30 Quick Advertising Tips for Radio Advertising
  1. Price is always negotiable. 
    The more you have to spend the more they’ll drop the rate. Radio is a supply and demand medium. But lots of stations mismanage their inventory. That’s why they have loads of inventory at the beginning of the week or month but get "sold out" at the end of the month. Don’t be fooled by that. Usually, they’ll figure out a way to accommodate you. Don’t settle for lesser dayparts.
  2. You can "own a daypart" and have effective reach and frequency. Why pay premium amounts for a high dollar daypart like morning drive when you can buy a daypart like evenings that allows you to reach fewer people but pound those fewer people with your message?  Suppose you can reach 50,000 people a week on a morning show. But the spots are 250 dollars and you can only run two per week. Then suppose you can buy afternoons for 75 dollars but you only reach 20,000 people. Zero in on that daypart and go for the most spots. You’ll get 7 spots that week (Monday – Friday) Insist they all run in the same hour. Listeners are habitual and that potential customer will hear  your message everyday driving home. After he or she has heard it three times its going to start being remembered. If your message is strong you’ll start converting these listeners into customers!
  3. It takes time to get your message heard. 
    Don’t expect results the first day. Sometimes it takes several months before your message is heard, especially if you have a limited budget.
  4. Don’t expect customers to necessarily know where they heard about your business.
    Just because someone says "I saw it in the paper" it doesn’t mean that’s where they first noticed you. Often, customers "recognize" a brand in print, only after having become familiar with it in electronic media. That’s why a good mix of mediums gets the best results, although many companies simply cannot afford it.
  5. Create frequency within your own spot. That is, mention your product name and how to find it at least three times.
  6. Beware of long "stopsets." 
    A stopset is where the radio station places a series of spots. (Also called a "spotset".) This is where they "stop" the programming and play the commercials. Since consolidation, more and more music radio stations only run two of these "sets" per hour. Consequently, there are lots of commercials placed end to end. Ask your rep if you can get your spot placed at the beginning of these sets. Also make sure your spot isn’t played twice in the same set. Either way, your value is diminished.
  7. Beware of the substitution of "qualitative" information when the "ratings" aren’t there.
  8. Beware of too broad a demographic range when comparing stations. 
    Sometimes a station can have a high share in a demographic like 12+ but if you analyze where the audience is, it could be anything from a high concentration in 12 to 24 years old or (as with many AM stations) 80 percent of the audience concentrated in 65+ adults.
  9. Don’t delegate the creative to a salesperson. 
    Their job is to sell time or space, not to create marketing campaigns. Despite the offer of "free production" by media outlets, with a few exceptions, most have to crank out a large volume of ads a week, and yours will just become part of the assembly line. Make sure the person handling your creative knows what your product is, what your goals are and who you are trying to reach. A poorly conceived ad in any medium is a waste of money. If you don’t feel comfortable with the process, hire an expert to help you design your media campaign.
  10. Beware of premiums, sales, and other come-ons. If you want to go on a trip to the Bahamas then call your travel agent and have a good time. Getting a free TV is not the right reason to buy an advertising schedule on a particular medium.
  11. Annual contracts can save you money.
     If you have the ability to commit to a specified level of spending you’ll get preferential treatment and better rates.
  12. Keep your message simple. 
    Don’t try to sell a plethora of things in one ad. All you will do is confuse your potential customer.
  13. Spend enough money. 
    One thing is sure, if you don’t spend enough money, what you do spend will be a waste.
  14. Remember repetition and frequency is the key to cutting through. (see number 13)
  15. Don’t buy a radio station or television program because you personally like it.
         Find out what your customer is listening to, or watching, and buy that…even if you hate it.
  16. Consistency is important. 
    You have to make a commitment and stick with it. The advertisers who are always on the air are the ones that win. This takes guts and patience.
  17. Don’t use a shotgun when you can use a rifle with lots of bullets.
     It is better to reach 10 percent of your prospects with lots of messages than everyone with just a few messages.
  18. Listen to your marketing expert. 
    Stick with the plan.
  19. If your message is simple, consider 10-second spots and buy traffic reports or news sponsorships in drive times.
  20. Know your competitors, where they are advertising, what they are saying and determine how to use this to your advantage.
  21. Don’t gauge whether your advertising is working by what your customers are saying they saw or heard.
  22. Concentrate on the benefits to the customer in your advertising. 
    Give them what they want, not what you want them to want.
  23. Look for clear ways to differentiate your product from your competitors.
  24. If you’ve got a big spending competitor, look for ways to dominate in a medium they ignore.
  25. Look for problems in your business that create obstacles. One client claimed he was getting no response only to find out that his staff wasn’t answering his phones!
  26. Monitor your campaign.
         Radio and TV stations make mistakes. Demand "make-goods" when they do!
  27. Emotion is the key to electronic media.
  28. Sales people are trained to "overcome objections." Beware the pat answer and probe deeper when get it.
  29. Remote broadcasts generally are too expensive and a waste of money.
  30. Don’t handle your own advertising.  And don’t do your own dental work.

 Edgemarketing can help you determine cost effective, powerful, strategies to push your brand identity to the forefront in your potential customer's minds. Email us or call us today for a free 30 minute evaluation and consultation. 

Phone 205-424-8840