Marketing Campaigns: Traditional and Online Radio Advertising

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A radio ad campaign directed at a company's target market can strengthen its brand recognition and lead to increased sales.

Radios are in the majority of American homes and auto vehicles. They are used by workers frequently at the office. Radios continue to be a major source for news and entertainment. In addition to traditional radio, new media radio programming also offers options to reach new customer. Directed to your target market, radio advertisement can reach millions of radio listeners.

Market Research for Radio Advertising

“The only way to avoid being ignorant is to conduct a regular, methodical program of market research,” writes S. Robert Tralins in his book Dynamic Selling (Prentice-Hall, 1961). Conduct market research before purchasing radio advertisement.

Radio advertising offers a high degree of selectivity. Different audiences are attracted to different stations and programs. Learn which radio station best reaches your target market by reviewing the advertising material from the stations that interest you. This material generally includes information about the radio advertising costs, listener statistics with time-slot estimates and audience demographics.

Learn more about your company's existing clients. Capture information such as “favorite radio station” from the customers, through a survey, or a contest or reward program. Work with a marketing professional to develop a customer survey that can be delivered by email or direct mail to existing customers.

Develop a habit of capturing customer research data. Create a file or notebook established specifically for this market research information. Market research helps to more effectively reach customers with services and products. Set aside time to read about industry information to understand both internal and external market dynamics – all of which should help in developing a more effective marketing campaign.

Radio Advertisement Commercials

“Radio advertising can be complex because putting together a good commercial usually requires professional assistance,” writes Gregory F. Kishel and Patricia Gunter Kishel in their book Start and Succeed in Multilevel Marketing (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1990) . “Fortunately, many radio stations are willing to help advertisers produce their commercials at little or no charge.”

Music is generally an important part of a radio advertisement. Unique advertising jingles are still powerful radio tools. Host a jingle contest to get your clients in on the new radio advertising campaign.

Keep in mind that many radio stations offer quality in-house ad development talent to advertisers. Also, consider hiring an advertising professional. The ability to hire an ad agency will depend on your marketing budget. Just remember, for many of us, “Rolaids” stills spells "relief" because of the simple ingenuity of professional ad developers.

Online Radios and Podcasts

Like traditional radio, online radio networks have diverse programming options, listener demographics and effectiveness. Internet-based podcasts and audio or video blogs are sometimes produced by traditional networks. Professional and business organizations, such as the American Bar Association, also produce a number of podcasts.

"Advertising on the Internet is a reality, just as it is for other media outlets, but I’m often still surprised when I’m faced with it," says Felicia Strong, a Chicago-based copy editor. "If I’m listening to an online radio format, I may not expect to hear advertisers, but more and more they are there and will, I think, continue to be there. It is the reality we live in now, and the Internet is a major point of contact for advertisers looking to connect with audiences. It has become a large part of the contact strategy for many businesses.

While statistical research regarding consumer listening preferences on traditional radio abounds, online radio listener's opinions about advertisement is much smaller and may show mixed results. If you are interested in exploring online radio options, check out the great number of podcast and online radio websites on the Internet. Those that sell ads may have website tabs with advertiser specifications. Alternatively, use company contact information to inquire with the company's sales department.

Radio Ad Costs, Prices and Rates
A radio commercial must be broadcast repeatedly over a period of weeks or months to be effective as a guerrilla marketing tool. Costs will include the radio station rates and ad agency consultation and services. Contact prospective radio stations for rate lists. The general rule is that the overall unit cost is reduced by increased ad runs. Small stations may offer lower advertising rates. Also, ensure that the purported listener numbers are verifiable through an independent industry source.

A good radio ad that attracts listeners from your target market can be an effective guerrilla marketing tool. Conduct market research that identifies targeted customer's radio listening tastes. You probably already have some insight on these preferences. This will help you to select stations and programming times.

Traditional and online radio advertising offer different ways to reach your next customer. Request radio advertisement price lists to get started on formulating a budget and planning your radio marketing campaign.

About the author
Vanessa Cross is a freelance writer who writes about international trade, business law and small business development issues. Copyright 2013.