RADIO ADVERTISING
Since its inception, radio has become an integral part of
American culture. In some way, it touches the lives of almost
everyone, every day. Radio, as a medium, offers a form of
entertainment that attracts listeners while they are working,
traveling, relaxing or doing almost anything. A farmer, for
example, may listen to the radio while he is having breakfast or
plowing his field. People driving to work often listen to the
radio. Radio offers information such as: news, weather reports,
traffic conditions, advertising and music for your listening pleasure.
What Are Some of the Good Things About Radio?
Radio is a relatively inexpensive way of reaching people. It
has often been called the "theater of the mind" because voices or
sounds can be used to create moods or images that if crested by
visual effects would be impossible to afford.
You can also negotiate rates for your commercials, or even
barter. Stations are often looking for prizes they can give away to
listeners, so it's possible to get full commercial credit for the
product or service you offer.
Advantages to radio advertising include:
* The ability to easily change and update scripts are paramount to radio broadcasting, since news stories can and often do happen live.
* Radio is a personal advertising medium. Station personalities have a good rapport with their listeners. If a radio personality announces your commercial, it's almost an implied endorsement.
* Radio is also a way to support your printed advertising. You can say in your commercial, "See our ad in the SundayTimes," which makes your message twice as effective.
What are Some Limitations to Radio Advertising?
Radio advertising is not without its disadvantages too, such as:
* You can't review a radio commercial. Once it plays, it's gone. If you didn't catch all the message, you can't go back and hear it again.
* Since there are a lot of radio stations, the total listening audience for any one station is just a piece of a much larger whole. That's why it's important to know what stations your customers and prospects probably listen to. Therefore, most of the time, you'll have to buy time on several radio stations to reach the market you are after.
* People don't listen to the radio all the time...only during certain times of day. So, it's important to know when your customers or prospects are listening. For example, if you want to reach a large portion of your audience by advertising during the morning farm report, you'll have to specify that time period to the radio station when you buy the time.
One of the most popular times to reach people is during
Drive Times (from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.) It's
called that because most people are going to or from work during
this period, and because most people listen to their radio when
they drive. Unfortunately, radio stations know that this is a
favorite time to advertise, so commercial costs are much higher
during this time.
* Radio as a broadcasting medium, can effectively sell an
image...or one or two ideas at the most. It is not,
however, a detailed medium...and is a poor place for
prices and telephone numbers.
* Radio listeners increase in the spring and summer,
contrary to television audiences which increase in the
fall and winter and decrease in the summer. This is an
important aspect to consider when you are choosing
advertising media.
How Should I Buy Time on the Radio?
Like a newspaper, each radio station has its own advertising staff.
Each wants you to believe that their station is the absolute
best buy for your money...and many will go to great lengths to
prove it. But if you've done your research, or you are using an
advertising agency, you probably have a good idea of the station
you want to buy time on and when. If you don't know which stations
you want to use, ask each station for its own research, that is,
the type of programming, musical format, geographic reach, number
of listeners and station ratings.
By getting the station ratings and the number of people it
reaches, you can figure out the cost-per-thousand people (CPM) by
simply dividing the cost of a commercial by the thousands of people
you are reaching.
Example
Cost of commercial = $35.00
Audience reached = 45,000 people
Cost of commercial per 1000 people = 35/45 = $0.78 per 1000
Without getting complicated, here are two cardinal rules for radio advertising:
1. It's better to advertise when people are listening than when they are not.
2. It's better to bunch your commercials together than to spread them apart.
A lot of radio sales reps will try to talk you out of
advertising during specific times. They'll offer you a reduced rate
called TAP (Total Audience Plan) that splits your advertising time
into 1/3 drive, 1/3 mid-day and 1/3 night. This may sound like a
good deal, but airing commercials during times when your audience
isn't listening is bad advertising. If however, you are sponsoring
a show such as Paul Harvey or the Morning Farm Report, it makes
sense to advertise once or twice a day on a regular basis, since
those programs have regular listenership. Frequency is a vital
element for effective radio advertising.
Since you can't automatically recall the radio commercial and
hear it again, you may have to hear the same commercial two, four,
or maybe six times before the message sinks in. If you missed the
address the first time, you consciously or subconsciously are
hoping the commercial will be aired again so you can get the
information you need. That's the way radio advertising works. And
that's also the way you buy it.
Most of the time, radio advertising should be bought in
chunks. High frequency over a short period of time is much more
effective than low frequency over a longer period of time.
It's important for your audience to hear your spot again to get more
information out of it. For example, if you wanted to advertise a
two week campaign and you could afford 42 radio commercials, the
following buy would serve you well: On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and
Thursdays, place three spots between 7-9 a.m. and four spots
between 3-6 p.m. for two weeks. Notice that both day and hour
periods are concentrated.
By advertising in concentrated areas in tight day groups, you
seem larger than you really are. And people hearing your
concentrated campaign for two or three days will think you're on
all the time. The radio sales reps may try to sell you three spots
everyday on the station for 14 days (a total of 42 spots). But
your campaign won't be nearly as effective.
Here are a few tips to help you plan your commercials:
1. If you're including your address in the commercial,
simplify it. Instead of "134525 East Pines," say "at the
corner of First & Pines, next to Gumbies." It's easier to remember.
2. Don't use phone numbers in your commercial. If you have
to mention your phone number, refer to the Yellow Pages
in the local phone book.
3. Radio works better when you combine it with other
advertising media.
4. Check out the price differences between 60-second and
30-second commercials. Normally, 30-second commercials
are only 1/3 less than 60's, which makes a 60-second
commercial a better buy.
5. Be creative with your radio advertising, too. If it
sounds like all the rest of the commercials, it won't
stand out. Your message won't be heard nearly as well.
Advertising agencies are usually quite good at producing
creative radio commercials.
If you decide to write your own radio scripts, remember these basic copy writing rules:
* Get your listener's attention immediately.
* Write in conversational style.
* Avoid using buzz words or jargon.
* Repeat your important points.
* Make your ending strong and positive
with call-to-actionfor response.
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