In our last presentation we continued our offline marketing series, with a look at how to advertise on television. In today’s article we are going to continue that series with a look at how to advertise with radio.
2. Around 77% of adults tune in to AM/FM stations. The
average listener spends almost 2 hours per day
listening to radio.
Why should you advertise with radio?
3. You can reach people when they are driving to do
shopping. Peak radio usage coincides with when people
are in rush hour.
Why should you advertise with radio?
4. You can target your advertising very effectively. In the
United States there are a great number and diversity of
radio stations. This allows you to choose a specific
station that reaches the demographic you need to
target.
Why should you advertise with radio?
6. They are listening to the radio
and doing something else. This
m a k e s c o m m u n i c a t i n g
information like a phone number
very difficult.
7. To reach the entire audience of
a radio station requires more
spots than television. This is
because radio listeners can
tune in and out at different
intervals.
9. Retail stores and restaurants
can use radio advertising very
effectively, since it reaches your
potential customers when they
are on their way to go shopping
or thinking where to eat at
night.
10. If you are already advertising on
TV or in Newspapers, radio can
be a powerful one-two punch.
The potential customer watches
your ad at night and radio
reminds them about your
business in the morning.
11. However, if you have a complex
message or the benefits of your
offering are not easy to describe
in a compelling way, radio may
not be for you.
12. You may not know all the stations located in your area.
Radio Locator allows you to find stations by the zip codes
in which their signal can be heard.
Where Should You Advertise?
13. The radio station should be able to tell you which
demographics they serve. Just remember to check if the
stations have an audience that matches your customer
base. Here are some general guidelines for targeting based
on age from Strategic Media....
Where Should You Advertise?
14. age target Formats
teens 12-17 Primarily Top 40, some urban, alternative
Adults 18-24 Top 40, more alternative, urban preference
Adults 25-34
alternative, rock, top, adult contemporary,
some urban
Where Should You Advertise?
15. age target Formats
Adults 35-44 rock, adult contemporary primarily
Adults 45-54 oldies, adult contemporary
Adults 55- 64 classical, new adult contemporary
Adults 65+ adult standards, classical, news talk
Where Should You Advertise?
17. 6 AM - 10 AM - Morning Drive - One of the most desirable
time slots for radio advertisers because the high
engagements of listeners.
18. 10 AM - 3 PM - Midday - Talk stations tend to loose
audience with some exceptions. Other music stations gain
audience as listeners use radio for background noise
during work. The percentage of women listening increases.
19. 3 PM - 7 PM - Afternoon Drive - A coveted time for
advertising. Food and entertainment advertisers tend to
seek this time out for advertising.
20. 7 PM - 12 AM - Evening - Listeners are less responsive to
radio ads and much smaller with the exception of 7 PM - 8
PM. However, there is an opportunity to get “bargain” rates.
21. 12 AM - 6 AM - Overnight - Considered the worst time to
advertise. Unless you are a 24 hour dinner or some business
that caters to people that work at night. This time period is
generally avoided.
22. Weekend advertising is considered its own time-slot.
Weekend audiences tend to be much smaller than weekday
audiences during similar time periods.
All the previous information comes from Bid4Spots’ Radio
Daypart Descriptions
23. Should You Buy Run Of Station?
Run of station allows radio stations to place your spot in any
time they want for a very, very low cost. However, this may
not be good. This may result in your spots running in the
evening or overnight where the audience is small and less
responsive.
24. Radio Advertisements Are Typically Sold in 60 Second
Spots.
There is a study that indicates that 60 second spots are
more effective than 30 second spots. The longer spot gives
the advertiser an opportunity to tell a story and repeat their
brand name and call to action more often.
25. How To Choose A Schedule for Your Radio Advertising.
26. In a choosing a schedule, an advertiser must decide between
reaching the most people (reach) and the number of times
the listener will hear the spot (frequency). There is an
excellent article about this here.
27. How To Choose A Schedule for
Your Radio Advertising.
If you are new to radio
advertising, the biggest
questions are “Does it work?”
and if so “What shows are
working”.
28. Scheduling spots on multiple
dayparts may give you good results
but is that the reason that you are
getting more sales?
Focusing on one daypart and
advertising with good frequency
should give you a better view if
radio advertising is working for you.
30. A primary factor is how many people will be listening. The
frequency that your spot is aired also matters.
Here are some estimates if the schedule is 15 spots from
Monday to Friday and 4 spots on the weekend.
31. •NYC, Los Angeles, Chicago: from $4000 to $8000
•Dallas/Ft.Worth, Houston, Phoenix, San Diego: from $2000
to $5000
32. •Denver, Cleveland, Kansas City: from $1000 to $3000
•Akron, Wichita, Baton Rouge: from $800 to $2000
•Myrtle Beach SC, Green Bay, Topeka: From $500 to $1500
33. There are many fancy words and terms that are used when discussing radio
advertising. There are some clear, concise definitions here.
However, pricing comes down to the following equation:
Number Of People Listening x Cost to Reach 1,000 listeners (CMP)
= Cost of Advertising Per Spot.
What is the thinking behind the pricing?
34. In our opinion the number of people is best measured by Average
Quarterly Hour Person. The radio station can provide you with this
data. The CMP rate can vary greatly from station station. The average
CMP rate is typically in the $12 - $16 range for adults between 18 - 49.
What is the thinking behind the pricing?
36. Often, a radio stations will offer
to create a spot for free with
the catch that you can only run
that spot on their channel(s). If
you get an offer like this, take
advantage of it.
37. Advantages of having the DJ
read from the script:
•Listeners tune out less.
•The DJ may take more than 60
seconds.
•Provides credibility to a
product.
38. If you are going to produce a spot,
we recommend to use a professional
radio commercial production
company and make at least two
commercials so you can see which is
more effective. You should be able
to get a great radio ad made for
$800 to $1200 per commercial.
40. Listeners are not going to be
focusing on your commercial when
it’s aired, so have the following in
mind when writing your script...
41. 1. Anything that is important, you
need to repeat several times
throughout the advertisement.
2. If you want the listener to
remember anything specific, like
promo code or phone number, you
need to make it very easy. For phone
numbers a vanity number will work
best.
42. StrategicMedia: The Top Ten Keys to Creating Great Radio Ads
Michael Holmes: Radio Commercials: Tip Trics And Tutorials
The Radio Advertising Bureau: An interesting interview with a RAB
representative.
Here are some great resources for
creating radio ads