What are they talking about?

We shared a tip on Friday about getting closer to your clients in difficult and uncertain times and providing them with hope, vision and a plan for the future. One of the most critical aspects of our work for clients is building their brand identity and awareness in a market: mindshare = market share. We work to convince our clients and prospects that an investment in branding is a valuable strategy. But what is branding? We've often quoted Dr. Sheldon Nix, who posits: "Your brand is what people think of when they think of you." The troubling part of that quote is that we often do not control when those conversations occur or the content of the discussions. This is why we create branding strategies to attempt to control the narrative.

Scott Cook, founder of Intuit, says, "A brand is no longer what we tell the consumer it is — it's what consumers tell each other it is." Like Sheldon Nix, the important takeaway from both is that getting consumers "talking" about your clients is the best form of branding.

This Wednesday, we are revealing new research from our partnership with Engagement Labs with a live- presentation: "https://www.rab.com/webcasts/register.cfm?eventid=910">Radio Drives Brand Conversations: Unveiling the Untapped Potential of Radio Conversations. RAB members can register for this free reveal here.

FIVE BILLION!!

Yes, that was intentionally all caps — not in anger, but in excitement. One of the study's key findings is that radio listeners are responsible for nearly FIVE BILLION weekly brand conversations. That means your listeners are more likely to talk about brands than any other form of media. The message seems clear: If you want to build a brand, get people talking. Radio is the medium of choice if you want to get the most people talking. Here is a really fun fact for your advertisers: According to the study, 51% of these brand conversations result in "intent to purchase." They aren't just talking; they are shopping. If you go to the Engagement Labs website, you will see this prominently:

"Next week's sales are driven by this week's conversations about your brand."

This is just one of the nuggets of the study that will be revealed on Wednesday. By watching this reveal — live or on-demand — you can provide your clients with cutting-edge new research that will positively impact their ability to build a brand. That is being a source of business intelligence and a resource to your clients.

Please sign up for the event here. If you want the study's executive summary, we're happy to share that as well. Just email me atJeff.Schmidt@rab.com and ask for the Engagement Labs/RAB study.

Jeff Schmidt is the SVP of Professional Development. You can reach him at Jeff.Schmidt@rab.com. You can all so connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn.