Let’s be honest. Radio has been a titan in the communication center since its inception in the early 20th century. Adored by millions, radio has grown to be a significant broadcasting platform in today’s society. Its popularity gave birth to a type of advertising called radio marketing.
Even now, due to competitive pressure from the advancement of internet-based audio and digital satellite services, it is evolving to fit into the pro-online era. Likewise, by the law of association, radio marketing is here to stay.
Radio can attribute its success to a variety of factors. Most travelers prefer keeping their minds preoccupied, especially when caught in a traffic jam, or they are on a long, tiresome journey.
One unique feature of the radio is its ability to soothe its audience -either through playing background music or hosting series of comforting dialogues. On the other hand, it can also return the listener to reality through the use of breaking news and polemics.
The icing on the cake is its ability to entertain. Radio curates both its music and shows to be appealing and enthralling to its listeners.
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This post was updated in May 2021
What is Radio Marketing?
Just as it is in the television business where commercials appear during shows, some marketers are paying for the same services on the radio. Radio marketing is also known as radio advertising.
Radio advertising is, therefore, the act of promoting your services or products by buying commercials segments on the radio broadcast. In the radio industry, these segments are frequently called spots. In other words, marketers pay commercial radio stations for time on the air. This spot will cater for the broadcast of an advertiser’s message to people tuned in to the station.
When it comes to radio marketing, the advertiser has a variety of commercial types that they can employ. Marketers have to weigh the benefits of each variety before deciding on the most reliable option
Let’s have a look at some of the most popular types of radio marketing
Types of Radio Marketing
There are various types of radio marketing regularly used by most brands. The choice of an ad type by a marketer depends on two things: the brand type and the kind of message conveyed.
Without further delay, here they are:
1. Sponsorship Ad of a Radio Segment or Show
Most radio stations tend to incorporate sponsorship ads into different types of radio shows. These shows can be talking about topics related to sports, weather, fashion, traffic, and so much more.
The ad spots sponsoring the segments will mostly appear at the beginning and end of the show. Furthermore, the ads can appear in between commercial breaks.
By actively allowing the repetition of ads through the show, the brands can achieve:
- Brand awareness through continuity
- Increased memorability rates in the customers’ minds ensuring that the messages stick
- Enhanced reach to more listeners who tune out or tend to switch stations during commercial breaks
Sponsorship is also a popular option in the broadcasting world. With the rise of podcasts pushing into the main-stream digital media outlet, they are piquing the interest of more marketers. Podcast sponsorship can also pair adequately with other digital marketing techniques such as email marketing and re-targeting ad campaigns.
2. Jingle Ad
when it comes to the underlying connection between music and memory, there is not much debate.
Throughout the years, jingle ads have been quite useful when it comes to making a commercial stand out. They are short and quite catchy.
For some of you, you might recall some famous jingles you heard as a child. That’s why big corporations are consistently incorporating them in their ads. For example, Coca-Cola is using catchy songs in their taste the feeling campaign.
Another reason for the success of jingle ads is the frequency of play. Most radio stations will play these ads several times a day. Repetition helps to build brand loyalty through increased brand recognition.
Jingle ads can be thoughtful, informative, or funny depending on the advertiser’s goal.
Need the perfect jingle? We can help you out!
3. Testimonial type of ads
Having people give real accounts about the benefits of your product or service to their lives can help to hook the attention of the audience. It helps make the brand’s message believable, relatable, and real.
More often than not, human beings will trust advertising a lot less than they believe other people. Our brains are hardwired to trust other people to some extent.
Thus, allowing your customers to speak for your service or product is an excellent way of increasing trust for your brand.
4. Endorsements by the Host
Popular radio hosts tend to amass a large following. Support by a revered host can help to build your brand relationship with the local audience ultimately increasing their loyalty over time. If you are a business looking for ways to penetrate the local audience, then this is it!
The main advantage of host endorsement is the blending in of radio ads into shows. Hosts typically market ads in a “live read “fashion. Thus, an announcement will sound less of a commercial and more casual in comparison to other pre-recorded advertisements produced during commercial breaks.
5. Personified Commercial
Without visuals, radio ads have to be creative if they are to be memorable. One creative way is to add unique characters to your radio advert. Characters help listeners visualize the brand’s message in their heads.
So, when creating a character’s story, make them relatable to the audience. The more relatable the story is, the more listeners will get hooked to the narrative.
A relatable character tends to capture the audiences’ attention and imagination as they wait to find out what happens next.
Is Radio Marketing still Beneficial?
If you ask some people about the future of radio marketing, they might say something like this:
“The future of radio advertising seems grim, especially in a fast-paced advertising world. Take a look at the prevalence of smartphone music applications and satellite radios. Do you see them increasing in number or influence? “
Although there has been a significant shift from analog to digital, radio advertising still has many advantages.
Let’s have a look.
Advantages of Radio advertising
1. Large marketing audience
Radio is known to attract a wide range of audiences. The audience can be of people from different backgrounds, gender, demography, and class.
If your brand appeals to the general population regardless of their differences, then radio marketing is the best option to take
2. Market segmentation
Even though radio is still prevalent in the community, radio stations tend to focus on a unique group of listeners. Some stations also segment their shows to air at specific times. Stations create shows to attract a particular target market.
With radio ads, you can target a specific audience speaking a similar language in different areas. When using other means of media, however, targeting can be cumbersome.
This variation of target groups thus enables advertisers to choose the best station and best segment to market their brand.
3. Radio is ubiquitous in nature
Nowadays, most cell phones and vehicles have an in-built receiver. It is not uncommon to find travelers listening in on a station. Whether it is through loudspeakers, headphones or earphones, you’ll find people listening in on the go.
Despite the younger generation listening more to music and podcast, once in a while, you’ll find them tuned in to a radio show of their choice.
Moreover, radio is more accessible than television and the internet during most times of the day. Likewise, this accessibility will increase your advertisements’ reach in society.
4. Cost-effective
When done correctly, radio advertising can be a cheap and effective marketing strategy. Unlike television, print, and internet ads that cost hundreds of dollars, radio ads require fewer funds to produce.
Radio ads only require either a pre-recorded message or a short script. The station will then play your recording to broadcast your brand’s announcement at the agreed time. As for the writing, an announcer will read it to the audience. You can also send these same messages and scripts across all stations of your choice.
Make sure to negotiate the pricing of the ads across the stations. Compare and contrast the prices and then choose the best stations for your brand’s message
5. Flexibility
With a written script, you can create an advert for the radio within a short period. Radio ads do not require much planning, unlike television ads. Even the production process is less complicated on the radio than on TV.
Furthermore, you can translate your message into different languages suiting the market conditions. You can also adjust that same message minutes to broadcast time. Be careful, however. Last-minute changes might lead to mistakes happening unintentionally.
6. Reinforces visual ads
Radio marketing can help in strengthening the messages in optical and video ads. The process involves the use of a technique called image transfer.
Image transfer is the use of the same jingles or words both on television and on the radio. When a consumer hears an ad on the radio that they saw on TV, they are likely to connect the two. Processing such messages will thus encourage listeners to employ their imagination in recreating the images.
7. Internet radio
As technology evolves, communication stations have to adapt. Many radio stations are now airing live online and listeners can stream their favorite channel. Not only will their ads reach a local audience, but also to people streaming in all over the world.
With these advantages, radio marketing is here to stay. Click here to see other benefits suitable for you.
However, there are a few perks you should be aware of regarding radio advertising.
Disadvantages of Radio Advertising
1. Advertising Clutter
As the intensity of advertising increases, clutter is fast becoming a problem. Advertising media are airing numerous ad messages every passing hour. Hence, it is quite challenging to attract and retain the attention of the audience.
Radio marketing is no exception to this problem. Success depends on the level of distortion, the precision of the script, and the accompanying sounds.
2. Reduced Visual Element
Apart from mental imagery using words, radio ads have no visual element. It is therefore difficult to show the product or to demonstrate a service.
When creating brand awareness Package identification is crucial. People in rural markets or shopping in self-service stores tend to consider package identification when selecting a brand.
3. Research Data can be limited
In comparison to online ads, research data on the radio is limited. There is no in-depth analysis of the audience. The research available might be limited to the audience as a whole instead of segmentation.
Final Remarks
Despite the disadvantages, radio advertising is still a fantastic way to boost your business. It delivers a simple yet powerful message to consumers interested in your service or product.
You are free to write and produce the radio ad script on your own.
But if you require professional help, submit a project at Bunny Studio and hire professional services. Let us handle your radio ad from its inception till it’s ready to air on the radio.
