Radio advertising can powerfully deliver your small business message to a targeted group of consumers; it can also fall on deaf ears. The key to success is taking time to think through the right offer, message and placement.

Understand What You're Buying

• If you've read other sections of this web site, you know I don't go in depth about media buying. Even though I only skim the surface, that doesn't mean it isn't important. As I have on other pages of this site, I recommend the book Advertising Media Planning. It's an easy-to-follow book that explains media terminology and buying. You can purchase it through Amazon.com.
• Radio advertising is typically purchased in 15, 30 or 60-second increments. For a small business, 30-second spots work well. Their length gives you time to convey your message and enables you to run more frequently.
• The cost of your radio advertising depends on which stations you're using and their ratings, the time of day your ad runs, the time of year you buy and how much time you leave for negotiation. Morning and evening drive times are usually the most expensive, because more people listen at these times. I've heard novice advertisers buy radio spots at 3 a.m., because the cost is so cheap, but cheap doesn't matter when nobody is listening.
• Listen to radio stations and know their format. Know who their target audience is. Don't just choose a station because you personally like the format. Talk to the radio sales rep and get the demographics of their station. Ask them for their Arbitron ratings book to see how many people in your target audience they reach.

Buy Time for Your Radio Ads

• If you were using a professional media buyer, that person would receive a percentage of what you pay the radio station. When buying media yourself, be sure to ask for an "in-house agency" discount. That means your cost is discounted the amount a media buyer would have received for placing the same ads.
• Think about what you're wanting to accomplish. Go to the marketing plan section of this site to determine your target audience. Compare the station's listener demographics to the target audience you want to reach.
• Radio advertising requires repetition to work. Run a minimum of 15 spots on one station during a one-week period. If your entire run in a month is less than 60 spots on one station, try to keep your ads in the same time slot to reach the same audience. If your spots run an erratic schedule, you may reach more people, but you won't reach any single group of people enough to motivate them to act.
• I don't recommend buying more than two or three radio stations at one time. Think about how people listen to radio. Many channel surf. If you go too deep in buying radio, you're more than likely hitting many of the same listeners as they channel hop.
• Ask about the cost of buying a sponsorship of a daily feature, like the noon news. If you buy a sponsorship, you guarantee your ad will run at a particular time. Also, a sponsorship usually gives you a "sponsored by" mention along with your radio spot.
• If you're placing a large media buy, ask about value-added perks. Sometimes, depending on the station, you can negotiate a free radio remote as part of your media buy.

Write Your Radio Script

• When a radio station produces your commercial, they'll usually offer to write your spot. In my opinion, you're better off to write it yourself, and then ask for their editing expertise. You know your products, services and customers better than anyone. You know what content will appeal to them. (And if you don't, then you need to read the marketing plan section of this site.) I have included some sample radio scripts below. They're all from my previous employer, so they focus on the financial industry. Still, they give you an idea of script format and several different approaches to radio.
  
  Sample Radio Script -- Grand Opening
  Sample Radio Script - Online Banking
  Sample Radio Script - Name Change
  Sample Radio Script - Home Equity
  Sample Radio Script - Mortgage Loan
  Sample Radio Script - Construction Loan
  
• Think through the purpose of your radio commercial. Is it just to get your name out? Is it to inform the listener of a new product or sales event, resulting in a specific response? Before writing, you should have a clear focus on what you want to accomplish.
• Radio advertising should be conversational. Write it like a person speaks. Use sentence fragments. Read through what you've written to hear if it sounds like natural language. Even if you don't write your own radio ad, you should still know the basics of radio copywriting. Know what your radio spot should sound like.

Produce Your Radio Advertising

• You can produce your radio commercial at one of the stations you'll be advertising with. They typically don't charge or charge very little for this service. They'll usually make copies (also called dubs) of the spot for you to use on other radio stations where you advertise. Just ask about this upfront.
• When working with the radio station, provide plenty of guidance. Discuss your expectations for the finished product. What feel do you want to convey? Fun? Somber? Friendly? Keep in mind, the tone of your spot should fit the personality of your business. What should the announcer sound like? Do you prefer a male or female announcer? Will you have background music and if so, what should it sound like? If you don't have the answers to these questions, the radio station can help guide you. Just don't wait until AFTER the spot is produced to express your preferences.
• Stay involved throughout the process of recording your commercial. Be there the day the radio ad is recorded, or at least be available to listen by phone. You want to be able to make changes while the voice talent is still in the studio. If anyone speaking in the commercial sounds unnatural or isn't easy to understand, say something. Don't hesitate to ask for changes or even new talent. Remember, it's your radio advertising and a reflection on your company.
Radio remains a strong advertising medium, even as people turn to MP3's. If you're a small business, with a product to attract customers from a wide geographic area, do consider radio advertising as part of your marketing mix.



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