Sunday 1 April 2007

Radio Advertising

Is it for Your Business? - More Small Business Power Tools
If you're a typical small business, you've probably been approached by at least several different radio station sales representatives. In most cases, he or she comes armed with all the latest rating information demonstrating, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that his or her station is number one among just the kind of people who would buy your products or services. She or he will also probably stress how inexpensive radio advertising is vs. TV or even newspaper ads.
Yes, radio spots are cheaper that TV ads and often even cheaper than newspaper ads. But there area few things you need to think about before you sign that radio advertising contract. First, is yours the kind of business that can really profit from radio advertising? Radio commercials are very ethereal. Once the 30 or 60 second spot is over, there is nothing physical for your customers to hang on to. You have to depend on their ability to remember your message long enough to take some action, i.e., either call you or come to your place of business. This means you have to have a very strong and compelling advertising message. This could be a special, and I do mean special, sales event, or some other special promotion.
Second, how many of your prospects will the advertising actually reach? Radio ads are much harder to target than some other forms of advertising because they can be purchased only by demographics such as age. You can pick a station that scores well with people age 18-35, but how many of these 18 to 35-year olds are really prospects for your products or services?
Third, when will your spots actually run? The most expensive radio advertising is called "drive time," which in most cities is 7:00 to 9:00 AM, and 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Drive time gets higher radio ratings because there are so many people in cars listening to their radios as they drive to and from work. The smart radio station sales person probably won't even try to sell you drive time spots because either they've already been sold or because she or he knows you're most likely to choke at their cost. Instead, they will most likely try to sell you some other combination of times and days. The important thing to know is when your spots will run and how many people will hear your message. Click www.happeningbusiness.co.uk for more info.

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