I’m often asked if radio advertising is a wise media investment. My answer has always been YES and it’s an even better advertising investment today since radio communication is now digitized and streams across many devices. With the right message that grabs people’s attention, the right voice talent and well-negotiated media investment, radio advertising offer widespread brand awareness and lead generation opportunity. And here’s why…
Recent statistics show that advertising on the radio remains one of the best ways to reach your target audience. According to recent Nielsen research among adults 18+, radio reaches 92% of U.S. adults every week. A recent Smart Audio Report shared that 38% of smart speaker owners use Alexa and Echo to tune into AM/FM music. Of the 53 million American households that use a smart speaker, 32% listen to AM/FM news talk and 22% listen to AM/FM sports radio. But get this, 52% of all smart speaker owners report using their device daily.
Now that you understand why radio advertising is a wise investment, you need to think strategically.
Here are three tips to help ensure your investment gets the best results…
Start your ad strong. You’ve got to get the listeners’ attention right away. If your message isn’t clear, they’re far more likely to tune out. It’s your job to prevent your listener from switching to another station or muting the commercials altogether. Don’t waste time with boring introductions or verbose explanations. Get straight to the point on how your product or service delights your customers and solves their problems.
Invest in the voice over. Since there is no visual component, everything in radio leads back to the voice, tone, pace, variety, and emotion. The voice talent needs to portray whatever emotion you want your audience to feel. If they don’t do this effectively you won’t convince the buyer of your worth and won’t convert sales. Get a professional voiceover that fits the message and demographics of your listeners.
Hire an experienced media buyer. To get the most bang for your buck, you’ll want an experienced media buyer that can do the research on your audience and recommend the best buy to reach your potential customers. A media buyer will know which stations your demographic listens to and will be able to negotiate deals that add value to your investment.
By following these three tips, your next radio advertisement is sure to improve the return on your media buy investment. Ready to talk and get some expert assistance? We’ll be happy to help. Get in touch today.
Sources cited:
https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2019/the-steady-reach-of-radio-winning-consumers-attention/
https://www.rbr.com/smart-audio-report/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/geneely/2018/05/23/time-for-radio-to-reimagine-itself-as-the-medium-of-all-things-audio/#57ad21fc2bd8