Radio Ad

wsands · 09-26-2008, 08:45 AM

I was just curious if anyone has ever used or looked into using a radio ad to market. If so, what kind of ROI did you get?

If no one has used it what kind of ROI would you expect to get off of something like that?

Thanks

Will

xrac · 09-26-2008, 08:51 AM

This was a double post! Sorry. See post below.

Mr. Bill · 09-26-2008, 09:01 AM

No kidding - the best way to see whether a marketing idea works is to allow someone else to spend the money on it. There used to be a lady pushing Allianz annuities on the overnight radio, no more. The Blue Cross ad in a local throwaway went for 4 weeks, exactly.

The ones that work are "sponsored" endorsements by a host of a show, but those are really expensive.

xrac · 09-26-2008, 09:06 AM

Based upon my experience with radio advertising I would save my money. The only exception is I would consider doing a talk radio advice type program or I might also do tag along advertising or endorsed advertising with a similar type program.

wilkin · 09-26-2008, 04:54 PM

I am going to give radio a try over the next three months via internet streaming that three local stations offer. AM talk, AM sports and FM soft rock.

They tell me they have a large number of folks who listen online at work. My thinking is they are not button pushers changing channels when commercials come on, and since they are at their PC they may go to my website if they have interest.

There are fifty advertisers whose thirty second commercials are rotated on all three stations 24 hours a day. One or two sales will cover my cost for three months. Copywriters are working on my ad now.

healthagent · 09-26-2008, 04:55 PM

When I was with Mega we ran a lot of radio leads - they claimed each lead was $45.

wsands · 09-26-2008, 06:03 PM

Originally Posted by wilkin

I am going to give radio a try over the next three months via internet streaming that three local stations offer. AM talk, AM sports and FM soft rock.

They tell me they have a large number of folks who listen online at work. My thinking is they are not button pushers changing channels when commercials come on, and since they are at their PC they may go to my website if they have interest.

There are fifty advertisers whose thirty second commercials are rotated on all three stations 24 hours a day. One or two sales will cover my cost for three months. Copywriters are working on my ad now.

If you dont' mind, how much is that costing you to run the campaign?

wilkin · 09-26-2008, 07:31 PM

900

David C · 09-26-2008, 10:20 PM

There's a Farm Bureau agent in a nearby town that did a radio ad, he repeated his phone number many times during the ad, he had people come up to him on the street repeating his number. I don't know if he made sales from it, but he certainly heightened name awareness.

ims01 · 09-26-2008, 11:47 PM

Back when the MSA (now HSA) came out we did radio. It was great. But we found that after 3 months the response would drop so we would lay off for a month or so. When we started back after the lay off the numbers would be back up again. It is important to match the station to your target market.

Mac1958 · 09-27-2008, 09:13 AM

Having been in radio for about 20 years in a former life, I'd offer the following suggestions:

1. Look at talk radio first. Talk radio listeners are far more conditioned to actually listen than are music radio listeners, who often use the station as background noise.

2. Arbitron ratings for your market are easy to find online. Just Google "Arbitron" and your city's name, and the info will be right there for you. Find the two highest-rated talk radio stations in your area and meet with their reps. And be sure to play them against each other!

3. Don't let the rep control the conversation, or the days & times your ads play. Go into the meetings with specific goals in mind. Such as:

4. Being part of the news is much better than being in the middle of a commercial break, when people often tune out. Since you'd be buying ads, you have a little influence. Tell them you'd want to be their main go-to guy for all stories having to do with insurance. Fortunately, insurance is at the top of the news right now, so reporters should contact you for interviews. Make sure they know your professional credentials and/or expertise.

5. Better yet, have the rep arrange with the station's morning drive or afternoon drive show to give you a regular (weekly) spot on the show to discuss the latest developments in the insurance and/or health industries. You'd be a part of the show, and listeners would get to know you.

(6) It's sometimes more cost-effective to sponsor segments. "Now it's time for sports, brought to you by WSands Insurance"-type ads are usually far cheaper, which allows you to purchase more ads. Frequency, the number of times a listener hears your message, is absolutely critical in broadcast advertising. And this connection with the station still allows you to be their go-to guy for stories.

Leverage the fact that you're buying ads to become a part of the radio staff! You can't usually get away with that if you're not buying the ads. This gives you (1) instant credibility with the station's listenership, (2) the authority with the station staff to contact you for stories and features, (3) the ability to include "as heard on KWWW radio" on other ads and marketing pieces, and (4) much, much, much more value for your advertising dollar. A true win-win.

The media needs "stuff", material for their programming. Give them "stuff"!!