And you can use radio
quite effectively to target specific ethnic groups, select
demographics (young men, age 18 to 34, for example), or people with
interests in common, such as soccer fans.
The results you get from your radio campaign
will depend on at least two factors:
- creating appealing
and effective spots, and
- making an effective
media buy.
To accomplish both, stick to the following
guidelines:
Hire Production Pros
Radio spot production is not a do-it-yourself job, so you'll need
an agency or production company that has experience creating spots
that motivate members of your target audience or expertise in marketing
your type of product or service. Above all, the spots produced should
be appropriate to the target audience and what's being sold.
Sixty-second spots are still the norm in radio,
unlike TV, where :30s predominate. And whether you take a lighthearted
or reverent tone, your spots must be evocative and engaging, using
music, sound effects and dialogue to create "word pictures"
that involve the listeners. If you're advertising in a small market
or where the personality of the on-air talent on a particular station
lends interest or credibility to your message, you may choose to
use announcer-read spots and have the station do the copywriting
for you.
How to Buy Time
Here are four steps to take when buying time for your radio campaign.
1. Identify a narrow
demographic target audience and their important characteristics
or habits. For example: women, 25 to 54, with children under age
6, who reside in a specific geographic market area.
2. Contact the stations
you believe reach your target audience, and ask them
to provide you with proposals that include a ratings breakdown
for your target group and a signal coverage map.
3. Evaluate each station's proposal, looking
for reach, frequency and cost per point.
The "reach" is the number of individuals in your target
group who will hear your marketing message. "Frequency"
isn't the number of times that you run your spot; it's the number
of times a member of your target audience will actually hear your
message. And the "cost per rating point" (CPP) is the
cost to reach 1 percent of your target audience population. Also,
the bulk of your spots should run in dayparts that draw the largest
percentage of your prospects, not run-of-station (ROS), which
may include multiple, lower-cost spots that air in the middle
of the night, when fewer of your prospects will be listening.
4. Select the best
stations for your campaign, and negotiate your buys.
Make frequency your top priority,
and then include as much reach as you can afford. In other words,
it takes multiple exposures for your message to be effective,
so make sure a core prospect group will hear your spot multiple
times, then buy as many additional prospect contacts as possible.
Tips for Getting
Noticed
Consider buying sponsorships--such as news, weather or traffic--because
you'll receive the first spot in the commercial break and often
a five- to 10-second "billboard" to say something about
your company. Participating in contests will also get you lots of
on-air mentions. So contact each station's promotions director for
upcoming events.
