Community radio advertising - 13 reasons why local is lekka!

From an online perspective I don't have to elaborate much. If you read this article, you are online and you know how flooded you are with marketing messages. I am not for one moment trying to discourage you from using this medium. In fact, I believe that community radio is possibly the best medium to drive people to your online portfolio - the people that matter. Community radio in conjunction with your online portfolio is possibly the best strategy for local businesses to market themselves.

In this article, however, I am going to pause at community radio advertising.

Why should you not ignore community radio advertising?

1. Community radio attracts an audience that wants to keep up with local news, events and personalities. It is an excellent way to reach local consumers.

2. You can target your advertising to a specific audience. Different radio stations have different formats, from news/talk to oldies to rock. Decide who you are trying to reach (teenagers, families, urban men, suburban moms), and then choose the radio station and program that reaches your audience. Listeners choose stations based on the music or shows they like and they tend to be quite loyal to that station. If you know what your customers enjoy listening to, it's an excellent way to reach them.

By planning your campaigns to target special interest groups or different age groups you will have minimal waste. Remember - it pays to choose the proper type of station and programming, and make sure it is a good fit with your customer base. Carefully plan the time when your ad will run to ensure that your target market will hear it. For example, an auto repair business could run the ad during the morning and evening drive time when people are in their cars.

3. People tend to buy from people and businesses they know and trust. Community Radio is a medium that is trusted by the listeners and provides a perfect opportunity for your company to piggyback on that trust. Radio advertisements reach an audience that trusts the medium for information such as news, weather and sports reports. Radio also plays an important emotional role in listeners' lives. By advertising, you add your voice to the station and the community.

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Hearing your voice helps them feel as if they know you. It is the perfect opportunity to create a personality for your business using only sounds and voices. These psychological aspects is yet another reason to consider running a few radio ads in your local community. Hearing your voice makes people feel like they "know" you.

4. If people already know you (which they might in your local community) they're more likely to be loyal. And they're more likely to send other customers to your business.

5. From a geographical perspective, you can't do much better than spending some of your marketing budget on this medium. You reach a whack of the consumers that reside in your region of business.

6. When you compare spot to spot, radio tends to be one of the least expensive media out there. Relative to other media used by advertisers to reach target markets, radio offers affordability, wide reach, target audience selectivity and timely message delivery. However, one spot will not do it. To reach your target market, you need to purchase several spots. If you want to ensure that the cost stays relatively low, while still reaping the benefits of community radio advertising, buy less spots and run them all in a week or two. This will ensure that your customers will hear your message. It is also interesting to note that the increase in radio rates (media inflation) is less than in most other mediums. Rates can also often be negotiated.

7. Production costs are also lower than those of other media. You can create simple radio ads yourself or use a production company to create more complex ads. Some radio stations offer free or low-cost production services to advertisers. The music and tone of the ad should also fit the station that the ad will be airing on. It also pays to choose the proper type of station or programming, and make sure it is a good fit with your customer base.

8. Constructing a 30- or 60-second story, keeping the product or service being sold at the forefront throughout, covering all the key points in an efficient and entertaining way and finishing with a call to action. Make sure that you use informal language and write the way you talk.

9. While we are on the topic of production, harness the power of sound. Use sounds, voices and music to create an attention-getting message. The use of local celebrity voices and jingles often proves to be a successful ploy.

10. Radio is a universal medium. It can be enjoyed at home, at work, and while driving. Most people listen to the radio at one time or another during the day. People listen to radio when they are getting ready in the morning, doing household chores or travelling, creating an advertising environment that other media cannot match. Because they are likely to do something else while they listen to the radio, repeat key information such as your company name and the name of the product or service you're selling. Let them know the call to action is coming and then repeat your phone number or web address at least three times.

11. You can get your spot up and running in no time. Radio ads can be produced very quickly, unlike television ads. And unlike magazine print ads, you do not have to wait for the next issue to come out. They can also be modified easily as your needs change.

12. Community radio advertising also gives you the opportunity to communicate with communities whose main language is not the general accepted language of communication. You can warm the hearts of consumers by speaking to specific audiences in their preferred language. Nelson Mandela once said that if you speak to someone in their second language, then you speak to their ears. If you however speak to them in their mother language, then you speak to their hearts.

13. Community radio advertising is a good support medium with other media platforms. If increasing web traffic is your goal, then this is a wonderful medium. The two work wonderfully in tandem. Radio drives the interested audience (hot leads) to your website and the website captures their contact details - and of course also offers a shop front of your business.

Well, here is 13 reasons why community dependent companies, with smaller marketing budgets, should not ignore the power that community radio stations add to their marketing efforts. Used correctly, it is a medium that will have a positive effect on your balance sheet.