Marketing | PH Audio Blog

What’s a better way of saying ‘please hold’?

Posted by Mariela on April 16, 2010 @ 4:43 pm
Categories: On-Hold Messaging
Tags: marketing, On-Hold Messaging

An extreme, but relevant point

The psychology of torture identifies repetition as a method of afflicting suffering. Let’s not go into the details because we’re heading on to a downer, but suffice it to say, repetition is not endearing. We’ll call it audioboarding. Most people are familiar with this particular method of audioboarding, a favourite on car journeys worldwide:

“Are we nearly there yet? Are we nearly there yet? Are we nearly there yet? Are we nearly there yet? Are we nearly there yet? Are we nearly there yet? Are we nearly there yet?”

Annoying isn’t it? Isn’t it? Isn’t it? Sorry. The repetition of the above question reflects the passenger’s desire to be distracted from the monotony of the journey, rather than the need to know exactly what time they’ll reach their destination.

Creative audio branding and visual interpretation

Posted by Tom on March 25, 2010 @ 4:28 pm
Categories: Audio Branding
Tags: Audio Branding, Audio Production, marketing, On-Hold Messaging

At PH Audio we’re in the business of making music and voiceovers that fit a company’s image and brand. Sounding right for callers is critical and has lasting effects. I found an interesting piece of writing on ‘creative synaesthesia’ which brings me nicely onto this post: creatively, how does a company develop an on-hold marketing production or create an audio brand that fits with their branding?

Artificial synaesthesia for audio branding – an overlapping of senses

Synaesthesia is a condition in which one type of stimulation evokes the sensation of another. For example, you might see colours when you hear a particular sound.

But ‘artificial synaesthesia’, as it’s coined in the article I’ve linked to above, can help businesses to understand how consumers perceive brands. By artificially recreating and understanding how people take meaning from a particular word or sound, it’s then easier to create the most effective combinations of voiceovers, content, style and music. Ultimately, you want to be able to positively reinforce brand values in the mind of the consumer.

Audio Copywriting | Part III: Tell It Straight – Words Your Audience Really Want to Hear

Posted by Amy on March 12, 2010 @ 1:19 pm
Categories: Copywriting
Tags: Advertising, Audio Branding, Copywriting, Copywriting tips, jargon, marketing, Music On Hold

You’ve heard it all before:

We need blue-sky thinking. I’m talking about pushing the envelope, going forward, let’s touch base soon.

Translation: corporate waffle that, in reality, could be said in half the words. Just another way to say, “We need big ideas, so give me a call”.

Anyone who watched Heston Blumenthal’s attempt to resurrect Little Chef last year will no doubt remember the chief executive’s constant wittering about ‘blue-sky thinking’. The phrase alone is irritating, but when used in the context of menus and motorway services, it simply became absurd. You can watch the evidence here.

Finished cringeing?

Well, in this post, we’re looking at why these kind of phrases have no place in external communications.

Getting the most from Web Audio

Posted by PH Audio on February 10, 2010 @ 4:08 pm
Categories: Web Audio
Tags: Audio Marketing, marketing, Web Audio

We’ve spoken before about the ways web audio adds more to your website.

For the most part, web audio works as a promotional tool; grabbing attention and anchoring the user’s interest. You might use it to introduce your business. You might use it to highlight your main products or services in a short burst of information; a summary of what you’re about. You might even use it as another way to say hello.

But more than an effective promotional tool, web audio can be functional, too – a way to direct your visitors to pages and, in turn, to the offers you really want them to see.

A new year, a new you!

Posted by Chrissy on January 8, 2010 @ 12:55 pm
Categories: On-Hold Messaging
Tags: Audio, marketing, Music On Hold, On-Hold Messaging

The New Year is a time for change, a time when we revaluate who we are and what we do. But wait — before you think, ‘Here we go, more spiel about how we should go on a diet or give up smoking’, we’re actually talking about how making small changes to the way you approach marketing could really help your business flourish in 2010.

How web audio adds more to your online presence

Posted by Amy on November 3, 2009 @ 5:12 pm
Categories: Web Audio
Tags: Audio Branding, marketing, Web Audio

Photo credit: andypowe11@flickr

Won’t you stay a while longer?

A bit of careful fine tuning and your website can soon be receiving vast amounts of traffic. But to really connect with your audience and make sure they become customers and not just empty numbers, you increasingly need more. Whether you’ve got a basic five-page site or an extensive all-singing, all-dancing virtual portal that covers every aspect of your business, right down to your staff’s favourite sandwiches, you’re still going to need to try and engage with visitors to your website from the off.

Choosing the right on-hold marketing provider

Posted by Matt on July 8, 2009 @ 10:04 am
Categories: Audio Branding
Tags: Audio, marketing, on hold, recession

On Hold Marketing: Recession-Proof Assistance

Recession-proofing your business

It’s said that your marketing budget is the first thing to go in a recession. But working through an economic downturn doesn’t mean closing the purse on marketing altogether. There’s still as much choice – it’s just more important than ever to choose the right marketing service at the right price.

Why on-hold?

On-hold marketing continues to deliver a cost-effective alternative to more traditional marketing practices. For one, your phone’s still ringing. For two, it doesn’t cost anywhere near as much. For three? Your print promotion might not get the visibility it deserves. On-hold marketing is there, and it stays there – working hard to maintain professionalism and business identity in a time when it’s never been more important to complement and reinforce the strength of your brand.

After all: your products and services say a lot – but if your brand’s strong when the market recovers, you’ll hit the ground running.

Music On Hold Versus On-Hold Marketing

Posted by Matt on June 12, 2009 @ 12:26 pm
Categories: Music On Hold
Tags: lift music, marketing, messages, messaging, music, muzak, on hold

The problem with holding

Bad music on hold. Everyone’s heard it – and almost everybody’s wanted to scream about it. After all, there’s only a certain amount of time you can listen to a tinny version of In the Hall of the Mountain King without going halfway mad, hanging up, or worse, never bothering to call again. So when so many organisations make such a bad first impression, what’s the alternative?

PH Audio

On-hold marketing, audio branding and everything else between