|
|
|
 |
The Secrets To Successful Radio Advertising
Ask some businesses about radio advertising and they'll tell you it's the greatest investment they ever made while others will tell you it was a complete waste of time and money. So why does radio work for some and not for others? What's the secret to successful radio advertising? Know this: Radio can be a major player in your advertising mix if you know how to do it and I'm about to give you the secrets to successful radio advertising so read on. First, write down a detailed description of who your core customers are. You can do this by looking at prior sales or just by knowing your products and services. Are they women in their 30's and 40's who have a good disposable income? Are they men in their early 20's who are into sports and cars? Figure out who your target customer base is and then you'll be one step closer to figuring out how to reach them. Second, give a listen to the radio stations in your market besides the ones you usually listen to. Remember, just because you listen to a certain station every morning doesn't mean your potential customers do. Most stations have a pretty definitive type of music or format they follow which gives them their listening base. You don't have to be a media buyer to know that certain stations will be right for your targeted consumer while others will be way off the chart. For example, if your customer base is women in their 30's and 40's, then you can rule out formats such as rap and sports, right? If you live in a major market like Atlanta or Chicago there may be as many as 30 to 40 stations on the radio dial so you'll have plenty to choose from. If you live in a smaller market you'll have less stations to choose from but you'll still have a good selection. Third, figure out your budget. How can you do this if you know nothing about radio costs? One way is to contact an advertising agency who places radio on a regular basis. Most likely they'll have the pulse on the market you're in and if not, can gather enough information to help you decide how much you'll need to spend to make radio effective. If you're hesitant to call an ad agency right away, the next best thing to do is call two or three of the stations you've chosen yourself. Ask to speak to the sales manager and let them know you're trying to gather information for a radio buy. Most likely they will assign you an account executive to work up a plan. Keep in mind that a good advertising agency may be able to negotiate for better rates and added incentives due to their relationship with the stations and their experience but at the very least, this will give you a good starting point . Don't be overly concerned if you discover that you cannot afford the top stations in the market. There are usually several stations in each market that share listeners and formats and their costs will vary greatly. The rates you receive will be based on many factors including the time of day you want to advertise, how soon you want to be on the air, and the "avails" or inventory the stations have at the time you want to advertise. "Drive time" is the term used by radio to mean just that: the times listeners spend driving in their cars listening. Typically this is 6am to 10am and 4pm to 7pm. These are the coveted listener day parts for most stations and they can be very expensive. But do you need to buy these times? Again, by defining your target customer, you can determine the best times to reach them. There are also spots known as "broad rotators" that can be equally as effective and less expensive because you allow the station to place them over a longer period of the day for example, 6am to midnight. Fourth, and I feel this is equally if not the most important aspect of radio advertising: the message. While some stations brag about playing thirty minutes to an hour of uninterrupted music, this can be bad for you as an advertiser because it also means that your radio commercial or spot will be slammed with six or more other spots at one time in order to get all their advertisers on the air. I don't know about you, but if I endure three or four spots in a row and the fifth one doesn't catch my ear, I'm punching the button. Therefore your spot has to be clever. It has to make the listener want to hear your message. Remember that the spot they hear may be the first time they learn about your business so it needs to catch them right away. I have found that humor, when done well, can be very effective. It's always amazed me how some companies will devote so much time and money into making sure their radio buy is right but devote so little time to the message itself. Sure, they're on the airwaves alot, but are the listeners paying attention? Without an effective ear-grabbing ad, it's money down the drain. That's why it would be wise to let a professional write and produce your spot. The radio stations may even volunteer to do this for you for free but remember, you get what you pay for. The final piece of advice I will give you is this: repetition, repetition, repetition. It doesn't matter how clever your ad is or how well you placed the buy if you do not have the budget to stay on the air consistently so make sure when putting together your budget you think long term. Consumers are bombarded with so many messages every day including television, the internet, billboards, mailers, matchbook covers, even some grocery store floors and elevators now carry advertising, unless you stay in their ears on a regular basis, they will forget about you. Utilize these basic rules and soon when someone asks you if your radio is effective you can reply, "Yes it's been wonderful!" because you've learned the secret to making radio advertising work. Hal Eisenberg is an award winning copywriter, voice over talent and producer, as well as owner of The Eisenberg Agency, a full service advertising agency specializing in creative ads that get results. Visit his web site at http://www.eisenbergagency.com. Contact Hal at halacious@eisenbergagency.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Advertising - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
10 Simple Techniques To Make Your Ad Get Powerful Attention 1. Make your ad's keywords and phrases standout by enlarging the text. Pros and Cons of Establishing an In-House Ad Agency There have been several ads promoting books and reports on thissubject, or included as part of the contents in several mailorder books stating: "SAVE UP TO 17% ON ALL YOUR ADVERTISING" It's legitimate, practical and effective, but like so many otherpromises, there are pros and cons involved. The pros are fairlyobvious. Diamonds Are For Evil The task of executing successful advertising campaigns for products made exclusively for women is understatedly tempestuous. Any Average Joe consumer would relay the message that feminine product commercials put him under a great deal of stress and discomfort. Persistant Advertising Will Do No Harm! From my experience, I've been on many discussion groups and have spoken to many other like minded people. The one topic that always seems to arise is how to get massive sales right away. Moving Message Board Moving message boards are used in the areas where continuous announcements, or other information are need to be displayed in to either indoor or outdoor. Used most widely in churches, schools, airports, other transport stations, banks, production and administration department of organization as marquee information billboards. Top Design and Marketing Tips from a Branding Expert This month, we wanted to share some general tips relating to your graphic design that we've come up with over the past year:Always include an address on your business card, even if you are operating a small business out of your home - it greatly increases your credibility and makes you look much more established! If you're concerned about privacy, a Post Office box is a great way to go. When signing up for a Post Office box, consider using a "Mailboxes" store instead of the Post Office - you'll get a street address instead of the typical "P. Secrets to Profitable Mail Order Products The most profitable mail order products are simple 3-to-5 page informational reports such as this one. Once you've got your act together, these 3-page reports can be produced for $10 per hundred or less, and sold for at least $200 per hundred. When Times Get Tough... or When to Really Advertise The Pundits say the economy is slowly, but surely, recovering. Maybe not at the rate of the mid-90s stock boom, but recovering nonetheless. Fax Broadcast Services Get Your Message to Millions If your company is one of those innovative businesses that has taken advantage of new fax broadcasting technologies to get your message out, you've probably come to realize that the fax broadcasting services industry is ever-changing and new developments are coming out all the time.It's pretty much a full-time job just to manage a fax broadcast database of any size, not to mention keeping the related fax broadcasting software updated and operational. Direct Mail Catalogs & Brochures: Write Captions That Sell Many prospects skim through catalogs and brochures, glancing at the photos and reading the accompanying captions only when a particular image arouses their interest. That's when you have their attention. Advertising: 10 Powerful Secrets To Help You Sell Your Ad Space Like Crazy If you want to sell more ad spaces, you must read and use the secrets I am revealing here:1. Give your customers a discount when they spend over a certain dollar amount for ad space. A Quick And Easy Way Of Getting More Customers From Every Single Ad You Write... Guaranteed! FACT: Most people don't spend anywhere near enough time on creating a strong, compelling headline.Which is why many copywriting experts. How to Save Money by Making Your Own Sign In the sign industry we commonly refer to the material that the sign is made out of as the substrate. Examples include, wood, vinyl banners, aluminum, coroplast, etc. What Colors Make Your Services Most Attractive? This information is based on the principles of Laws of Attraction, Law of Allowing and Law of Deliberate Creation. And the Universal Laws of Energy (like attract likes) proven by Quantum Physics. The Ultimate, "Must-Have" Home-Based Business for YOU The Ultimate, "Must-Have" Home-Based Business for YOU a Underemployed, Unemployed, or Industrial Age IndividualAllow me to educate you on the issue of job security and paint you a picture of what the aftermath can be if you remain comfortable at your regular job. Job security is an old-fashioned term that claims the longer an employee worked for a particular company, the more precious that person became. Print Advertising: Knowing What To Put In Your Ads So you've decided to run a print ad in your local newspaper. The paper may have even told you they could produce the artwork for you if you just tell them what should be in the ad. The SKINNY on Newspaper Advertising The SKINNY on NewspapersUsing the paper is considered gospel by many people in business. Use it wisely and it can be a good tool. Using The Popularity of Celebrities and Currrent Events to Promote Your Business In this article, we want to explore the idea of using the popularity of celebrities and current event (news) topics to help market any internet business.The IdeaCelebrities and news events are not only popular topics, they are also popular "keywords" in the major search engines. Online vs. Offline Advertising Let's face it. Email marketing and publishing have became very popular tool for promoting your business, especially in the USA. How To Use Pictures To Immediately Start Increasing The Response Rates Of Your Marketing There should only be one, over-riding reason why you're doing anything in your marketing.Know what that reason is?Of course! To increase the response rates of your sales promotions!Because that leads to.
|
| home | site map | advertising information |
| © 2006 - 2007 Thagodz.com - A PPC Search Engine |
