The Groove Gallery

The Tills Are Alive With The Sound Of Music

More and more businesses are realising that having the right music playing in their retail space can make shoppers linger longer and purchase more. But can it really have an effect on someone over the phone? The answer may surprise you.

TasteInMusic

A lot of thought and research goes into selecting the right tracks to play to customers in retail environments – the same amount of energy should go into selecting music to play to waiting callers.

No matter how great your taste in music may be, it may vary wildly from what your target market listens to. Even if you go middle of the road and play something that’s as inoffensive as possible (commonly referred to as “light and easy” music) you’ll never be able to please one hundred percent of the people, one hundred percent of the time. Savvy business owners accept this fact. They also realise they need to dig deeper and ask themselves a few creative questions in order to find out what music will keep callers not only holding for longer, but willing to spend more.

If you’re in the same boat, you might ask yourself:

● What do my customers listen to?

Your target audience may prefer music that’s very different to your personal preference.

● What do I want them to think and feel about my business?

Do you want them to think you’re a big time corporate outfit or energetic & young.

● What do you want them to do?

Do you want them to stay on the phone until you can reach them, etc.

When a new client comes on board with us, the Creative Coordinator arranges a phone consultation between the client and one of our copywriters. This phone consultation is key in determining what will make their audio marketing effective.  During the conversation, the writer will focus on four key areas: tone, content, voices and music.

Now some customers have a good idea of what kind of music will suit their brand and listeners. Others are happy for our expert team to recommend tracks. Recently the CEO of a commercial steel barn manufacturer sent us his latest radio ads featuring country-style acoustic guitars. We browsed our extensive music library (1600+ tracks and counting!) for background music tracks to match the radio ads, and then made recommendations which the client happily accepted.

Sometimes, determining which music is right goes much deeper than simply ‘matching’ tracks. A study conducted by Milliman (1982) exposed restaurant patrons to fast (90BPM or higher) and slow tempo music. Milliman observed that individuals tended to stay longer when listening to the slow tempo tracks compared with the fast tempo alternative.

On Hold, however, we’ve found mid-tempo music (approximately 100BPM) to be most effective at keeping callers happier to hold longer. Our ambient music tracks, which range from 60- right up to 130BPM, are produced in-house by The Groove Gallery. What makes these tracks unique is that they’re composed specifically to comfort listeners, not distract them. Another few things to consider, in addition to BPM, when choosing the right music tracks is what your callers’ average wait time is and what their music preference might be.

To bring us back full circle, it’s no longer satisfactory to simply play radio or CDs to waiting callers. There is a real science behind the music you select, and those businesses that invest a little time and thought into what they expose their listeners to bank the benefits.

– Lachy

Kill the Cliches!

Ticking clocks. Arrows hitting targets. Chances are you’ve come across these visual symbols splashed across hundreds of websites, banners, print ads and tv commercials. In fact I’d say it’s a certainty. Even if you can’t recall a specific example, it just goes to prove you should avoid clichés in your marketing, or risk being forgotten.

handshake

Boring!

Using a ticking clock to show the passage of time may have once been considered a stroke of creative ingenuity, but those days are gone forever. The moment an execution becomes clichéd, so does the organisation behind it. No lasting impression is made, and the audience forgets about the company the instant they switch channels or turn the page. And that’s the last thing your business wants.

Clichés exist On Hold too. We’ve all heard them before.
• Your call is important to us
• Thank you for holding
• We are your one-stop shop
• …for all your needs and requirements.

To make your business stand out, it’s important to have a production that’s uniquely yours.

It starts with copywriting that combats convention. At Messages On Hold we find out from you the most significant aspects of your products and services. Then it’s the job of our experienced copywriters to find one-off, creative ways to educate your callers in a way that reflects your branding and distinguishes you from the rest. That means no clichés.

At the recording and mixing stage, forget about the generic tinny elevator music and tired voices that have become the norm. Choose brilliant tracks written by talented musicians, a diverse cast of professional voice actors and an enormous library of high-quality sound effects.

Why not see how we put it all together with a customised demo?

-Magnus

Tune Your Message To Match Your Audience

Each year towards the end of May, I begin the search for a humorous birthday card for my friend. I know him well and we have a similar sense of humour. So instead of giving him a standard birthday card, this year I opted for a “Commiseration” card. After signing it with a line about losing his youth to the hands of time, it’s good to go. Now, I wouldn’t dare do this for my mother – but that’s because I know how to tune my message to match its audience.

ctrlz

When a new client first joins us, the first question we always ask is “who are your callers?” For instance, I recently spoke with the owner of a vacuum cleaner wholesaler. With some probing he was able to inform me that the majority of his callers are small business owners (usually vacuum cleaner retailers), male, over 40 and always excited about the latest new model.

To make sure that I tuned his messages to match his audience, we agreed on the following. The voiceover artist would be male and sound of a similar age to his callers to convey expertise and trustworthiness. Because callers could be on hold for as long as two minutes while staff investigated stock, it was important the wait felt as short as possible. Messages would therefore be scripted of varying length, some shorter and some longer, to make it harder for the caller to discern how long they’d been waiting. The music would come from our Blues & Country collection (see here) as the client felt this genre best suited the musical tastes of his listener. And the tone of the scripting would be authoritative. Facts and statistics on performance would be littered throughout the scripts as this was what his audience responded to.

If you find yourself needing to write a promotion or put together a customer profile, here are some of the questions that I recommend asking yourself prior to writing:
• Is my audience predominantly male or female?
• Old or young?
• Who are my competitors marketing to? What kind of customers are they targeting?
• What do my customers like to do in their spare time?
• Which industries are they drawn from?
• What type of language will they respond best to? Formal or casual?
• Are they driven by rational or emotional motivations?

By understanding who your audience is, you’ll be better positioned to make a connection with them and hold their attention. You might even like to put together a short survey to give to your current customers in order to understand them better!

Music To Your Ears

No matter which way you look at it, music plays a massive part in everyday life. It’s a universal way of communication and has the power to alter the mood of the listener like nothing else can.

But every music genre is different. Each one carries its own meaning so you have to be careful when attaching it to your business. Think about it, you wouldn’t play Death-metal to your Nan, Gangster-Rap to your baby or Shannon Noll’s music to anyone because it would simply send the wrong message. The same applies with your business. You need to choose a style of background music that is a true reflection of your business.

Remember – the wrong choice of music can send the wrong message about your business and nobody wants that.

Our team of composers in The Groove Gallery have been producing a library of world-class ambient music across a variety of genres; it’s just a matter of finding the one that’s perfect for you. It’s not difficult and will only take a few minutes of your time.

First of all, take a minute to think about how you’d like your music to represent your business. If you’re in the Finance or Law sectors, then often a more corporate feel is required which is why we have our ‘Corporate’ genre available. For trade based businesses with a large male caller base, ‘Rock’ or the lighter ‘Acoustic Rock’ is often a popular choice. Or for a general relaxed and unobtrusive feel there’s the ever-popular ‘Light & Easy’ genre which can cover a variety of industries. The choice is literally endless and choosing is as easy as logging on to The Groove Gallery website and listening to the free samples we have available.

Once you’ve decided on the genre or specific tracks you’d like simply let your Creative Coordinator know and that’s what your callers will be hearing on your next production. And why stop there?

The Groove Gallery’s world-class licence-free ambient music is also perfect for playing in waiting areas, retail environments, gyms, hotels and even lifts. This will continue your music branding across even more areas of your business.

So rather than just ticking one of the music boxes for your next update, take some time to think about what your music should be saying about your business. And remember, if you’re still having trouble deciding, we’ll happily pick one for you.

– Dave Roberts

Music to Your Ears

No matter which way you look at it, music plays a massive part in everyday life. It’s a universal way of communication and has the power to alter the mood of the listener like nothing else can.

But every music genre is different. Each one carries its own meaning so you have to be careful when attaching it to your business. Think about it, you wouldn’t play Death-metal to your Nan, Gangster-Rap to your baby or Shannon Noll’s music to anyone because it would simply send the wrong message. The same applies with your business. You need to choose a style of background music that is a true reflection of your business.

Remember – the wrong choice of music can send the wrong message about your business and nobody wants that.

Our team of composers in The Groove Gallery have been producing a library of world-class ambient music across a variety of genres; it’s just a matter of finding the one that’s perfect for you. It’s not difficult and will only take a few minutes of your time.

First of all, take a minute to think about how you’d like your music to represent your business. If you’re in the Finance or Law sectors, then often a more corporate feel is required which is why we have our ‘Corporate’ genre available. For trade based businesses with a large male caller base, ‘Rock’ or the lighter ‘Acoustic Rock’ is often a popular choice. Or for a general relaxed and unobtrusive feel there’s the ever-popular ‘Light & Easy’ genre which can cover a variety of industries. The choice is literally endless and choosing is as easy as logging on to The Groove Gallery website and listening to the free samples we have available.

Once you’ve decided on the genre or specific tracks you’d like simply let your Creative Coordinator know and that’s what your callers will be hearing on your next production. And why stop there?

The Groove Gallery’s world-class licence-free ambient music is also perfect for playing in waiting areas, retail environments, gyms, hotels and even lifts. This will continue your music branding across even more areas of your business.

So rather than just ticking one of the music boxes for your next update, take some time to think about what your music should be saying about your business. And remember, if you’re still having trouble deciding, we’ll happily pick one for you.

– Dave Roberts

LED Light District

Seven weeks to Christmas and I’m in full “Christmas Lights” mode. The 2010 display will be the nation’s biggest and best home lighting extravaganza, but more on that in just a moment…

Last year generous visitors and Messages On Hold clients gave $27,000 to the Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation. I’m hoping to raise $30,000 this year. That shouldn’t be too hard considering this year’s setup will showcase several never-before-seen attractions and 20% more cabling than 2009.

I can’t tell you all the exciting new things that will make this year’s lighting show a ripper because that would ruin the surprise, but I can give you a small taste of what to expect. Firstly, the music we’ll be using to sync the lights up is from The Groove Gallery – a license-free music company I launched back in September with Shane Warne. We’ve had 2 of our past videos booted off Youtube because we used commercial music so that won’t happen this year.

Starburst has agreed to supply thousands of their “in-demand” lollipops for us to give away. I’m super excited about my four green ‘VU Metres’ and magical ‘floating’ stars, all new for this year.

I’m also doing a short video diary/podcast each week taking viewers behind the scenes of what it takes to assemble a monumental project like this. I’ve already uploaded the first which you can watch on our Youtube Channel,Facebook Fan Page and very shortly – iTunes.

Please befriend Messages On Hold on Facebook, join The World’s Best Christmas Lights group or subscribe to our Youtube Channel. And remember to share it with your friends too! You can also view the video and forward it to your friends and family by visiting the homepage here!