Linux Radio Ads a Success, Not a Failure
Ken first created a high-quality professional 60-second spot, and then generously released it into the world for anyone to modify and use. Then he had funds for a two-week campaign, with these results:
- 179 phone calls
- 63 emails
- 4 personal visits
Allow me to repeat myself-- the goal of an ad campaign is to get people to contact you. What you do after that is what either turns them into paying customers, or into walkaways.
Noob Floods
What do you do when you get a flood of inquiries? How do you turn those inquiries into paying customers? Not responding to inquiries is a great way to ensure that potential customers will never bother you again, so you need a plan and resources to handle these. But dealing with large numbers of unsophisticated computer users is a lot of work. Ken found out that a large number of callers needed more education than a radio commercial or single phone conversation could provide; they didn't understand what Linux was, and weren't very tech-savvy at all. That is going to be a fact of life for Linux consultants for a long time, so we might as well figure out some strategies for dealing with it.One thing I have done with good success is to teach classes. The key to making them work is to teach a specific task-- I taught basic digital photo editing and management, how to sell things on Ebay and Craigslist, and email composition for business people. Get people's hands on Linux PCs and teach a specific skill. Then there is a natural entry into some of the reasons for using Linux, showing them more things they can do, and they see for themselves that it works and isn't all weird. And you make some money.
So maybe a good way to handle an influx of noobs from a general Linux ad campaign is to steer them to a free 30-minute introductory class. Real-life in-person meatspace contact is great for a local business; good small-businesspeople know that they're really selling themselves. Another thought is to film a ten-minute introductory presentation for YouTube and steer them to that. (Remember, my beloved but oft long-winded geek friends, shorter is better.) Show, don't tell; demonstrate common tasks and show what it looks like.
There should also be a static page with photos and transcript. Spend a few bucks printing up some postcards with short blurbs and the URLs; paper mail is still a fabulous way to reach people. If they're not willing to look at any of those, they're probably not serious candidates and you know to steer your energies elsewhere.
Think about the whole picture-- what does a person need besides knowledge to run a Linux PC? Partnering with an OEM Linux vendor means hardware support and a place to shop, and if it's a local shop so much the better.
Listen
The most important skill to develop is listening. The stereotype saleperson wears unwilling buyers down with words and persistence. That's a counter-productive tactic, and most of us can't do it anyway. (Good for us.) Either Linux can do what your potential customer needs it to do, or it can't. You won't know without listening to them. Get people talking about their needs and wants, and they will tell you exactly what you need to know to best serve their needs.
A big thanks to Ken Starks for once again putting his money where his mouth is, and generously sharing the fruits of his labors. And a big rude noise to those titans of industry who profit handsomely from Linux, but can't be bothered to promote it in any way. The Linux "brand" is valuable and has many important differentiators; it's all in how it's presented.
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Well said. Sometimes things start out like a small trickle of water coming down the wall. Suddenly, the wall bursts and an entire tidal wave engulfs you. Something tells me that is what will probably happen if the effort is maintained. That is also why educational materials do need to be made available. ;)
Carla,
Nicely said and I'm sure Ken will appreciate the encouragement. You are certainly correct. Getting people to contact you, to know you exist, is the purpose. I love the idea of the free training session. It's been my experience with both the tech savvy and not, that their pre-conceptions of Linux weigh heavily on their decisions, right up until they see and use it. Getting them to that point results in a high conversion rate so offering that experience as part of the package is an absolute necessity. Continued advertising and word of mouth will eventually become self sufficient in any business. Putting in that little extra to begin with will have far reaching rewards.
The majority of people truly dislike the experience Microsoft computing provides them. Once they use an alternative they are easily convinced. Once convinced they can be educated in the ideals of FOSS and become spokespeople themselves. It's a snowball just waiting to be pushed down a very very large powdered run and I can't wait to see it gaining momentum.
>Remember, my beloved but oft long-winded geek >friends, shorter is better
Why do I get the feeling that the majority of geeks who read this went: "Hey! Does she mean me?"
You mean I shouldnt explain to them why Mono and C# are bad for free software and why Miguel is a traitor?
Ok, I wont.
I'll still think it but I wont bore them with it...
I was worried at first, when I saw "what the goal of any ad campaign should be." But Carla, you nailed it. I write radio ads for a living, so it's a subject near to my heart.
Look at the results. Ken had a VERY successful campaign. I can't count the number of times we'll hear from a client that "we had lots of traffic, but not a lot of sales." Well, then we did our job - we got them in your door. That's all we can do. It's up to you and your staff to close the deal, or make sure the offer is good enough to close.
Ken got overwhelmed here by the techno-illiterate. Folks who aren't happy with the way things are (with Windows), but don't have the computer smarts to understand even some of the most basic concepts needed to do ... much more than read the instructions on what to click that their kids wrote on a piece of paper for them. And $deity knows that it can be frustrating beyond belief. Heck, just trying to play website support for something as simple as filling in a FORM on the phone can be enough to drive me up a wall. Can't fathom trying to get across the concept of a new OS like that.
What else does this show? Microsoft should be very worried that a single radio ad with a teeny tiny budget garnered that much response from people not happy with their product, but not knowing there is something else out there. Imagine something like that syndicated nation-wide.
The question ahead is how do they follow this up? Run it again and be better prepared for the response? Do nothing? Try something new and not let the ad get sufficient repetition to truly get results? I hope they give it another shot, better prepared to follow through with the types of callers they now know to expect.
Hell of a job Ken. Keep it up.
The idea to "show us" with 10 min videos is excellent. Starting from a LiveCD boot and show how to use whatever is there for the remaining time.
Next create segments on installation, loading 10 must-have apps, and doing the top 10 common things that your mother and grandparents need a computer to accomplish. What are those top 10 things?
I've attempted to make a short video on a single topic. "Epic fail" is the only description for the result. ;|
We won't gain any long term converts by being negative on any competitors. Perhaps that's where the ad went wrong?
We need to positively highlight what Linux does easier. Maintaining ALL software on the system is much easier in deb-based Linux (Synaptic is bonehead simple). I'm certain rpm-based distros are just as easy.
Not very tech-savvy?
I like these people most and first of all because they are not poisened by Win...
A cousin of mine asked me, he wanted to run the Internet and doing Home-Banking, could he do this with Linux? Of course he can, "his" box can even run in German while the same box for his wife runs in French..., you can imagine the Wow-effect to a non-technical person.
I am also not tech savvy, but I did not like MS-behavior at any time, so I had to come to Linux and I am still happy.
I also "run" the box of another cousin who wanted to have a Internet-Box without viruses....
(I do not even know how a PC-virus looks like, I never had seen one).
So non tech-savvy persons make a little bit of work, but it IS worth...
If you do another radio ad I would recommend encouraging them, during the ad itself to visit an introductory Linux website before calling. You could create this site introducing them to the basics of Linux and what it is. They'll be more prepared and informed when they call you. Also, the site itself would serve as extra advertising on top of the radio ad.
Then he had funds for a two-week campaign, with these results:
* 179 phone calls
* 63 emails
* 4 personal visits
The response to the brief advertising campaign should certainly be interpreted as a success. The conversion rate from inquirer to user is another useful metric for post-campaign follow-up. An advertisement will not sell product, but raises awareness. The point-of-contact for inquirers has the responsibility to encourage the conversion.
Many positives have been highlighted by earlier comments.
Looking for solutions to people's problems or to address people's desires, using Linux as the medium on which to covey such solutions, is a low-friction, sustaining way to move Linux forward.
Also, look for ways to leverage Linux which cannot be found on Windows (Mac, etc) or which don't work nearly as well on Windows (Mac, etc).
>> If you do another radio ad I would recommend encouraging them, during the ad itself to visit an introductory Linux website before calling. You could create this site introducing them to the basics of Linux and what it is. They'll be more prepared and informed when they call you. Also, the site itself would serve as extra advertising on top of the radio ad.
Maybe this is what you are looking for http://www.getgnulinux.org/ . It was created just for this purpose, and I think it is very decent if you can't find anything better.
This is sooo true. I can't agree with what was said more. If I had $16,000 I'd tell you exactly what I'd do this Holiday Season. I'd sit in a mall with one of those carts you can rent and talk to people about GNU/Linux and how much better it is. Show them a little and then sell them a computer! LOTS of opportunity exists to make $$$. You can't make money off of MS Windows or GNU/Linux. You DO make money off of everything else though (almost).
Here is where I make my living:
- The computers themselves (not a ton of money though)
- Extended Hardware Warranty
- At-home Computer Setups
- Accessories (printers, audio players, etc.)
- Other technical support services (yes, just like GeekSquad or EasyTech- but without the dimwits)
Still building my primary business though- and surviving pretty well. 1 year in operation and profitable enough to fund phase 2- which is all GNU/Linux:
http://www.thinkpenguin.com/
ThinkPenguin is about selling computers and accessories designed for GNU/Linux. We do more than the rest by actually designing systems with chip-sets that are supported fully by open source drivers and free firmware. As a result you get systems comparable to Apple's systems and often better. You get things like proper 3d acceleration with our laptops for instance without loosing suspend to ram. You also don't loose support just because we or or the company who sold you the computer decides they don't want to update the proprietary drivers. Our systems are designed for the future-with or without us. We're going to be around a long long time though. We also do something nobody else does in the GNU/Linux ecosystem. We stock & support the products we sell to end-users. You can call us up an speak to a human being-and get technical support.
:)