Why Radio Does Not Work…..

1) The “test” trap. Typically when advertisers “test” radio or a specific station to see if it will generate calls, they are set up to fail from the start.

• Advertising simply does not work this way. Testing radio for a week or two is as effective as going to the gym once a week and expecting to put on muscle mass or to lose weight.

• No matter what type of advertising you choose for your company, just like exercise, frequency and consistency is key.

• The best way to “test” radio is to gather information on who advertises on radio, how consistent are they, what is their message, what time of day are they on, how many times per week does their commercial air etc. These are the best clues to help you determine how and when to use radio. Find similar businesses to yours and use what they are using. They have paved the road for you – find businesses that are successful and mirror what they are doing.

• Testing radio just to see if it will work is simply a waste of your time and money. The fact is, radio works if done properly – This has been proven over and over by companies that advertise on the radio - make the commitment and it will work for you too.

2) Wrong station or format

• The beauty of radio is that it is very targeted. There are several different formats that are programmed to attract a certain type of person or consumer.

• When radio does not work possibly the message if falling on deaf ears i.e. not reaching the correct consumers. If your business is selling a beauty product, you probably don’t want to be on a station that is programmed to attract a male audience such as a sports station. Or if you are trying to reach homeowners, advertising on a station that mostly attracts a young audience would not be the ideal choice.

• Matching your product or service to the station(s) that attract the consumers you are trying to reach is very possible. The San Francisco market has over 90 radio station signals - one or more of those stations is going to have the right format that attracts the consumers your company wants to reach.

• Simply put, in order to catch the right kind of fish (consumer) you must fish in the correct pond (correct station)

3) Unrealistic Expectations

• Unrealistic expectations more often than not can be the culprit for why a radio campaign is deemed unsuccessful.

• If the expectation is to get 10x calls the first time your superbly written and awesomely produced radio commercial airs – you are certain to be disappointed.

• Radio is a frequency medium and it takes time and consistency for your radio campaign to start working. (in fact any type of advertising you do will take time and consistency to work – so patience is a must)

• Efficiency of your advertising works much like the efficiency of your automobiles fuel consumption. When you first step on that accelerator, your fuel consumption is very poor, but once you reach cruising speed, your fuel consumption is much more efficient. The same holds true for your radio campaign – at first your cost per call or cost per lead will be high, but once you have developed a presence on a station and built equity with the audience, your cost per call/lead will be much better than when the campaign first started.

4) It’s the Message

• Like in real estate – it’s “location, location, location” in advertising, it’s “the message, the message, the message”

• There are a lot of do’s and don’ts when it comes to delivering the right message on the radio:

• Don’t:

• Write too much copy – a message that has too much copy has to be read fast and does not allow the talent to put any “personality” or tone or emphasize certain word or phrases – it comes across as insincere and not believable.

• Mention address, phone number and website – too many ways to contact you will confuse the listener – give them one way to reach you and pound home the message, repeat, repeat, repeat. Use a vanity number or website, they are easier to remember and you will see results sooner.

• Change copy just because you are sick of it. Often times advertisers change copy way too much, either because they are sick of hearing their same message again and again or they think it has lost its effectiveness. Fact is you will probably hear your commercial more than the average person – just like the campaign, you have to give your message time to stick with the listener. If you do change copy, make sure there is a good reason to do so, like an update in the offer, special sale, grand opening etc.

• DO:

• Tell YOUR audience what’s in it for them – yes, when your commercial is airing – you have the microphone – this is your platform to invite YOUR audience to your store or website – tell them how they will benefit from your product or service.

• Have a call to action – tell your audience to do something – visit the store, call, visit the website, make their own coupon and bring it in etc (have ONE call to action, not several)

• Have an offer that is so compelling that it sets you apart from everyone in your industry.

• Use the power of personality endorsements – Having a personality endorse your product or simply read your copy has been a proven path of success. You can certainly build equity, trust and credibility with an audience over time without a personality endorsement, however having a well know personality that already has built in trust with his or her audience read your commercial will speed up the effectiveness of your campaign.