| |
| |
|
Advertising Information |
|
|
|
Radio Advertising - Is it for Your Business? - More Small Business Power Tools
If you're a typical small business, you've probably been approached by at least several different radio station sales representatives. In most cases, he or she comes armed with all the latest rating information demonstrating, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that his or her station is number one among just the kind of people who would buy your products or services. She or he will also probably stress how inexpensive radio advertising is vs. TV or even newspaper ads. Yes, radio spots are cheaper that TV ads and often even cheaper than newspaper ads. But there area few things you need to think about before you sign that radio advertising contract.First, is yours the kind of business that can really profit from radio advertising? Radio commercials are very ethereal. Once the 30 or 60 second spot is over, there is nothing physical for your customers to hang on to. You have to depend on their ability to remember your message long enough to take some action, i.e., either call you or come to your place of business. This means you have to have a very strong and compelling advertising message. This could be a special, and I do mean special, sales event, or some other special promotion. Second, how many of your prospects will the advertising actually reach? Radio ads are much harder to target than some other forms of advertising because they can be purchased only by demographics such as age. You can pick a station that scores well with people age 18-35, but how many of these 18 to 35-year olds are really prospects for your products or services? Third, when will your spots actually run? The most expensive radio advertising is called "drive time," which in most cities is 7:00 to 9:00 AM, and 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Drive time gets higher radio ratings because there are so many people in cars listening to their radios as they drive to and from work. The smart radio station sales person probably won't even try to sell you drive time spots because either they've already been sold or because she or he knows you're most likely to choke at their cost. Instead, they will most likely try to sell you some other combination of times and days. The important thing to know is when your spots will run and how many people will hear your message. Because radio advertising is so ethereal (see #1, above), you need to do a lot of it to get your message across. This is especially true if you cannot feature a special sales event or some other special promotion. One of our local jewelers is a good example of what to do when you do not have a special event to promote. The main thrust of his advertising is for engagement rings. Just think about this market. A guy buys only one of these during his entire lifetime (theoretically), and could decide to make his purchase on just about any day of the year. So how do you reach this market? He buys so many commercials, I don't think a day goes by that I do not hear one of his spots. Sure, it's expensive, but it's the only way he can guarantee he will reach a prospect just before he purchases a ring. Plus, he has advertised so heavily and for so long, I don't think a man in this city could buy an engagement ring without least thinking about this particular jeweler. I don't think it makes much sense to run a commercial that requires your prospect to remember a phone number. In most cases, he or she will not be in a position to drop everything, grab a pencil and write down your number. What would be more effective, in my mind, is to use a web address, especially if your web address matches your company's name. For example, if the name of your store is Great Memories, your web site should be www.greatmemories.com. Repeat this at least a couple of times in your commercial to help prospects remember the name of your business and drive them to your web site. You can then use your web site to provide more your business's address and phone number, and well as other important information. The radio station will most likely offer to do your commercial for you free or at a reduced cost. This can be a good deal for you but you must provide the station with a list of "talking points," or those sales points that must be included in your commercial. For example, your list might include: Store name = Great Memories (at least twice)| Store description: Everything for the avid scrapbooker Web address - www.greatmemories.com (at least twice) Special sale = all items reduced 30% this week only. Once a year sale. Stock up on your scrapbooking supplies now Store address: 5600 Brookhaven Finally, make sure you get to approve the script for your commercial before the station records it. As you review the script, think about your customer and make sure it includes everything necessary to get them to contact you or stop by your store. Article by Douglas Hanna. Douglas is a retired advertising and marketing executive and long-time Denver resident. He is the webmaster of http://www.all-in-one-info.com, a free resource for information on a variety of subjects. Please visit his site to subscribe to his free newsletter, "Tips & Tricks to Save Money & Live Better."
MORE RESOURCES:
Broadband-Internet - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Placemat Ad Advertising Starting a placemat ad business can create more business for you; free advertising and income all while helping other local small businesses advertise their business all at a reasonable price.This is an idea not new by any means, but it can prove to be very profitable to you if done right. The ONLY Type Of Advertising People LOVE!! Can it be???Is there advertising that people actually love?You bet there is! And you are already very aware of it. The type of advertising I'm referring to is promotional items, also known as advertising specialties. The Importance of Your Business Card What are you trying to say with you business card?We have talked about collecting other people's business cards and also about how they are often tough to differentiate from one another. These are things you should avoid for your own business card. Trade Writing - For Cash! Often considered as "plain Jane's" of the print world, trade magazines prove that there is more to a market than just a pretty face.Trade magazines are written for a specialized audience and typically focus on one specific area or industry. Raising Funds For Your Nonprofit Using An Annual Direct Mail Program A good annual direct mail solicitation program can produce unrestrictive operating funds for your nonprofit organization year after year. And such an annual direct mail program, if done right, should produce more funding for your organization each year. What's the Score? You may be aware that in a basketball game the assistant coaches keep an almost unending list of personal statistics for each player. Rebounds, assists, points, minutes played, etc. How Do People Know Youre in Business? One of the most important things to do now that you've started a business is to TELL THE WORLD! But HOW? It can be very expensive and time consuming if not done properly. Here's some inexpensive publicity and marketing ideas to help you get recognition for your new venture. Direct Mail = Your Money, From Printer to Mailbox to Trash! I did a quick, very unscientific survey of 25 of my friends. I asked them to put the mail that they do not open or read in a specific trash bag. Predictions for 2010 2005 puts us at the mid-point of the first decade of the new millenium. What will things look like at the end of the 1st decade of the new millenium in the world of advertising? I thought I'd project where the ad industry is headed and what 2010 (or sooner) might look like. Why Would Anyone Want Your Business Card? Do you remember how proud you were the first time you saw your name in print?Most entrepreneurs feel that same flush of pride when they gaze on their new business cards. That small piece of paper represents years of planning and effort and hard work and dreams. When Advertising Wears Out One of the challenges facing marketers is determining the most effective level of advertising exposure for a brand, while maintaining a given budget. Conceptually, the media planner could choose continuous advertising (even exposures spread over a period of time) or follow a strategy of pulsing ("on" for some months and "off" for others). Giorgio Armani: A Persuasive Campaign Lets examine the use of Giorgio Armani Company's advertisements for a persuasive campaign. My reasoning is because the company is separated into several different divisions, while each tries to sell their product, the advertisements must maintain an overall company image. The $500.00 A Month Plan One way to make extra money or start a business of your own is by placing advertising which will pay a good profit. Selling printed information by mail can br financially rewarding. 16 Ways to Make Your Business Cards Unforgettable Every time you hear someone say "May I have one of your business cards?" you should get excited. I know I do. 7 Questions to Ask Before You Advertise Most business owners and managers keep a fairly close eye on their marketing budgets.And nothing throws a budget out of whack faster than advertising. Wheres Me Pot of Gold and Lucky Charms? We already know this from our history books. If you want to make money today, you must first look back in time to the first time in history that a large portion of our country all tried to get rich at the same time in the same place. Media Savvy - Treat Them As You Would Your Best Customer The ability to lead, persuade and influence are integral skills for effective managers. The capability of telling a story that inspires, motivates and informs is an essential part of this process. How to Write Great Headlines According to experts, just changing the headline of an ad or sales letter has been known to dramatically improve the effectiveness of an ad or sales letter by up to 1700 percent! Yes, headlines are that powerful--and that important!An effective headline will do many things at once. It will attract the readers attention, convey benefits by appealing to the readers self-interest and it will set the stage for what is to come. What Does the Back of Your Business Card Say? Business cards with nothing on the back are wastedopportunities to sell.Use the back of your card to expand and reaffirmyour selling sentence (which should be prominenton the front of your card). How To Get Big Sponsorship Money for Your Band, Tour, Event or Production Touring is a bands greatest opportunity for success. But, touring can be very expensive.
|
|
Home | Site Map | 101InfoLinks.com | Best Book Shop | Sports Fans ONLY 
.
|
| © 2007 |
.jpg)