Radio advertising
is a quick, effective and inexpensive way for small business owners to reach their target audiences. Although there are many debates as to whether or not you can measure the success of a radio commercial, studies show that incremental radio advertising can play a huge part in a company's marketing plan and yield better results than television advertising.
Audience
Since its introduction in the early 1900s, people have used the radio as a mean of catching up on the news, listening to music and even getting the latest gossip on their favorite celebrities. Reaching over 90 percent of all United States consumers, radio is a medium that will continue to play an integral role in the way people get information. People are tuned in at work, in the car and even at home.This means a great deal for advertisers, because it's easy to target a group of loyal listeners with messages about new products and services.
Frequency
Radio programs are available at all times of the day, allowing marketers to carefully target when their advertisements play and how often. Marketers can target their advertising placements strategically by being mindful of who is listening and when. And with many radio stations beginning to broadcast their programs over the Internet as well, the size of the audience advertisers can reach is steadily increasing.
Message
It's almost impossible for a loyal radio listener to miss out on a commercial. For the most part, people listen to one or two radio stations throughout the day, especially during "drive-time." People don't have as many distractions when receiving radio advertising messages while they're stuck in traffic as they do when they're on the Internet, flipping through a magazine or watching a television program.
Costs
Radio advertising costs are determined by the station an advertisement runs on, the time of day and the frequency. Budgeting to allow testing for two to three different time slots is a good idea, so businesses can get an idea of what works best for them. It's hard to pinpoint a price for radio campaigns, since the cost can widely vary state-to-state. But it's often less expensive than print advertising and even web campaigns.
Considerations
Running one radio advertisement may not make businesses' sales increase dramatically, but by appropriate audience targeting and repeat placements, success will surely follow. Before making an advertisement placement, businesses should review the media kit for each radio station they're planning to use---to make sure that the station is the right fit for their product or service. As with any type of advertising, research the audience. Listen to the target radio station for a week or so before making a placement. This will give insight into what commercials the audience usually hears and an indication of which companies have repeat spots. Lastly, engage the audience. It's important to make commercials exciting and thought-provoking without losing the message of the brand. The best way to use radio advertising is to use it as a part of an integrated marketing strategy.
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