On air: fall furnace tune-up
South Bend · Mishawaka · All of Michiana
Marketing strategy for local businesses, backed by Federated Media.
Make marketingwork together.
Turn attention into momentum. Brand, radio, digital, search, follow-up and customer experience, built as one system instead of a pile of pieces.
The real problem
You're not doing nothing. That's the problem.
Most local businesses already have the pieces. A website, a Facebook page, some ads, maybe radio, an email list, reviews, a salesperson, a CRM.
I call it spaghetti marketing: throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. Each piece gets set up by a different person, at a different time, for a different reason. Nobody decides how they should hand people off to each other. So the radio spot sends people to a website that doesn't mention the offer. The form fills go to an inbox nobody checks on Saturday. The happy customer never gets asked for a review.
Go ahead, press play.
CAKEor
Every piece of your marketing is on the table. None of it is connected. Can you make it CAKE?
About a minute
your-marketing (not responding)
Gave up0
Budget: gone by 10 a.m.
Headline: ☀ Summer AC Sale
Number on the site: the old one
Last login: sometime in March
Last sent: over a year ago
Times anyone asked: 0
Press the buttons. Or drag a noodle from one ● to another.
Every piece is working.
None of them are working together.
Meet Christopher
I'd rather ask than pitch.
The first conversation isn't about what you should buy. It's four questions, across the table.
- 01What are you trying to accomplish?
- 02What are you doing now?
- 03Where is it breaking?
- 04What should happen next?
I've been a Senior Marketing Consultant at Federated Media in South Bend since 2014. Radio is one of the most powerful tools I work with. So are digital, social, search, email, contests, endorsements, events, content, automation, reputation and the customer experience itself.
What I bring is knowing how those pieces affect each other, and building them into one plan that fits your business, your budget and your market.
Before that, I spent four years as a regional manager for Anytime Fitness, running club operations. I've been the one responsible for the members, the staff and the budget, not just the one selling the ads.
The marketing flywheel
South Bend, Indiana
Every business in this city is competing for attention.
Right now
Your marketing probably looks like this.
Every piece is working.
None of them together.
Make marketing work together
Eight stages.
One system.
Your Checkup flagged this stage
Understand
Start with what is actually happening.
The business, the customer, the market, the competition, the reputation. Before anything gets made, figure out where the real opportunity is.
- Customer research
- Competitors
- Reputation
- Market data
What I'd use at Federated MediaStation listening data by industry, plus a review of your current results before we change anything.
Your Checkup flagged this stage
Create
Give people a reason to care.
Positioning, message, offer, campaign idea and creative. One clear idea that every channel can carry.
- Positioning
- Offer
- Campaign idea
- Creative
What I'd use at Federated MediaCreative from FM production: a spot, an offer and a message every channel can repeat word for word.
Your Checkup flagged this stage
Amplify
Put the idea where people already are.
Radio, host endorsements, social, video, display, email, events and promotions. Chosen for the job, not out of habit.
- Radio
- Endorsements
- Social
- Video
- Display
- Events
What I'd use at Federated MediaA drive-time schedule on the stations your customers already listen to, with a host endorsement if trust matters.
Your Checkup flagged this stage
Be Found
Attention turns into a search.
When someone hears about you, they look you up. Google, your website, local listings, content, and the AI tools people now ask for recommendations.
- SEO
- Local listings
- Content
- AI discovery
What I'd use at Federated MediaBranded search and local listings timed to your radio flights, so people who hear you can find you.
Your Checkup flagged this stage
Convert
Make the next step obvious.
Landing pages, offers, forms, calls and appointments. One clear action at the moment someone is ready to take it.
- Landing pages
- Offers
- Forms
- Calls
- Booking
What I'd use at Federated MediaA landing page built for the campaign, matched to the spot, with call and form tracking.
Your Checkup flagged this stage
Nurture
Don't let interest go cold.
Email, automation, retargeting, CRM and real sales follow-up, so the people who raised their hand hear back.
- Automation
- Retargeting
- CRM
- Sales follow-up
What I'd use at Federated MediaA station contest that builds an opt-in list you own, then email and retargeting to follow up.
Your Checkup flagged this stage
Delight
The experience is the marketing.
What happens after the sale decides the reviews, the referrals and the repeat business. Marketing does not stop at the register.
- Reviews
- Referrals
- Retention
- Repeat business
What I'd use at Federated MediaA review and referral ask built into the customer experience, and events where customers meet you in person.
Your Checkup flagged this stage
Learn
Feed what works back in.
Measure what is creating demand, fix what is not, and carry every lesson into the next turn of the wheel.
- Tracking
- Attribution
- Reporting
- Testing
What I'd use at Federated MediaWebsite lift tracking so you can see traffic move when the spots air, and a monthly look at what to shift.
The system
Now it turns.
Every stage hands people to the next, and what you learn at the end makes the whole loop stronger. It isn't a list of deliverables. It's momentum.
Find your weakest stage- Understand: Start with what is actually happening. The business, the customer, the market, the competition, the reputation. Before anything gets made, figure out where the real opportunity is.
- Create: Give people a reason to care. Positioning, message, offer, campaign idea and creative. One clear idea that every channel can carry.
- Amplify: Put the idea where people already are. Radio, host endorsements, social, video, display, email, events and promotions. Chosen for the job, not out of habit.
- Be Found: Attention turns into a search. When someone hears about you, they look you up. Google, your website, local listings, content, and the AI tools people now ask for recommendations.
- Convert: Make the next step obvious. Landing pages, offers, forms, calls and appointments. One clear action at the moment someone is ready to take it.
- Nurture: Don't let interest go cold. Email, automation, retargeting, CRM and real sales follow-up, so the people who raised their hand hear back.
- Delight: The experience is the marketing. What happens after the sale decides the reviews, the referrals and the repeat business. Marketing does not stop at the register.
- Learn: Feed what works back in. Measure what is creating demand, fix what is not, and carry every lesson into the next turn of the wheel.
The marketing flywheel
Every impression should lead somewhere.
Understand
Start with what is actually happening.
The business, the customer, the market, the competition, the reputation. Before anything gets made, figure out where the real opportunity is.
- Customer research
- Competitors
- Reputation
- Market data
Create
Give people a reason to care.
Positioning, message, offer, campaign idea and creative. One clear idea that every channel can carry.
- Positioning
- Offer
- Campaign idea
- Creative
Amplify
Put the idea where people already are.
Radio, host endorsements, social, video, display, email, events and promotions. Chosen for the job, not out of habit.
- Radio
- Endorsements
- Social
- Video
- Display
- Events
Be Found
Attention turns into a search.
When someone hears about you, they look you up. Google, your website, local listings, content, and the AI tools people now ask for recommendations.
- SEO
- Local listings
- Content
- AI discovery
Convert
Make the next step obvious.
Landing pages, offers, forms, calls and appointments. One clear action at the moment someone is ready to take it.
- Landing pages
- Offers
- Forms
- Calls
- Booking
Nurture
Don't let interest go cold.
Email, automation, retargeting, CRM and real sales follow-up, so the people who raised their hand hear back.
- Automation
- Retargeting
- CRM
- Sales follow-up
Delight
The experience is the marketing.
What happens after the sale decides the reviews, the referrals and the repeat business. Marketing does not stop at the register.
- Reviews
- Referrals
- Retention
- Repeat business
Learn
Feed what works back in.
Measure what is creating demand, fix what is not, and carry every lesson into the next turn of the wheel.
- Tracking
- Attribution
- Reporting
- Testing
Now it turns.
This is what making marketing work together means.
Each stage hands people to the next one, and what you learn at the end makes the whole loop stronger. It isn't a list of deliverables. It's a system that builds momentum every time it goes around.
Find your weakest stageWhat I help with
The tool is not the strategy.
Start with what the business needs. Then pick the tools that belong in the system. Not the other way around.
01
Awareness
Get known by the right people.
Create demand before people need you, so your name is the one they remember when they do.
- Brand story
- Creative campaigns
- Radio
- Host endorsements
- Video
- Social
- Promotions
- Events
Flywheel Understand → Create → Amplify
02
Conversion
Catch the demand you create.
Make sure the attention you pay for turns into calls, forms, visits and appointments, and that someone follows up.
- Search
- Websites
- Landing pages
- Offers
- Lead generation
- Calls to action
- Follow-up systems
Flywheel Be Found → Convert → Nurture
03
Loyalty
Keep them coming back.
Turn customers into reviews, referrals and repeat business, and learn from every one of them.
- Customer experience
- Reviews
- Referrals
- Reputation
- Measurement
Flywheel Delight → Learn
Questions & answers
Everything business owners ask me first.
No. The business problem decides the tools. Sometimes the right first move is radio. Sometimes it's fixing your follow-up or your Google profile before you spend another dollar on attention. If radio isn't the right move yet, I'll tell you.
Yes — and unlike most channels, you can see it. Radio reaches people in the car, minutes before they buy. Website lift tracking shows your site traffic and searches moving when the spots air, so effectiveness isn't a debate; it's a chart.
It depends on your goals, market and mix. Most businesses start somewhere between a focused single-station test and a full multi-station system with digital. Because Federated Media owns the stations, there's no middleman markup, and every plan is priced against the outcome it's built to produce.
Website lift tracking correlates your site sessions with the exact hours spots aired. Digital audio verification confirms delivery. Contest and landing-page capture counts real leads with names attached. You get one report connecting spend to outcomes.
Traditional agencies buy media from vendors and resell it. Federated Media owns the stations and the events, and the audiences they've earned. And I look at the whole system, including the parts I don't sell: your reviews, your follow-up, your website. A plan only works if every piece hands off to the next.
Mostly Michiana: South Bend, Mishawaka, Elkhart, Granger, Goshen, Niles and the towns in between. Federated Media also has five stations in Fort Wayne if your customers are there too.
You get your brief right away, on the page. If you choose to send it to me, I'll look it over and reach out with one or two ideas specific to your business. No obligation, and no hard sell.
Behind the plan
Most agencies rent attention.
We own the infrastructure.
A lot of agencies can buy media. We don't have to. So when a local business brings us a challenge, we're confident we can help — and it's not overconfidence; the towers are ours, the talent is down the hall, and the audience tunes in by choice. Your campaign starts with assets no competitor can replicate.
We own the airwaves
Ten station brands across Fort Wayne and South Bend — inventory we control, priced without a middleman, scheduled around your goals instead of a vendor's.
Reach no one can resell
And we answer to this market: family-owned since 1952, home of 100-year-old WOWO — decisions made in Indiana, not on a conglomerate's spreadsheet.
Radio advertisingWe own the data
Award-winning contesting and station loyalty programs generate opt-in, first-party audiences — real local people, with real consent, that your business keeps. Not a rented lookalike segment.
Audiences you keep
Why it compounds: every campaign grows the asset — an audience no data broker can sell to your competitors.
Contesting & first-party dataWe prove the outcome
Website lift tracking, digital audio verification, and in-dash intelligence connect every flight to the customer actions it produced. You see the spike, the searches, and the leads — not a vibes report.
Measurement, not mystery
The multiplier: radio changes what people search for — our digital is timed and targeted around that behavior, not guessing at it.
FM case studiesThe full toolkit
One system. Seven ways in.
Whichever door fits your goal, the machinery behind it is the same: owned reach, first-party data, and proof.
01 · The foundation
Radio Advertising
Spots, sponsorships, and endorsements across ten owned station brands — the reach everything else is built on.
Amplify
The case for radio
02 · Quu · AdSync
In-Car Dashboard Ads
Your logo and message on the dash screen while your spot plays — the only visual real estate inside the car.
AmplifyBe Found
See it in action
03 · Owned + partner shows
Podcast Advertising
Host-read placements and fully produced branded podcasts, distributed to audiences we already know.
AmplifyCreate
Explore the shows
04 · Local voices
Social Influencer
On-air personalities your market already trusts, working your brand into their feeds and their shows.
AmplifyDelight
Meet the voices
05 · Hiring at scale
Recruitment Marketing
Reach working people where job boards can't — in the car, on the way to their current job.
AmplifyConvert
View the playbook
06 · Data you keep
Contesting & First-Party Data
Award-winning contests that convert listeners into opt-in audiences you own — names, emails, intent.
NurtureDelight
See how it works
07 · Federated Digital Solutions
Digital & Content Marketing
Search, display, video, streaming audio, email, and content — timed to your radio schedule so every channel says one thing.
Be FoundConvertLearn
See the stack
The infrastructure
Five South Bend brands.
Every audience that matters.
South Bend
100.7 FMB100CountryToday's Best & Most Country, adults 25–54
95.3 FM95.3 MNCNews / TalkEngaged, affluent homeowners
103.9 FM103.9 The BearRockHome of The Jason Lee & Kluck Show
102.7 FMFroggy 102.7Hot ACElkhart County's own station
StreamMNC NationNews / TalkNews/talk, streaming
Plus five more brands in Fort Wayne, including WOWO.Fort Wayne stationsSouth Bend market
The receipts
The chart does the talking.
This is what "it worked" looks like: your site sessions plotted against the exact weeks flights aired. When the schedule runs, traffic moves — and you can see by how much.
FM case studies+49%average weekly sessions during the flight vs. the weeks before it
| Week | Sessions | Radio on air |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 410 | No |
| 2 | 395 | No |
| 3 | 430 | No |
| 4 | 420 | No |
| 5 | 560 | Yes |
| 6 | 610 | Yes |
| 7 | 640 | Yes |
| 8 | 655 | Yes |
| 9 | 600 | No |
| 10 | 470 | No |
| 11 | 445 | No |
| 12 | 452 | No |
In the community
A century of showing up.
Trust isn't claimed in a tagline — it's earned at events our stations have run for years. Sponsor them, and that earned trust carries your brand.
Signature event
Songwriters in the Round
Nashville writers, an intimate outdoor stage, and a sold-out listener crowd — B100 turns fans into attendees and sponsors into hosts.
Photo · B100 · South Bend
Station concerts
Nights at Four Winds Field
Thousands of listeners, one stage, and our stations' names on the show — earned trust your brand can stand next to.
Photo · 103.9 The Bear · Four Winds Field
Live remotes
The station, on your lot
The same voices that read the spot show up at your business — a live remote puts the station's earned trust right where your customers are.
Photo · B100 · Live remoteFamily-owned since 1952 · Home of WOWO, 100 years on the air
Michiana
Local roots.
Bigger thinking.
You don't need an agency hundreds of miles away to get sophisticated marketing. You need someone who knows the market you actually sell in.
I live and work here. I know how people in Michiana find a business, which stations they listen to, which events fill up, which neighborhoods talk to each other, and how fast a reputation travels in a region this size.
That local knowledge is part of the strategy, not a line in the footer.
- South Bend
- Mishawaka
- Elkhart
- Granger
- Goshen
- Niles
- St. Joseph County
- Michiana
Proof
Saying it is easy. Here's the work.
I've been saying this since 2020.
Long before this site, I was writing about spaghetti marketing and integrated campaigns for local businesses. Now there's a new piece every quarter.
All writing →- Sep 2026Spaghetti Marketing, Six Years LaterIn 2020 I wrote about throwing marketing at the wall to see what sticks. Most local businesses are still doing it. Here is where it actually breaks, and where to start fixing it.
- May 2026Your Front Desk Is Your MarketingPeople don’t refer friends because of your ad. They refer them because of how they were treated. The people who greet, answer and follow up are the experience, so train the handoff, not just the pitch.
- Feb 2026Where Local Attention Is NowYour customers’ attention is split across the car radio, streaming audio, connected TV, short video, search and AI answers. You don’t need all of them. You need the right few, connected.
- Nov 2025Plan Next Year Around What This Year Taught YouBefore you set next year’s marketing budget, look hard at this one: what brought customers in, where they leaked out, what to stop and what to double. Budget on evidence, not habit.
- Aug 2025Stop Boosting PostsThe Boost button is easy, and that’s the problem. A planned social ad starts with a goal, the right audience, a page to land on, enough frequency and a way to tell if it worked.
Campaign stories
Preview the case study format →- 01Problem
- 02Insight
- 03Idea
- 04Connected campaign
- 05Result
192Calls from Facebook call ads, fall 2025
Music education
Filling lesson rosters by learning what actually made the phone ring.
47Unique entrants
Home services
A radio contest that built a list of homeowners who asked to hear from you.
Campaign visual
Promotion + events
Case study in progress
Coming soon
Marketing Checkup
Let's find the next move.
Seven quick steps, about three minutes. You'll get a short brief on where your marketing is strongest, where it's leaking, and what to do next.
No sales pitch at the end. If it's useful, we can talk about it.
Meeting mode The brief gets emailed to them, copied to you.Turn off
Your brief
You're running a lot of channels without a clear way to see which ones work. That is the classic disconnected setup, and usually the fastest thing to fix.
Already working