Marketing Methods & Vehicles 6: Marketing on the Radio

This continues our series on marketing methods and vehicles to help increase business revenues

Radio provides less expensive access to more targeted markets than television. Buying radio time—and preparing radio spots—requires much less money. Strategic Media estimates the average cost to produce a TV ad at $50,000 while an outside agency can produce a radio spot for $1,500. In addition, most communities offer far more radio stations than television broadcasters. Plus, you can target specific audiences easier on radio.

Target Your Audience on Radio

In their article About Radio Advertising Strategic Media states “The fundamental advertising axiom of reaching the right people at the right time with the right message at the right cost is more possible with radio than with TV or print, the other large-scale "push" direct response advertising mediums.”

The article lists exactly which age groups listen to which radio formats (oldies, alternative, classical). As a result your message goes to right people. Radio stations can also give you clear demographics about their audience (% male/female, listening locations, % with children in the home, average salary of the listener, and much more).

Tips for Using Radio

The folks at wiseGEEK offer multiple articles on using the radio. They list advertising agencies that cater to radio, cost comparisons, and more. They offer the following suggestions:

• Create less expensive spots using you or on-air talent to read your material
• Use several different voice actors to perform short comedic spots or customized music to punch up the most important parts of the advertising copy
• Generally pay for the number of times a radio spot is played
• You pay less for messages played during overnight hours
• You pay premium for messages during “drive time” hours—but reach more listeners

In addition, consider the following ideas:

• Pay only a portion of an ad by splitting the cost with a cross-promotion partner
• Explore if publicity qualifies for free announcement on community bulletin boards
• Establish yourself as an expert in your field so that on-air talent interviews you

Tuesday we will review getting your marketing message to your buyers through direct mail