SALES REPS

The problem with radio advertising is the amount of money wasted on spots that are poorly booked, written and produced. Unless your radio sales rep knows how to effectively book your campaign, you may end up short-changed. In most cases, they do. But even still, booking your campaign is only one part of the formula to successful radio advertising.

Your radio station Sales Representative should know all the tricks of his trade to stretch your Ad dollars to the max. Simply booking a 30 second ROS (run of schedule) may not be the most economical or effective way to get your message out there, and you may do better with booking specific time sets. Yes, it may be more expensive, but you'll be reaching the right people at the right time instead of running spots for the 12 people listening at 1:00 am.

Ok. So you find the 30 second spots are expensive. Here's a quick fix that can work just as well. 15 second spots! Yes, you can say plenty in 15 seconds and save money doing it. In fact, 10 sec. spots are also terrific and can add more frequency to your campaign.

There are many ways to work with radio that few advertisers consider asking about. Station promotions is one such way. Ask your radio sales person if the station is willing to promote your product via giveaways and contests. Depending on what you have to offer, the station may very well consider doing that.

You can also inquire about hosting a show. For example, if your expertise is in home renovations, you can appear as a frequent guest on someone else's show, or request to host your own daily or weekly show. If the radio station considers it as an attractive vehicle to build their audience they may very well consider it - sometimes without cost to you if the subject matter has high listener interest. If the station isn't willing to give you the free show, they might consider selling you a block of time in the evenings or weekends. You can then recoup your advertising costs by selling time on "your" show to complementary advertisers.

COPYWRITERS

Although radio stations produce your spots for free, it may not always be the best way to get your radio advertising off to a good start.

There are many factors that will determine the success or failure of your campaign: Spot placement, frequency of radio ads, offers presented, competition and more. But probably the most critical aspect is that it may all rest in the hands of the copywriter and production department. Copywriters must do a bang-up job to convince listeners to listen, remember and take action. This is a tall order in today's world of non-stop Ads that assault us morning 'till night. But it is possible, because radio is quite powerful! Unfortunately, your radio spot is but one of many that the copywriter must write which can result in mediocre, run-of-the-mill results.

​RADIO PRODUCERS

Then, there is the radio producer who is constantly fighting the clock to get all the station's audio production ready. Welcome to the radio production sausage mill. Having to produce announcer shows, station promotions, PSAs (public service announcements) and other radio on-air commitments means your spot must be in and out of production in the shortest time possible. To top it off, the person doing your spot voice-over may either be a part time or on-air announcer. Sometimes, it's even whoever's left in the building. And don't confuse the word Announcer with Voice-Over Talent. Most often, the two are not interchangeable.

YOU

Hard to believe, but quite often, the one most responsible for mediocre spots - is the client. 
Advertisers are notorious for derailing the creative process. They want their spots to be heard, but don't want to push the creative envelope. Humor and drama often take a back seat to a straight monotone announcer voice-overs that are unrecognizable from hundreds more we hear each day.

We think that the purpose of advertising is to be noticed. This means setting yourself apart from everyone else. And to do that, you should invite concepts that are different, unusual and off the beaten path.

SOMEONE IS TALKING TO YOU

The voice is a wonderful thing. Used properly, it can move you to tears, unleash a fury of anger, sooth both physical and mental pain, irritate you like chalk across a blackboard, hypnotize you into the most embarrassing behaviour, fire you up and motivate you to accomplish the most daunting tasks, raise up a nation to battle, seduce the most cold-hearted soul and yes, it can certainly convince you to happily part with your money.

In fact, announcers and copy writers who make radio production their lively-hood, are paid quite handsomely to get you to do things that are not on your priority list.

Ever listen to a movie trailer? Listen to the announcer. His job is to get you to see that new movie. Whether you realize it or not, the impact of that voice lasts longer than you may be aware of.

You may remember the visuals, but it is the EMOTIONAL AUDIO IMPRINT that leaves you with the "I've got to see this when it comes out!" memory.

This is the same subliminal effect that creative radio production can create. Here are some examples of radio commercials we've produced.

The problem faced...(Read more in our at RADIO ADVERTISING COMMANDMENTS-Part 1/2/3

As a seasoned audio production house, we've known for a long time that radio is a powerful ingredient in the marketing mix for a client. There is no doubt that great radio impacts on the traffic generated to a website as well as a store.

That's why we create award-winning sounds that move the emotions of anyone who can hear - making a visit to your website or place of business practically inevitable.

Using state-of-the-art digital recording equipment, our radio production services deliver everything from songs, original music scores and radio spots.

And if you're looking for a jingle writer - look no further for catchy commercial jingles that everyone remembers.

Listen to some examples of our music jingles ...

A key reason to create a jingle, is if you are launching a new business, product or service. As the new kid on the block you'll need to break through the advertising jungle with something that will catch a person's attention. A properly written jingle can do this quite rapidly and will continue to "jingle" your name in someone's head long after you've finished your campaign.

Read more from my blog entry: LAUNCHING A NEW JINGLE AD CAMPAIGN

With more than 35 years of media buying, copywriting, radio commercial production and creating memorable jingles, we know the key elements that make for a successful spot. Call us for a free consultation. 514 235-6603.