I am very much in the trust business. People need to hear your name before they walk through the door. When they hear you on the radio, it legitimizes you — it says you’re real, you’re established, you’re not going anywhere.

Kim Minro

Owner, Aster Financial Group

Industry

Financial Services

Location

Central New York

Products

Radio, FLX Finest

Kim Minro has been helping people manage their money, their payroll, and their taxes in Central New York for nearly thirty years. Aster Financial Group handles the full range of bookkeeping, payroll, tax preparation, and consulting — the kind of work that runs quietly in the background of a business and keeps everything from falling apart. And like the businesses she serves, Kim’s firm runs on trust.

That word comes up quickly when Kim talks about why she first turned to radio. She needed people to hear the name. In a profession where clients hand over their most sensitive financial information, familiarity isn’t just nice to have — it’s the foundation of every new relationship. “I am very much in the trust business,” she says. “People need to hear your name before they walk through the door.”

I am very much in the trust business. People need to hear your name before they walk through the door.

Radio gave her that. For fifteen years, she has advertised consistently across the Finger Lakes market, and the returns have been anything but subtle. Aster Financial Group has grown more than two hundred percent over that span. When new clients come in and mention they heard her ad on the radio, it tells her everything she needs to know about what the advertising is doing. Word of mouth brings people to the door. Radio is what tells them whether to trust who they find there.

She’s candid about what that combination means. “Word of mouth gets you so far, and then people go looking. When they hear you on the radio, it legitimizes you. It says you’re real, you’re established, you’re not going anywhere.” She’s trusted the approach enough to send four or five of her own clients to FLX Local Media — small business owners she knew needed to get their names out the same way she once did.

When they hear you on the radio, it legitimizes you. It says you’re real, you’re established, you’re not going anywhere.

Kim is patient with people who ask why she hasn’t chased every new platform. Her answer is measured and practical. Social media, she says, is not the answer for every kind of business. What has worked for Aster Financial is showing up, repeatedly, over years — the same voice, the same stations, the same message. “Honestly, consistency is one of the principles of accounting. You do things the same way so people can trust the results.” She applies that principle to her marketing the same way she applies it to a balance sheet.

She has worked with two account representatives over the years — Gina, who has since retired, and now Kelly. The transition was seamless, which matters to someone who values relationships as much as Kim does. Kelly, she says, is “outstanding in every way.” The events like FLX Finest have helped keep the Aster name in front of the community in ways that extend beyond the ad schedule, but at the core, the strategy has never changed much.

If it works, don’t change it. You change things that don’t work.

For Kim Minro, thirty years in business has produced a clear philosophy about what deserves her attention and what doesn’t. Radio worked in year one of advertising. It still works today. That, in her view, is not a coincidence — it’s the point.

Interviewer: Tell me your name and a little bit about your business.

Kim Minro: I'm Kim Minro. I own Aster Financial Group. We're a bookkeeping, payroll, tax, and consulting company. We've been in business for almost 30 years in Central New York, and we have clients all over.

Interviewer: Tell me how you started advertising on the radio.

Kim Minro: I started advertising on the radio years and years ago. I realized this was very much a word-of-mouth business, but I needed that branding — I needed people to hear the name more often. So a lot of my ads have been more about branding than selling something directly to the consumer. But it's been great. The number of people who walk through the door and say, "I heard your ad on the radio" — it proves to me that it works.

Interviewer: Do you have any interesting stories of people who told you they heard you and you did some good business from that?

Kim Minro: We've turned a lot of people into customers for sure. Specific stories — well, it's been so many years, I don't know if I could give you one specific one. But a lot of people come in and say, "Yeah, a buddy of mine mentioned you and I hear you on the radio all the time." I think that combination legitimizes my business. Because I am very much in the trust business — you're not going to come to an accountant and tell them everything about your personal finances without that trust factor. I think being on the radio makes us feel very trusted and real. I think that's a big part of it.

Interviewer: If you had a friend going into business — not necessarily in financial services, but just in business — and they said, hey, I hear you on the radio, what would you tell them about advertising?

Kim Minro: Well, it's not even a friend. I tell clients all the time that one of the things they should consider is radio advertising, and I put them in touch with the people I work with to see if they can find a good fit. I do think it's a great way for new businesses especially to get their name out there. People want to just use social media, but social media really isn't the answer for every business all the time, and it shouldn't be the only answer. I've probably referred 40 to 50 clients to the radio group, and I think many of them have actually gone ahead and done some advertising with the group.

Interviewer: A lot of people will advertise just for a sale here, a couple of weeks there, but you're pretty consistent. Why do you think that's important?

Kim Minro: Well, clients come and go. It doesn't matter whether you're selling something specific or promoting a sale — you're always looking for that next client, or looking to replace the one you lost. And with that consistency, you want to be top of mind. You want people to hear you. One of the great things about Finger Lakes Finest is that it puts all of our names out there over and over on top of the marketing we already get from the program. Being on the radio just helps keep you at the front of people's heads. I think it's important to be consistent. Honestly, consistency is one of the core principles of accounting, and those are the things I live by — so I'm pretty consistent with everything I do.

Interviewer: What kind of growth have you seen through the years, and what has advertising meant for your business?

Kim Minro: We've grown pretty significantly over the last 15 years, which are the main years I've been doing radio advertising. We've grown probably more than 200 percent in that time — little bits every year. It hasn't been any one particular thing, but the consistency of it is what has grown the company.

Interviewer: You talked about social media earlier. How do you think digital advertising and radio work together?

Kim Minro: In my business, I honestly don't see a strong connection. I'm not saying it might not work for some businesses, but I find that the personal connection — and hearing us repeated — is what makes it work for me. I've tried some digital media things and I haven't had great results from them personally. I know some businesses do. I think it just depends on what you do. If you're looking to get your nails done, you might be more willing to take that recommendation from social media. But when it comes to handing over all your finances and banking information, that's a different level of trust entirely.

Interviewer: Tell me about working with the staff at FLX Local Media.

Kim Minro: I've had a wonderful experience with everyone who has worked at the Finger Lakes Radio Group. Gina has been a client, a good friend, and my trusted radio advisor for years — she just retired, and her replacement Kelly has moved right into her place. Outstanding in every way, very helpful. Everyone is very easy to work with and gives you good advice. I was also close to Joel Dolan back in the day — I still do taxes for her husband. I've had a strong relationship with a lot of the staff there over the years. It's been good.

Interviewer: Why do you think you'll continue to advertise with FLX Local Media?

Kim Minro: Well, I'm not really about reinventing the wheel, and it works. I've had success. I'd encourage any client to stick with something that's working — you change things that don't work.

Interviewer: Anything else you'd like to say?

Kim Minro: I think radio is always worth trying — see if it works for you.