or businesses where customers are often physically present, overhead announcements are an effective marketing tool used to target the already captive audience–in-store or onsite customers. This particular audience is already interested in what your business offers, so overhead announcements serve as the perfect marketing opportunity to further engage them.

Small Business Overhead Announcements Ideas:

  • Promote new products or services.
  • Market a product or service that can potentially cause a significant financial gain or higher profit margin.
  • Business branding
  • Announce current or upcoming sales.
  •  Inform customers about your business hours, or holiday schedules.

Background Music

For retail stores, or certain types of businesses, background music can be a productive element. If overhead announcements are not appropriate for a retail store, music is still a viable and desirable option. Music triggers emotional responses. In a retail business setting, the emotional response can enhance the shopping experience. Background music should be chosen based on the theme of your store, and should fit the interests of customer demographics, and the products and services you offer.

Background Music Information:

  • If the customer likes the music your business is playing, they are more likely to stay in your store longer and come back more often.
  • Music played loudly and at a fast tempo with increase perceived time duration. If customers are waiting in line at the register or fitting rooms, the wait time may seem longer than it actually is.
  • Softer and slower music are responded to more positively than louder and faster music.
  • Rhythm and tempo have the greatest influence on shopper experience.

Small businesses can captivate and impress potential customers using these and other audio marketing strategies.  If it can be communicated via sight, the same message can probably be communicated through sound, either to reinforce or to reach people in a non-visual setting. With professionally produced audio messages you will reach and influence more potential customers, stand out from the competition, and help your small business grow.

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customer experience music overhead announcements

The Right Choice in Music Can Lead to More Efficient Business

While the old train of thought was to keep customers in your store longer to increase a chance of purchase, a keen observer of how their business works will notice that isn’t always true. Often it’s more a case of the customers speed in moving through a store. In that area, selecting the right overhead business music can help you make the customers experience more efficient without sales decreasing.

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customer experience music overhead announcements

How the Right Overhead Music Can Boost Your Business

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There are a lot of components to a great business. Great customer service, a great location, and a great product are all key factors in determining the overall success of your business. But one often overlooked feature that can keep customers returning is the right choice of overhead music. From grocery stores to restaurants to calls placed on hold, here are some ways that music can help (or hurt) your business. These ideas come from an article on Business Insider, which references an academic article published in European Journal of Scientific Research

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overhead announcements

Tips for Creating Great Overhead Announcements

96107225Almost everyone has heard announcements that come in over hold music or in-store music tracks. Unfortunately, just as many have been left wondering what the announcer actually said. This is just one of the problems that can negate the benefit of such messages. To ensure that your overhead announcements work as intended, try following these tips:

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music overhead announcements tips

How Do You Choose The Right Business Music For Your Company?

We all have been in stores and restaurants where some type of music is playing in the background.  Sometimes we like it and sometimes we don’t. So, how do you go about choosing the right business music for your company?

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music overhead announcements resources

Top Effects Overhead Music Has On Behavior

Music is often thought of as just for entertainment but it can also be used to accomplish other objectives. Generally, overhead music plays in background of production facilities, retail stores, restaurants and offices to manufacture certain desired attitudes and behaviors among employees and customers. The volume and type of music that is being played might be the reason you are not getting more sales and being more productive.

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healthcare overhead announcements tips

5 Key Features of the Best Overhead Music for Healthcare Facilities

overhead music for healthcareOverhead music in healthcare facilities is much, much different than overhead music in retail stores or other business settings. Whether in a major hospital or local doctor’s office, a healthcare facility’s audio needs to appeal to a wide variety of people, many of whom are ailing, nervous, or otherwise concerned. So what do you do? Some facilities choose to do nothing – they leave their waiting rooms and corridors silent. Others intentionally choose boring, barely-noticeable tracks, hoping not to offend anyone. In either situation, facilities are missing an opportunity to use music with a purpose – calming patients and caretakers, helping staff, and easing the experience of waiting.

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music overhead announcements tips

5 Reasons to Control The Overhead Music In your Store

5 reasons to control overhead musicMany background music solutions for stores are playlist-focused. These same business music services lock you into pre-built playlists (not to mention long-term contracts) that you can’t review or edit before playing in your store. While this “plug and play” method may make the systems easy to use, it also presents many potential issues for businesses using the programming. Instead of playing overhead music that helps boost sales, you end up playing the wrong track at the wrong time and shoppers end up leaving your store before making a purchase.

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music overhead announcements tips

How to Choose Good Background Music Services for Stores

choosing dressing like choosing music for storesGetting the right background music for stores isn’t always easy. It can be tricky to ensure you’re playing the right music, for the right shoppers, at the right time and place. And there are a lot of options – Something fast and pop-y, or mellow and jazzy, or hip and indie…the list goes on. But choosing good background music for your store isn’t about what’s popular or even what you like, it’s about your customers. And if you really know your customers, you’ll be able to choose great music for them, keep them in the store longer and shopping more frequently. Here’s how to test if you’re playing the best background music for retail stores:

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customer experience music overhead announcements

6 Ways Music In Stores Can Boost Sales

6 Ways Music In Stores Can Help Boost SalesMusic is an undeniably powerful way to change the environment in your venue. By using overhead music in your store, you have an opportunity to boost sales by engaging your customers. Audio is powerful because it can’t be ignored – while customers can overlook imagery, they can’t prevent themselves from hearing what’s going on around them. You can close your eyes, but you can’t turn off your ears.