It seems like just yesterday I was thinking ahead and planning for the upcoming year (2012). Now, with Christmas here, I keep asking myself “What happened? How did this year fly by and when am I going to finish all of the projects on my to-do list?”

If you’re like me, you think, you plan, you review, and you execute. So why is it nearly the end of December with so many unchecked boxes on my list? Quite simply: I inadvertently joined the “Round Tuit” club. Anyone’s allowed in; no questions asked. There’s no warning when you’re about to join, either. So be careful, and don’t get caught doing nothing, or you, too, will fall prey to the club.

Benjamin Franklin is known to have said: “The problem with doing nothing is not knowing when you’re finished.” But, I disagree. I’m declaring right now that I AM finished doing nothing. See Ben, problem solved.

And then there’s the opposite of doing nothing. Sometimes we do so much of the same thing, (over and over again), that we wind up hitting a plateau. This can happen in our personal lives as well as our professional lives. Take a radio ad, for example. When the ad first airs, it sounds brilliant and sales numbers soar. As the ad remains on-air, sales still continue to rise, but at a slower pace. Then at some point, new revenue levels off. Plateaus mainly happen – not because the creative didn’t work – because it’s not “new” anymore. Consumers are listening for fresh, new ideas, over and over again.

According to a study by Arbitron, Media Monitors and Coleman Insights, “Radio delivers more than 93 percent of its lead-in audience during the average commercial break.”  This “comprehensive study of 18 million commercial breaks across 48 markets indicates radio maintains its audience delivery when the spots come on.”

So what does this mean? What can you do? And how can you avoid the plateau?

Be proactive. Market fearlessly. Get out from behind the day-to-day grind and do something a little unexpected. Put your brand up front, right where you want to be. And while your radio ad is still working, you should be thinking about launching your next campaign. New creative should always be underway and new copy should be ready to launch at precisely the right time, all the time, over and over again.

The Radio Agency will help you develop an effective plan to push you through each and every plateau, over and over again.

Contact our experts today for a consultation. Go ahead! Take that first step. Call 610-892-7300 to see just what our team can do for you.  Or click here.

Andi Lovett is the Controller of The Radio Agency. Please follow The Radio Agency’s Blog “Sounding Board” by subscribing to the email or RSS links above.Visit our website: TheRadioAgency.com