How to Do Cost Effective Radio Advertising

Radio is still a major source of entertainment for most Americans.

With the advent of live Internet streaming and the rise in influence of radio personalities like Rush Limbaugh, it cannot be argued that radio is dead or that it is an ignored medium. Radio still has a great deal of power and influence. It is one of the few popular mediums that has the ability to reach a large local audience of diverse backgrounds and status. Small businesses that need to reach large audiences, but have a limited budget, may find that radio is their best source for cost effective mass advertising.

Instructions

1. Create a profile of who your customer is, complete with adjectives. Take the time to observe your customer base--not only the target audience, but those who actually do the purchasing. For example, while it's obvious that men wear men's clothes, it is most often women who do the actual buying.

2. Take your customer profile to several radio stations and present it to their salespeople. They have done research and know who is listening to their stations, where those listeners are located and at what times those listeners can be reached. They will be able to show you if and how their station is a good fit for reaching your audience.

3. Buy enough ads to ensure your name is heard more than once. According to veteran marketer Kim Gordon, repetition helps reinforce your message. You may also be able to negotiate a better rate per airing when you purchase multiple spots.

4. Look at sponsorships for shows or promotional events that may help to bring extra attention to you. Many stations also give premium spots to sponsors, like those spots right before or after shows or music blocks. According to research group Radio Ad Lab, a spot at the beginning of a block receives higher recall by listeners.

5. Use a professional service to produce your ad. You may save money doing it yourself, but if you don't do a great job and don't get a response, or have to get a professional to fix it, it costs you more in the end.

6. Create an entertaining ad that is simple, gets attention and repeats your name several times, preferably early in the spot. Unless the product does not allow it, humor is a great tool for getting your audience to listen and keep listening. If you can't apply humor, be unique and limit the information to a few main ideas.

References

• "Entrepreneur magazine;" 4 Keys to Radio Advertising; Kim T. Gordon; April 2007
• Radio Ad Lab: The Major Findings About Radio