One of the most common objectives for businesses across all industries is to expand their customer base. In today’s digital world, this is even more critical as enterprises face more competition from across the earth. Radio advertising remains one of the most effective tools to reach new target audiences in this business landscape. That’s why some industries still partner with a radio ads company in their marketing strategy.
From small businesses, large corporations, government, and non-government organizations, radio serve as the most accessible medium to reach a broad audience. In this digital age, many marketers are now quick to dismiss radio as an advertising medium. After all, most people now rely on the internet as their source of information. However, the current numbers still indicate radio is a powerful medium of communication.
As of 2018, there were 15,500 radio stations in the country. A 2019 study by Nielsen also shows that 92% of U.S. adults listen to radio every week, an increase of 2.5% from the previous year. What’s more, online radio has started making waves with about 57% of the population tuning in every month.
If anyone says radio is dead, they are dead wrong, as these numbers prove. A radio ad can thus help you reach a broad targeted audience anywhere in the country. By partnering with a radio ads company, you can reach people at different times of the day.
This guide delves into the benefits of radio ads, tips for partnering with a radio ads company, and offers suggestions for selecting the best company, among other things.
If you prefer to watch a video instead, click here:
This post has been updated in September 2021.
The Benefits of Radio Ads
The fact that Radio has its day on February 13 is enough to show the importance of this communication tool. World Radio Day raises greater awareness among the public and the media about the importance of radio.
UNESCO identifies radio as the most widely consumed medium. The recognition shows that the radio still holds its place in the digital age of advertising. If you have plans to launch an advertising campaign, radio ads should be part of the mix.
Here are some of the benefits of radio ads:
1. Effective Advertising
Radio ads are highly effective, especially when one is reaching a properly selected target audience. Compared to other advertising techniques, radio has an advantage as it plays to the theatre of the mind. This means every advert has a different emotional impact on the listener. Your audience will get different images of the advert, creating a better effect compared to television ads.
2. Targeted Advertising
Once you identify your target audience, the next step is to find a radio station where you can reach these listeners. Different radio stations and radio shows have target listeners. Therefore, they will provide you with the data you need.
You can choose to target audiences with your radio ads based on their age, income levels, level of education among other things. Targeted advertising is more effective and saves you much money as you reach those people you need to with your radio ads.
3. Expansive Audience
Over 220 million people tune in to their favorite radio shows every week. With radio ads, you can reach a vast audience compared to television, print, and other advertising channels.
4. Radio Cuts Through
Did you know that people spend most of their time listening to the radio more than other communication media? From the moment most people wake up, they will have a radio around them. Many people also tune in when driving to work, or even at work. There is ample opportunity provided by radio ads to reach the target audience.
5. Affordability
These ads are far much cheaper than television ads in terms of designing, production, and buying advertising spots. When working with a professional radio ads company, they only need to hire a voice-over actor once the script is ready.
The lower production cost makes radio advertising the perfect choice for small local businesses as well as large corporates. The best thing is that you still reach a wider audience with your radio ads compared to print and TV ads.
6. Faster Lead Time
Time is a critical factor when planning an advertising campaign. Radio ads take days to three weeks to create, and all this happens in-house. If you use an established radio ads company, they will have all the resources to make these ads quickly. Moreover, they will be broadcast-ready in no time. From scriptwriting services, voice actors to editing tools, they have it all.
It is easy to prepare a radio ad for an upcoming event. TV ads may take much longer time while the newspaper ads do not even come close to supporting your need for target content for your event. In case of any changes to the original advert, it is easy to make edits to a radio ad and have it on air. You can also make changes to the entire advertising campaign with new ads in case of changes in the market.
7. Local Targeting
Radio is the pulse of the community as people tune in to find what’s happening around them. With a radio ad, it is thus easy to target the local community if you want to promote your local business.
8. Portability
Radios are tools that reach people anywhere they are and at a time when they are most receptive to hear targeted adverts. Your target audience can tune in when driving or even when lounging at home.
As they relax and listen, their imagination resonates with the radio ad. Soon the audience will start seeing how your products and services can be of great benefit to their lives. Over time, the commercial(s) will inspire your target audience to engage with your brand.
Partnering With A Radio Ads Company
Producing visual and audio ads has become easier than ever before. You can even make an advert using your smartphone or other affordable gadgets. However, if you want to create an active radio ad, it’s best to let the professionals do their work. Partnering with an established radio ads company is the first step towards creating a winning radio ad campaign.
If you are new to radio ads, you will have to appreciate the competition for radio spots among advertisers. Most advertisers still use radio as their best medium for reaching target audiences. As such, your radio ad must stand out from the crowd.
Some of the features to expect from a professionally done radio ad include:
- It is attention-grabbing
- Easy to remember
- Novel and fresh creative idea
- Emotion-laden for a quick impact
- Consistency in production
Why Partner With A Radio Ads Company?
Radio ads done by amateurs will not have any impact on their audience. Working with a radio ads company offers many advantages, including:
- Comprehensive production solutions: From designing your ad, scriptwriting, audio production to sound editing, the best radio ad producers provide all these services under one roof.
- Professional radio ads: Your radio ad company has the prerequisite experience, tools, and expertise to produce an awesome radio ad.
- Latest technology: These companies leverage the latest technology in audio production and editing for the best end product. Your radio ad will stand out from the crowd.
- Custom radio ads: Every advertiser has unique needs and a specific budget. The best radio ad production companies have different packages to suit the needs of various advertisers.
- Custom ad delivery: You can get your advert in any format such as WAV or MP3 format. The production company can also send the advert directly to the radio station.
Features of A Great Radio Ads Company
1. Best Talent
The best radio ad companies invest heavily in hiring the best talent in the industry. From voice-over artists, scriptwriters, production technicians, sound technicians, to editors, you will find them all under one roof. Such professionals will assure you of the quality of radio ad production.
2. Flexible Radio Ad Packages
Every client has unique advertising needs, and as such, a good radio ad company should offer flexible solutions. Some advertisers want short radio spots while others desire infomercials. Others require specific music for their radio ads. The best production company should readily deliver all of these. The company should also offer different pricing for clients who need diverse radio ads.
3. Production Tools
When producing a radio commercial, you should not compromise on the quality. For this reason, you should only partner with a radio ad company that has the latest equipment in their studio.
Some of the equipment to look out for includes top-notch microphones, voice-over booths, latest computers, sound editing software, and hardware, among other material.
4. Comprehensive Radio Production Solutions
Established radio advert production companies also provide related solutions such as voice-overs, script-writing, sound engineering and editing, original music composition, sound effects, sample works for clients, and much more.
Hence, the best company to partner with for a radio ad should offer more than radio commercials.
The Cost for Creating and Producing a Radio Ad
One of the reasons for choosing a radio ad over other techniques is the lower cost. While radio ad production costs are lower compared to TV and print, you should analyze the factors that determine the actual price of your radio ad.
The average cost of radio ads is between ranges from $200 to $5,000 per week. Some of the factors influencing the fee of your radio ad will include:
- Your location
- Length of the radio spot
- Target demographics (some target groups are more popular than others; henceforth, the rate goes up).
- Competition for the radio spot at a particular radio station
- Number of expected listeners who might tune in for your commercial
Every radio ads company has a pricing schedule: they will give you a quotation for the complete project. You can negotiate for the best deal by remaining flexible and looking for other times to air your ad. If this is the first time working with a company, ask for a discount and also offer a trade for the company if you sell goods or services.
Wrapping Up
Looking for an effective yet affordable advertising medium? Radio is the way to go! Create your own radio ad today with Bunny Studio!
A radio ad offers myriad benefits in addition to their ease of production. Working with an established radio ads company allows you to harness the power of radio by creating amazing ads.
Before engaging any company for radio commercial production, kindly do your research. It is vital to search around for different proposals, seek referrals and recommendations, read reviews, and testimonials about different radio ad companies.
When you identify the best radio ads company, it becomes easier to create an attention-grabbing radio ad. Isn’t this what you wanted all along?