 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
Why Radio Advertising Could Be The Best Thing You Ever Did For Your Business
In the marketing world, radio has earned the reputation of being the odd step-cousin. You know the one. No one knows quite what to do with him. Especially at family gatherings when everyone tries hard to avoid sitting with him. (After all, who knows WHAT he'll start talking about.) Much of that reputation comes from radio being tough to track. On one hand, radio does work. Businesses do notice an increase in sales when they add radio to the mix. However, radio doesn't test well. In surveys and other tracking methods, radio tends to be the one with the dismal scores. A good friend of mine, who's also a marketing consultant but before that she sold radio for many years, has a theory about that. She says radio works on a subconscious or unconscious level. People remember the ad, but not that they heard it on the radio. So, they tend to credit a different medium for the ad, like the yellow pages. Yellow pages gets a boost while radio drops a few points. Regardless, radio should not be ignored because it does work. And many marketing consultants will probably tell you radio is an excellent medium to reach a local market. However, I feel there are possibilities beyond merely reaching local customers. Internet radio shows are starting to take off in a big way. That means advertising and sponsorship opportunities are also taking off. In addition, "offline" methods have been shown to be pretty effective at driving traffic online. If increasing Web traffic is your goal, using traditional media outlets to increase traffic should be a part of your mix. If people already know you (which they might in your local market) they're more likely to be loyal. And they're more likely to send other customers to your site. Depending on the costs of radio in your community, radio may be a very affordable way to get a good viral campaign going. (A viral campaign is when your customers send promotional items about your business such as e-mails, articles, Web site urls, etc. to their friends and family members.) Below are some other positive reasons to use radio: * Affordable -- when you compare spot to spot, radio tends to be one of the least expensive media out there. However, one spot ain't going to do it. To reach your target market, you need to purchase several spots. That's why radio can also turn into one of the more expensive media. However, there are ways to keep your costs in line yet still reap the benefits of radio -- for instance, buying less spots but running them all in one or two weeks, so your customers are more likely to hear your message. * Psychological, if you voice the commercials yourself -- hearing your voice makes people feel like they "know" you. (Hence the popularity of audio on Web sites. In fact, marketing gurus claim just by adding audio to a site substantially increases how many people buy.) People tend to buy from people and businesses they know and trust. Hearing your voice helps them feel as if they know you. These psychological aspects may be another reason to consider running a few radio ads in your local market even if you have an Internet business. * Speed -- you can get your spot up and running in no time. * Loyalty -- listeners choose stations based on the music or shows they like and they tend to be quite loyal to that station. If you know what your customers enjoy listening to, it's an excellent way to reach them. (I include both music and talk shows in this.) * Good support medium -- radio works really well when paired with other marketing mediums (like print, direct mail or television). But for every positive, there's a negative. In the spirit of being objective, here are a few for radio: * Background medium -- radio tends to be on in the background, which means it tends to be ignored. Generally, your target market needs to be exposed to your ad more times than other marketing media before they'll act upon your message. * Little staying power -- the lack of visuals again keeps radio from "sticking" with people. At least, that's what some of the marketing gurus say. But, here again my marketing consultant friend differs. She thinks it's that subconscious thing again. And if you can write a spot that creates pictures in your customers' heads, you can actually work this to your advantage. In fact, according to my friend, if the picture is defined enough, not only will people remember it better, but they'll also think it was a print ad instead of a radio ad. (More on the art of creating pictures using words in later issues.) * Hard to track - it's impossible to know exactly how many people are tuning in at any given time. A final note: Because radio is subconscious, keep that in mind when crafting your ad. Repeat your business name a lot and any other branding info, so it gets into your customers' heads. Don't put in phone numbers. Instead, purchase a memorable Web site domain name and repeat that. And remember to create "pictures" whenever possible. Creativity Exercise -- How can you use radio in your business? Would radio work for your business? Let's find out. Take out a sheet of paper and a fun pen. (I'm partial to gel pens.) Draw a line down the center. On one side, put the header: Why advertising on radio is a good idea for my business. On the other side, put the header: Why advertising is a bad idea for my business. Now pick a side and start writing down reasons. You might be more comfortable starting with the side that's easiest for you. Then when you work on the other side, you can simply turn the reasons around. For instance, let's say you started with the bad idea. One of your reasons was: My product is completely visual. You could turn it around by saying "Because my product is so visual, I'll have to work harder to create pictures in my customers' minds. And because the customers create their own pictures, they're more likely to remember them." Or what if you started with a good idea, and one of the reasons was: "Because my business is local." You could turn it around and say "Because radio is holding me back -- I'm only reaching this local market." (Ah, now I'm even going against what I said earlier. Maybe with this statement you could look for ways to get your customers to spread the word outside the area about your business.) As you saw by my last example, you'll be amazed at what comes out when you do this exercise. Even if you don't change your views on radio advertising, you may come up with new and powerful insights to your business. Michele Pariza Wacek owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting, a writing, marketing and creativity agency. She offers two free e-newsletters that help subscribers combine their creativity with hard-hitting marketing and copywriting principles to become more successful at attracting new clients, selling products and services and boosting business. She can be reached at http://www.writingusa.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Printing - How Do I Buy It? Why should I care where I get my printed material from, I'll just go for tenders and go with the low bidder. If you do this probably you won't be in business for long or you'll never really run a successful business. How to Create Ads that Sell with Little Effort One of the main problems people find with marketing, is the actual selling. How can you create ads which sell?Well there are tons of articles, and pay for e-books to help you create ad copy, but there is a free and easy way to create your own ads which sell, sell sell. Create Your Own Business Cards, Part 1 In this lesson, we will create a business card, using Microsoft Word. I created a new template for my business card. Ten Ways To Sell Advertising Space Fast 1. Give your customers a discount when they spend over a certain dollar amount for ad space. Cinema Advertising is Big Business, So Mergers are a Natural Cinema advertising has always been an effective marketing tool for some advertisers, while for others they have yet to see the benefit of this unique form of media. When an advertiser hears the term "Cinema Advertising" automatically they think the slide that is shown on the big screen with the soothing music played in the background. Advertising 101 Advertising has truly become a part of all of our lives as consumers, as business owners, as parents, as concerned citizens. We simply cannot escape from its presence no matter how hard we try. Latino Television Programs Fill a Void in Hispanic Advertising; While Advertisers Look to Attract Advertisers that are beginning to focus on the young Hispanic market have been given a gift in the form of Latino television programming. Now mind you it's not your typical Latino television programming that you would find on Univsion, this programming is geared towards the large and most overlooked demographic, U. How to Write Ads that Increase Your Business I caught myself wracking my brain over what kind of article I should write for newspapers that would be useful to business people. It struck me that I was making a solid effort to get into the mind of my target market. Double the Effectiveness of Your Company Brochure Let's face it - most brochures go straight into the bin. But if you know the big mistake to avoid, as well as the secret to make people keep your brochure - and read it, over and over again - you're laughing. 10 Ways to Advertise Your Business For Free! At some point many small business owners are left with no or a small amount of capital to promote their business. But many entrepreneurs utilize these free or low budget yet effective tactics to promote their business online and offline. 100 Excellent Words and 70 Action Getting Phrases for Ad Writing 100 Excellent Words Absolutely. Amazing. Seven Ways to Waste Your Money on Yellow Pages Advertising Each year there is a Yellow Pages arms race where competitors in each category are encouraged to out spend each other. There is only one winner in this arms race, and it is not you! Too many advertisers waste their money on Yellow Pages advertising without first considering their marketing strategy. Good Design Makes Good Sense Organized your pencils and pens lately? Sorted your clothes into a logical system in your drawers? Then you already understand the basic elements of good design: it's practical, it's systematic, and it makes life easier.In the same way, marketing materials that use good design make business easier for your customers. Internet Advertising: How To Use The Golden Rule To Enrich Yourself. What is the golden rule of internet advertising?Give, so you may receive.It is as simple as that. Harness the Power of Direct Marketing - More Small Business Power Tools One of the most powerful tools available to small businesses is direct mail. By this I don't mean electronic, Internet-based mail, but the old-fashioned kind that requires a stamp and a trip to the post office. Juice - Scam of the Decade or Opportunity of the Century If you are an ardent web surfer and MLMer like I am, then I am sure you would have seen the sales pitch "Give away free broadband and earn £27 GBP each time". Depending on which side of the fence you are, this product is either God's gift to freebies enthusiasts, MLMers and all paying ISP subscribers or it is the biggest scam yet, bar none. If You're Tired Of Adverts That Don't Work And Letters That Don't Sell, Then You Must Read This Over the 32 years I've been involved in sales, marketing and management, I've discovered that there are two fatal marketing mistakes made by business owners. They are?· Lack of focus· Lack of implementationThere's certainly no shortage of ideas and information - the world is full of it - but what are you doing with it all? Let's do a quick reality check here and now:· How frequently do you get in touch with your customers?· How far up your hierarchy of buyers do you go?· What actions are you taking to make next week, next month or next year better?Pick one thing you've always meant to do and do it tomorrow to start marketing your business more effectively. Advertising Basics for Beginners So many of us who have decided to do business online have no background in marketing or advertising. It can be so frustrating without any kind of guide. 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. 16 Ways to Make Your Business Cards Unforgettable Every time you hear someone say "May I have one of your business cards?" you should get excited. I know I do.
|
|
|
 |
 |
