Advertising
On The Radio - Keep It Simple
Let's say
you spent good money on a brochure. Several pages filled with features,
benefits, facts, figures, call to action, contact info...oh yeah, paragraphs
about who you are, what you do....the different services you provide, your
product offerings...and the list goes on and on. Everything you believe a
potential client would need or want to know about your business. Now you are
interested in advertising on the radio.
Here's a
great radio advertising tip -
Don't let
your radio commercials end up like your brochure.
Advertising
on the radio works best when it is simple and effective.
First...a
given. If you are going to advertise on the radio, make sure you have a product
that has demand. In another article we discuss the topic of Direct Response
Radio Advertising Mistakes: A Product No One Wants. With that said, lets move
on to advertising on the radio assuming there is demand for your product or
service.
Simplicity
is the key to effective direct response radio advertising. Face it, when you
are buying fifteen, thirty, even sixty seconds worth of radio advertising, you
don't have the time to create an audio brochure. Radio advertising is a
powerful advertising medium, but can it work for you?
Yes it can.
You just need to make sure your direct response radio advertising campaign is
just that...DIRECT. When advertising on the radio, get right to the point. What
is the problem your potential customers face? What is the solution? (Hopefully
this is where you have inserted your company name). What benefit does your company
provide that solves the problem? And most important of all...what would make me
choose your company? Here is where the irresistible offer comes in. Direct
response radio advertising is rooted in a foundation of "what's in it for me".
Give me reason to call. A free offer...free sample...free estimate...deep
discount...money back guarantee...whatever your feel is important to your potential
customer. This offer helps "grease the skids" and provides a strong incentive
to call or click.
And
speaking of calls and clicks - If you are advertising on the radio, you must
make your call to action clear, concise and memorable. In other words, if you
are driving to a toll free number, make sure you are not advertising some
random ten digits that are difficult to remember. Use vanity phone numbers.
Vanity phone numbers provide sticking power in the listeners mind. What will
you remember more - 1-800-I-ATE-A-BUG or 1-800-428-3228 (plus the extra useless
digit)? You can use a combination of vanity numbers or words and number for
tracking purposes. If you are directing your radio advertising campaign to a
URL. Make sure it's a simple domain name. No long URL's with dashes and slashes
and long strings of weird variables. Simple works better. And again, you can
use a variety of simple domains for tracking. And make sure you mention your
number or URL at least a couple of times throughout the radio commercial.
So what
have you learned here?
When
advertising on the radio, keep it simple. Get directly to the problem, the
solution, the benefit, the irresistible offer, and the clear call to action.
Keep this simple structure in mind, and your chances of success when
advertising on the radio dramatically increase.
