Have you ever thought about creating campaigns for your online radio advertisers instead of merely selling advertising space on your online radio site?
This article tells you all about radio advertising since the emergence of the first radio campaigns and the types of radio advertising. It even gives tips on creating quality campaigns with positive results.
You have undoubtedly heard the phrase “marketing is the soul of business.” And this is a great truth. Marketing is part of people’s daily lives, often imperceptibly.
Marketing is a vast and essential area for any company. A business that does not have a quality marketing and advertising strategy is doomed to failure and certainly will not achieve the results it seeks.
When we think of newly-opened companies, advertising (the marketing area responsible for publicizing products and services) becomes essential to reach customers and generate positive results.
Among so many communication vehicles available to companies, the radio stands out for its accessibility and credibility.
The birth of radio advertising
As difficult as it is to separate radio broadcasting from advertising, the truth is that in the early years of radio, sponsorship was practically nonexistent.
In the beginning, radio stations were usually linked to companies manufacturing receivers. At the time, radio stations were a way to convince the public to buy the equipment!
One of the first advertising campaigns on a radio broadcast on record was aired on WEAF in NY on August 22, 1922. The sponsored broadcast was 15 minutes of real estate content, offering apartments in Jackson Heights, Queens.
Radio advertising format
Radio advertising began in the sponsorship format, as mentioned earlier. Since then, it has significantly evolved, and today there are many advertising formats, each with its characteristics and objectives. Below are a few:
- Straight reads: This is the most common type of advertisement. They are simple texts, with one or more voices reading out a message, and may have sound effects and background music.
- Live reads or Host Endorsements: The radio host reads out your advertisement while the show is running. This category of ads relies on the broadcaster’s and host’s credibility to convince the audience.
- Spots: Widely used in sports broadcasts and are distinguished by short phrases.
- Jingle Ad: It is a short song with simple lyrics, made to be easily remembered. These ads have rhythms that stick in your head and are hard to forget!
How to attract advertisers to your online radio
Although advertising campaigns for radio stations have become a reliable way to attract customers to a brand, it’s not easy to convince a potential customer to announce in your station, especially in the beginning.
If your online radio is not yet well known, you can’t just wait for advertisers to come looking for it. Instead, it would help if you ran after potentially interested parties, so they become aware of your internet radio and the advantages of advertising on it.
Seek especially for micro and small businesses, neighborhood stores, markets, bakeries, and companies that can’t allocate many financial resources in advertising and, therefore, can’t announce on big radio stations. These companies will find the perfect budget and lead segment on your online radio station.
Advantages of advertising campaigns on online radios
When seeking advertisers for your online radio, you have to convince them. Show them the benefits of this medium:
- Radio ads have a meager cost compared to other media outlets;
- Radio broadcasts target a specific audience, and it is easy to advertise in a niche;
- The radio is a highly credible medium;
- The radio creates promotional and multiplatform partnerships;
- Radio has a large audience during business hours;
- Thanks to streaming technology, the radio accompanies the listener wherever they are, allowing anyone with internet access to listen to an online radio station.
Creating advertising campaigns for radio stations
Companies often look for agencies to develop their advertising campaigns and find the best vehicle for publicity. Others, who have already defined their preference for radio, may request that the radio station makes it.
Besides selling space on your online radio schedule, you can also provide the advertising campaign and create the recording and production script.
The great advantage is that the radio understands its audience and can assist in defining the script and the campaign format according to the target audience and the airtime. Furthermore, the production time for an in-house advertisement is much shorter, and the advertiser will quickly have its commercial on the air.
Tips for creating a successful advertising campaign
- Define the target audience: The first step is to collect information about the business you are advertising and learn about their goals, to define whom they are targeting;
- Create a slogan: A catchy slogan is essential, a phrase that briefly and clearly describes your advertiser’s business;
- Be creative: Creative ads will give more exposure to the company and generate a more significant impact on the consumer. Thus, explore extensively and try something different. The content has to be interesting to stand out from the competition;
- Be persuasive: The advertising must convince the consumer that the products or services offered are essential. Otherwise, it will be a waste of time and money.
- Be careful with the language: The language must suit the target audience. Be straightforward and objective. Do not use elaborate words. Everyone must understand the message.
- Attention to fixation: Address only one theme in each ad and repeat the business name at least twice.
- Length: A good radio ad can attract attention, engage the listener, and stimulate the imagination by creating mental images in a few seconds.
Frequency of airing the ads
The consensus is that a radio ad needs to impact the potential customer three to five times before it triggers action. Therefore, a radio ad campaign should include a sequence of 27 to 30 airings.
This number is an estimate, but to arrive at an exact figure, you must determine the average audience (rating points), i.e., the potential audience impacted by an ad at any given time.
These are just a few essential tips for producing much more than enjoyable advertising: delivering effective results for your advertiser.
Finally, now that you know how to attract advertisers and create ads for your sponsors, you must ensure that your online radio will not let you down.
It is pointless to create an incredible advertising campaign, and when it is time to broadcast, the radio goes off the air due to some hosting failure, right?
Therefore, we invite you to explore BRLOGIC. We have over 15 years of experience hosting audio for commercial and online radios, plus a website builder, Android app, and more.
You receive a free 7-day trial with no obligation by creating your account. What are you waiting? Just click here to start your online radio station right now!
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