It may seem like with the advent of the internet, more “traditional” forms of advertising and promotions like radio and television have fallen out of favor. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. It can still be well worth your advertising dollar to use television and/or radio to promote your business. As a small, home business owner, radio may be an option that fits into your budget better than the more expensive television advertising.
The first thing to ask yourself is whether radio will help you reach your target market. If you are marketing to a very young market (18-25 year-olds, for example), they really do not listen to the radio in the traditional sense like in previous generations. Older adults do still listen to the radio but you will have to figure out which radio stations appeal to the demographic you are trying to reach. Your local chamber of commerce may be able to help you with this information and the radio stations, themselves, will have reports on who their listeners are and which times of day people are listening. This can be very valuable information as you strive to get your message out to the people who need to hear it.
Most radio stations can help you with the production of your ad, or you can try to do most of it yourself. You can definitely write your own script and the advertising and production people can give you guidelines and guidance as to what works. An advertising agency can also help you if you are willing to pay for the professional production. In all honesty, you will get a more polished and professional “product” using professionals, but you can do a perfectly adequate job working directly with the station on your own.
One of the perks of radio advertising is that you will be able to track how often your ad appears and during what time of day. This allows you to move it around a bit until you find what is really working for you. The station is normally quite willing to work with you on placement and content. Keep in mind that there will be times of the year when it is easier or harder to get air time. Close to a political election, for example, it can be really tough to get good time as those spots get bought up quickly and booked in advance. Your advertising representative at the radio station will be able to help you figure out the scheduling for your ad based on who you need to make contact with and how much you can afford.