800-599-RADIO Text DR Radio to 511-511 714-787-0101 International
By the RadioActive Media Team
Radio is a relationship medium. How do you feel about your morning announcer who wakes you up every morning? Kind of like you know the person – their family, where they go on vacation, how they spend their weekends, personal trials and tribulations etc. Do you feel the same way about those actors on your favorite “appointment” TV show? Probably not, after all these are actors’ characters and not real in person. If you are putting most of your dollars in to television only, you may be missing the more personal touch that radio can bring.
Not enough dollars in your ad budget to incorporate radio into the mix? There are many ways to add more impact to your ad dollars than just adding more dollars. We have covered some of them in previous blogs.
Co-op Advertising
Cooperative advertising is a cost-effective way for the manufacturer who does not sell directly to the consumer to support those companies that have that all-important direct relationship with the customer. Without the direct-to-consumer companies, manufacturers would need to take over that role and spend advertising dollars. The manufacturers will give you money to advertise their products in your advertising. Read “Advertising Budget Challenged? Co-op Dollars Could be the Answer” to get more ideas on how to use coop advertising to your advantage.
Remnant Advertising
On occasion all media will have remnant advertising. This is when they have air time or space available that hasn’t been sold. Using remnant advertising is where RadioActive Media can save you money. Remnant sales are done fast, and can save you up to 70%. There are some good and bad points to using remnant advertising and you can find those in “Remnant Advertising Saves You Money.”
Per Inquiry Advertising
PI can also be referred to as cost per lead or cost per sale advertising. When using PI, the advertiser and the medium or agency agrees on what constitutes a response and the advertiser then pays for every response they receive. You are paying for the performance of your ads, not the actual air time.
Again, there are some facets of PI advertising that you need to be aware of and you can find those details in “Advertisers Cannot Live by PI Alone.”
Promotions
Adding a promotion package to your advertising can give you so much more value than your initial investment. At RadioActive Media we are adamant that a promotional campaign deliver 3-4 times the media investment. A client spending $100,000 to participate in a media event should expect a great return, around $300-400,000, on that commitment. It takes experts to evaluate and negotiate packages of tremendous value.
The team at RadioActive Media participates in creating packages in concert with radio stations. They look at events and contests for possibilities. Often canned station packages won’t provide enough value, aren’t appropriate or creative enough to explore all the potential added value. For more ideas, check out “Radio Promotion Worth 3 Times their Cost” and “Cross Promotion Campaigns – Everybody Wins.”
RadioActive Media is interested in getting you the best results for your investment. We can offer you many more suggestions that can save your money on your advertising. Just give Jeff Pollak a call at 800-559-RADIO (7234), text DR RADIO to 511-511 and start the discussion.
800-599-RADIO Text DR Radio to 511-511 714-787-0101 International
By the RadioActive Media Team
RadioActive Media was the only exhibitor at SES SF 2010 demonstrating to marketing professionals the power of radio partnered with search. You might have seen us quoting RAB research citing radio’s ability to increase browsing by 52% while being four times more cost-effectively than any other medium. We may be in a unique position as marketers having constructed highly successful campaigns across radio, online and mobile for some time now. It was gratifying to hear speakers at SES agreeing with us that the future is in performance-marketing, conversion, and coordination across channels.
In Search: Where to Next, Marc Poirier, Co-Founder and CMO of Acquisio, expressed his belief that the marketer’s job will become performance marketing that includes social media and video across all channels from online to mobile and beyond. We couldn’t agree more.
This speaks to the reason RadioActive Media chose to participate and exhibit at the SES SF show: no medium can operate in a silo anymore. Our team has realized that for years, developing campaigns that sync and track leads with response mechanisms from radio to websites, call centers, and smart phones. All of these are performance-based advertising.
We asked the Search Engine Strategies Conference & Expo group in LinkedIn how long it takes SEO to kick a site to Page One. As you might imagine, the answers varied, but the conversation was very active. Clearly there are a lot of smart people thinking very hard about the quickest way to get the best long-term success in search results.
We know for a fact direct response radio drives mobile users to text replies that take companies like our clients to the Top Grossing and Top Paid Apps lists. Read detail in our Case Studies.
Keynote speaker Jeffrey Hayzlett, former Kodak CMO, says we marketers need to “Engage, educate, excite and evangelize.” Tackling this challenge takes the power of multi-media, inextricably working in concert.
He also suggests marketers get a personality and have fun. We were glad to do it at our booth at SES SF by playing Guitar Hero with our visitors and giving away Carnival Cruise certificates and a Sirius XM radio. Check out our Facebook Fan Page for more pictures from the convention as well as several on-air appearances like Howard Stern for clients like Beezid and Massage Envy.
We say we engaged, educated, excited and evangelized while having a good time.
800-599-RADIO Text DR Radio to 511-511 714-787-0101 International
By the RadioActive Media Team
SES Experience – Sharing Knowledge, Having Fun and Awarding Prizes
We had an extraordinary experience at SES SF. We shared our Radio marketing and promotions ideas with many interested companies and we learned more about search engine optimization.
Congratulations to our 4 prized winners:
Sara Harnell, Magnify 360 wins a Carnival Cruise Certificate for two.
Mark Knowles, Pixelsilk wins a Carnival Cruise Certificate for two.
Dan Tisser, Trada com wins a Carnival Cruise Certificate for two and a Sirius Satellite Radio
Egreis Gjergjani, Trellian.com wins a Carnival Cruise Certificate for two and a Sirius Satellite Radio
If you would like to learn more about how radio and RadioActive Media experience and campaign strategies can drive complement your search engine optimization program, contact Jeff Pollak at 800-559-RADIO (7234) or text DR Radio to 511-511.
800-599-RADIO Text DR Radio to 511-511 714-787-0101 International
By the RadioActive Media Team
Talk radio personalities embrace technology. More radio stations and radio personalities locally and nationally have mobile apps.
If you miss Dennis Miller, you can download the app and listen to his show at a later time. Advertising is included along with the live reads.
The app replays the show from the day before and comes with an alarm to remind you next Dennis Miller live show.
We tested it and the audio is crisp, clear with no buffering issues. There is a contact icon for emailing or calling the show. Social media links for Twitter and Facebook for Dennis Miller are another feature of the app. Integration is great, listening to Dennis’ show and reading Tweets.
Talk radio has been the most interactive and was engaging their fan base way before social media. It is no surprise that radio personalities embrace mobile technology to stay connected.
At RadioActive Media we embrace mobile technolog y through Radio Text Messaging (RTM) We use texting, mobile videos and coupons. Broadcast the message using radio and complete the connection through mobile devices. Advertisers can measure the response to campaigns not only by time and programming, but also user area codes (and phone number), number of occurrences, and soon, even location.
For more information radio advertising and Radio Text Messaging check out our web pageand read our blogs;
If you are an advertiser interested in what radio and mobile marketing can do for you, give Jeff Pollak a call at 800-559-RADIO (7234) or text DR Radio to 511-511.
800-599-RADIO Text DR Radio to 511-511 714-787-0101 International
Radio campaigns with RadioActive Media go beyond spot placement. We create campaigns with our clients interacting with top radio personalities promoting their fun side. When you are ready to go beyond buying spots, give us a call and let’s discuss live reads and custom created promotional campaigns. Give Jeff Pollak at 800-559-RADIO (7234) or text DR RADIO to 511-511.
800-599-RADIO |Text DR Radio to 511-511|714-787-0101 International
By the RadioActive Media Team
No medium is an island. Not any more anyway. RadioActive Media will be at the Search Engine Strategies Show (SES) in San Francisco to make just that point. Specialists in direct response radio, the RadioActive Media team members are pros who work to drive traffic with performance values to websites, smart phones and call centers.
Radio advertising enhances Internet browsing by 52% according to a study by the Radio Advertising Bureau, so it’s a great way to get in front of a mass audience that can be targeted and push large volumes of visitors to take any of a number of actions: to text a message in order to get a coupon or discount, to make a call, to find a store location or website and more. The only limitation is your imagination. Technology continues to offer new opportunities all the time. We thrive on being the cutting-edge pros who provide strategies right through to the tactical details of implementation.
SES sessions on search optimization and social media speak to the marketer looking to stretch a dollar. Radio has proven to be 4 times more cost effective than any other media when it comes to browsing. Our core business model is to craft campaigns with testing strategies with a low cost of entry and quick and easy scalability. Benchmarking test results after a 1-2 week test keeps the cost per lead or per order successfully in check week to week for the life of the program. Results measurement is tracked down to the time a spot ran or a text message was received, accounting for every media dollar.
We’re proud of the many opportunities we can combine to make the most of radio ad dollars:
Our Case Studies will show you how our clients use radio in concert with mobile marketing to drive traffic to websites and reduce cost-per-leads by 75%. Our campaign for a well-known remote data storage company’s iPhone app hit the Top Grossing and Top Paid Apps lists.
Attendees who stop by Booth #212 will mix business and pleasure by playing Guitar Hero and entering to win a Carnival cruise and any of a number of prizes like radio memorabilia. Hope to see you there!
Call 800-559-RADIO (7234) and ask for Jeff Pollak for a free consultation to brainstorm opportunities that might help your company. Be sure to ask how you can get free creative in our special offer.
Come by, introduce yourself and get your game on! Thanks to Search Engine Watch (@sewatch) and ClickZ’s (@clickz) Connected Marketing Week for putting these great events together. We’re delighted for the opportunity to be a sponsor. We’ll see you there. If you can’t stop by, text SEARCH to 511-511 to get in touch.
800-599-RADIO |Text DR Radio to 511-511 | 714-787-0101 International
By Steve Pollak, RadioActive Media Creative and Media Director
Tick, tock, tick, tock….the clock is winding down on Howard Stern’s contract with Sirius satellite radio. I’m sure Las Vegas has odds on what is going to happen, but we may hear something as early as the next month or so.
Howard’s five-year $500 million contract with Sirius ends on December 31st this year. There is a lot of speculation on what will happen at the end of this contract. Will he go month to month with Sirius? Will he replace Simon Cowell on American Idol? Is he going on his own or he is heading back to terrestrial radio?
Throughout his radio career, Howard’s ratings have increased every year. His move to Sirius in 2006 from terrestrial radio was due in part to the FCC coming down on his show and fining the network. Satellite radio doesn’t have the same restrictions as terrestrial radio so it’s more a free reign for Howard. (Follow the court ruling that the FCC indecency rule is unconstitutional at http://j.mp/radiofans.
His fans loyally followed him to Sirius helping them increase subscription numbers as well as advertising revenue. If Howard leaves, will his fans leave also? That seems to be a major question. There is no doubt that some of Howard’s fans will drop Sirius out of loyalty to him and because his two stations are the only ones they listened to. Others used this as an introduction to Sirius and are expanding their listening to more stations and will not drop their subscriptions.
Love him or hate him, Howard is very important to Sirius because he brings in subscribers as well as advertising revenue and he will be missed by them if he doesn’t sign a new contract. He has made a lot of money for Sirius and they will probably do what they can to keep him on board.
Howard has loyal fans that hang on his every word and we at RadioActive Media understand the power of that loyalty. While the signs seem to show Howard is likely to renew, if he doesn’t the pressure for time on his show will increase rates.
Howard has endorsed many of our clients with live readings of their ads on his show and he can do the same for you. If you are interested in hearing Howard read your spot, get in touch with Jeff Pollak at 800-559-RADIO (7234) or text DR RADIO to 511-511.
We’re such hard core believers that we’ve even had Howard do a spot for us! Hear Howard’s recorded spot for RadioActive Media. Howard Stern on RadioActive Media
800-599-RADIO |Text DR Radio to 511-511| 714-787-0101 International
By Jan Carroza, RadioActive Media Team Member
The timing of media placement can be critical because it can be directly proportional to savings achieved in the final negotiations. Trying to buy too close to flight dates when inventory is tight will almost always make the media cost more than if it were bought months or as far out as a year before.
I threw the question out to members of LinkedIn’s Media Planning and Buying Group and got a variety of great answers. Basically, everyone sets their planning to their particular industry, media rate availability and company factors which are inevitable, and of course, make sense.
Share the timing of your media planning at our poll and see when others are doing it.
Media planning starts in August at MindTaffy Design to be able to plan for CES in 2011, says Wallace Jackson. The process starts at the beginning of Q4 for Mark Plumb, Sr. A.E. at Weise Communications, and continues as budgets and sales targets arrive. The idea of budget “liquidity” continues as explored by Mel Collins of Persuade, Inc., reminding us all of the need for flexibility to respond to continually changing needs and opportunities. Mel’s description of the budget as road map is perfectly apt.
I know from my own experience on the buying side that the capability to lock in rates a year in advance created significant savings for clients. Even putting two quarters worth of budget together beat the average rate of the two bought individually. By offering more commitment, I could get more clout.
Providing “slush” money for opportunities, preemption, emergencies, and contingencies is especially important for the long-range planner. Many media like radio offer terrific opportunities at remnant prices for those with the flexibility both in timing and budget.
However, all that flexibility keys off advertiser forces not in the planner’s control. The savings potential is worthy of serious internal discussion as part of overall planning strategy. Understandably, many planners must wait for all necessary components. Sometimes a discussion with management about what savings could mean with the greatest possible advance notice might make a difference.
At RadioActive Media, we are keenly aware of the goals and needs of media planners and join you in sharing the success of the process. If you are an advertiser interested in what direct response radio can do for you, give Jeff Pollak a call at 800-559-RADIO (7234) to talk about what media planning might mean for you in 2011.
800-599-RADIO | Text DR Radio to 511-511 | 714-787-0101 International
By the RadioActive Media Team
The second quarter of the year has been very good to Sirius XM since they added over a half million net subscribers in this quarter. Last year at the same time they had a loss of subscribers, but they have more than made up for it now. In the past year Sirius XM has added over 1.1 million subscribers, which is a record for them.
Sirius’ rate of deactivations has also decreased by 8% compared to the same quarter last year. More good news for the satellite radio provider is their conversion rate for a trial subscription that is included in new vehicles improved in the second quarter to 46.7% as compared to 44.3% for the second quarter of 2009.
Since the merger of Sirius and XM in July of 2008, they now have a record high total number of subscribers of 19.5 million. It appears that things are only looking up for satellite radio.
This proves that satellite radio is not just a passing fancy, but here to stay. Satellite subscribers seem to be passionate about what they are listening to and even in the down economy, they are willing to keep up their subscriptions. This is all more the reason you should not leave satellite radio off your marketing plans. Let RadioActive Media create the perfect action plan for you by calling Jeff Pollak for a free consultation at 800/559-RADIO (7234) or text DR Radio to 511-511.
800-599-RADIO | Text DR Radio to 511-511 | 714-787-0101 International
By the RadioActive Media Team
Come jam with us at the SES show in San Francisco 8/16. We’re looking forward to meeting industry people and combining business with pleasure. Stop by Booth 212 and join us as we determine who is the best Guitar Hero Jammer.
We’re giving away a Carnival Cruise certificate!* Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to see announcements on other future prizes.
You may wonder why a leading direct response radio agency would have a booth at a search engine marketing expo…
The answer is simple. As cutting edge marketers, we came to the realization, long ago, that no successful medium of marketing operates alone.
Our clients use direct response radio for its mass market appeal to targeted audiences. We drive the traffic to websites, call centers, and mobile phones. The synergy of interconnected media continues to grow. That complexity needs professionals to build, own and maintain the process, so the precious marketing dollar is not misspent.
Radio is on average 4x more cost-effective at stimulating brand browsing than other media combined. Over half of browsing takes place in 24 hours.
We understand the complementary nature of radio and online. Extensive campaign pre-planning gets answers to all the choices of where to drive traffic, how it will be measured, and how to make the whole process simpler. With that being said, we handle the details, so that on day 2 of the radio campaign we can look at results and begin the analysis process, thus leading to the small tweaks, which improve results.
Pleaseask us about the great fun we have working with talk radio hosts like Howard Stern, Michael Savage and others, who drive traffic for our clients.
Reading our Case Studies will give you an idea how we led the way in marketing iPhone paid apps to the top of the charts!
We love creative ideas and brainstorming. We’ve taken start up companies and turned them into brand-names, that were then bought out by their competitors.
RadioActive Media looks forward to meeting you at booth 212.
800-599-RADIO | Text DR Radio to 511-511 |714-787-0101 International
By the RadioActive Media Team
RadioActive Media is proud to be a sponsor of the SES (Search Engine Strategies) Expo in San Francisco, August 16th – August 18. Come by our booth #212 to learn how your online efforts will be intensified by our radio campaigns. For more information go to www.radioactivemedia.net or call (800) 559-RADIO (7234).
Text “SEARCH” to 511-511 to get more information on how radio may enhance your online campaign!
When working on creative for radio, it needs to be memorable. Copy that works for print or TV has to be tweaked for radio: The perception by the audience through audio, without the benefit of visual, for 30 or 60-seconds of time, needs to be heard to have maximum results.
You also need a great hook: something that will capture the listeners attention. Humor has to be carefully examined to make sure it doesn’t fall flat.
Build in an unbeatable, unique offer configuration with a high perceived value. Are you offering 50% off or buy 2, get 1 free? Have you tied it to a special promotion, a coupon, or contest?
Make sure that you mention contact points at least 3 times in a 60-second spot. Usually that means a web address and/or phone number. Positioning in the spot will vary, but certainly at the end and after you’ve described the offer are best places. Repetition is important, especially since this is not a newspaper they can refer to later. Simplicity is important too. Having a simple, easy-to-remember phone number, such as a vanity number (800-559-RADIO) and easy URL are critical for best response levels.
When using a text messaging campaign where the mass audience of targeted listeners is asked to text a message to get coupons/discounts, locations, audio/video messages, usually only a memorable short code is used in the message, such as text RADIO to 511-511.
At RadioActive Media, we like to take a list of 10-12 prioritized bullet points that our clients want to make sure are conveyed to the audience. The focus needs to be to make the message clear. The job is done right when the audience understands the offer, the value and takes action.
We hear poor calls to action regularly. For example: A discount eyeglass company uses 45 seconds of their 60 seconds with lackluster humor. Unfortunately, the listener is unable to remember the name of the company or their product, this tells you the spot didn’t have the desired response.
As a direct response agency, we build copy and functionality to have a great call-to-action with measurable results. How many calls were made at what times? How many web site hits were there? How many text messages came in?
We tie the times of the actions to the times that spots ran to evaluate performance. This analysis determines the next media selections, part of a constant flux of keeping what works with new additions to test.
Remember the special needs of the radio format. Unlike newspaper, you can’t refer back to the printed page later for a phone number or URL. Unlike television, you don’t have visual reinforcement of these contact points.
Note: One of the great reasons of using Sirius for a media buy is the pad display can include written information that can be saved.
These are some of the important points we take into consideration at RadioActive Media when we craft a successful radio creative. Call us to ask about how you can get a free, pre-produced commercial worth $2500. Ask for Jeff Pollak at 800-559-RADIO (7234).
800-599-RADIO |Text DR Radio to 511-511|714-787-0101 International
By the RadioActive Media Team
Perhaps the single best benefit of direct response advertising is the implementation of testing. Testing lets you dip a toe in the stream to evaluate any number of elements without the expense of a full-blown campaign. You can test:
Different creatives
One is funny; one is not
One is longer
One is recorded; the other is live
Different URLs
Different cities/regions
Different offer configurations
One offers 2 for 1; One offers 50% off
Different bonuses
Different stations and channels
News vs. talk
Classic rock vs. 50s music
Different talk personalities
Recorded vs. live reads
Different time slots
Morning drive
PM drive
Evening
Testing of two creatives may involve choosing just 1-2 similar markets, time slots, station formats and campaign duration. The relatively low cost lets you run for just a few weeks while evaluating each week’s results. With analysis, you can determine a winner, go back and tweak one or both and either retest or roll out the campaign to a wider choice of markets/stations/time periods. The campaign continues to be tracked and the media schedule tweaked for the remainder of its life.
800-599-RADIO|Text DR Radio to 511-511 |714-787-0101 International
By RadioActive Media Team
“Radio delivers its best results in quarter-to-quarter revenue comparisons since Q1 2007 with a +6% overall increase to $3.687B. In fact, this gain represents the highest posted in nearly a decade (3rd-Quarter 2000, +8),” according to the Radio Advertising Bureau.
What do all these major advertisers realize? Radio is a tremendous value due to its unique ability to target all segments of the population.
Let’s look at the significant categories and their growth along with the advertisers that know the value of radio advertising:
Communications/Cellular/Public Utilities – increased 5.7% over a comparatively strong showing in Q1 ’09.
Besides the biggies such as AT&T and Verizon the category saw increased spending from Leap Wireless, T-Mobile as well as new comers Palm Inc. ClearWire and Tracfone.
Television/Networks/Cable Providers
The category grew 23% overall, to $276.2M. Comcast Cable led the way followed by: ABC, NBC, USA, CBS, Charter, Cablevision, Telemundo, Cox Communications Cable, ESPN and HBO.
Restaurants
McDonald’s remains Radio’s third-largest advertiser for this quarter. Wendy’s spending represented an increase of 18%. Other major players are: Romano’s Macaroni Grill, Buffalo Wild Wings, Panera Bread Co., TGI and Arby’s.
Auto Dealers/Dealer Groups/Manufacturers/Rentals
Financial Services
Financial Services moves into Local and National Spot Radio’s Top 5 this quarter with expenditures of $191.6M – up by nearly 50% from last year’s Q1. JPMorgan Chase led the way followed by PNC Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Capital One, Fifth Third Bank and Bank of the West. American Express charged into the #2 position in this category with a $20.5M commitment (versus just $24.9K last year). Within the Network sector, JPMorgan Chase was also the spending leader with $2M in activity compared to none in Q1 2009. American Express also increased their Q1 2010 spending by more than 300% to nearly $2M.
Grocery/Convenience/Liquor Stores
An impressive 27% increase in spending with category leaders such as Safeway with an increase of 63% over Q1 2009. Kroger Food Stores, Supervalu and relative U.S. newcomer Fresh &
Easy Neighborhood Market, Trader Joe’s and A&P Supermarkets. Also rapidly increasing: Radio spending by the fast-expanding Aldi Food Store chain.
Insurance Companies
Major additions in radio spending came from State Farm Insurance, Progressive and Safe Auto. Other advertisers who added sizable increments to their Radio spending were Esurance and Titan Auto Insurance.
Retail – Including Home Improvement, Department Stores, Discount Stores & Shopping Centers
Radio’s revenue from Home Improvement advertisers grew 18% over Q1 ’09, with added spending by all four major players: Home Depot, Orchard Supply Hardware Lowe’s Companies and Menard’s Building Supply.
Other categories/advertisers with increased spending are:
Specialty Retail – Old Navy, Gap and ProFlowers and 1-800-Flowers
Concerts/Theaters/Movies – Paramount and Universal
Beverages- Coca-Cola Co., Kraft, Pepsi Dr. Pepper Seven Up, Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors
Political
Issue advertising comprised 25% of first quarter’s political spending fueled by the healthcare debate. The recent Supreme Court ruling invalidating corporate campaign funding limitations should impact political throughout 2010. With 57% of all political dollars spent on candidate support ($7M) in special elections and preliminary name recognition building in Q1, Radio is certain to be a front runner come the primary and general election season. (See earlier post: Plan Early for the Political Ad Campaign Season – Rates are Up and Inventory is Down)
What do all these major advertisers realize? Radio is a tremendous value due to its unique ability to target all segments of the population.
At RadioActive Media, we take radio advertising to the next level with text messaging campaigns, radio personalities and 24/7 tracking of results.
Source: Radio Advertising Bureau, Q1 RECORD REVENUE GROWTH SHOWS BROAD SIGNS OF STRENGTH AS KEY ADVERTISER SECTORS SPEND MORE IN RADIO
800-599-RADIO|Text RADIO to 511-511|714-787-0101 International
By the RadioActive Media Team
RadioActive Media is making it more affordable than ever to take advantage of Direct Response Radio advertising. With every 8 week schedule of $8,000 per week or more, the first creative production spot is Free. ($2,500.00 value).
RadioActive Media is offering this promotion because we know our campaign spots work. We test the campaign first to keep initial costs down, we then tweak the spot to give it the ultimate result a ROI. Successful radio campaigns start with great creative.
Creative is not the place to reduce your costs. We want our clients to have the best reach and frequency available. RadioActive Media knows it, and now will help your company with the costs of creating a compelling spot.
An 8 week schedule of $8,000 per week or more means FREE creative spot production, worth up to $2,500.00. The above is a great example of a Call-To-Action. This is a limited time offer and may end at any time, so call now!
For great ways to create a call-to-action and radio campaign with results, consult Jeff Pollak at RadioActive Media at 800-559-RADIO (7234) or text RADIO to 511-511.
Some radio stations are promoting HD Radio like it’s a new medium for radio, but it isn’t. HD radio allows AM and FM radio stations to switch to digital broadcasting from analog broadcasting. Basically HD radio upgrades terrestrial station‘s signals so that AM stations have a sound quality like FM stations and FM stations have a sound quality like a CD.
It is being compared to satellite radio where new programming and new opportunities for radio will occur, but that’s not what is happening. HD radio is more like HDTV which did not promote new programming; just clearer signals. Cable TV is what brought in new programming and content to television.
HD radio offers song title and artist information and tagging for later purchase on iTunes. While the sales of HD radios are increasing and more vehicle manufacturers are offering the radios as standard equipment in new cars, only 1.3 million total had been sold by Dec. ’09. Consumers can get HD radio when they download free station apps.
Currently there are no ratings available for HD stations and radio reps are using these stations as “add-ons.” Radio station ad sales have any pricing for HD radio. Instead, stations and their websites promote their latest iPhone apps or that they are streaming their content on their sites.
Radio stations need to change their focus from thinking of HD radio as a medium and realize it’s a technology. Like satellite TV added broadcast stations to its offerings, satellite radio should add the best radio stations to their roster and share revenue. Notice that Clear Channel’s KIIS Channel is an example of that which airs Ryan Seacrest’s show.
If terrestrial stations are viewing satellite radio as a threat, they need to put more effort into improving programming on current AM and FM stations, whether digital (HD) or analog.
I think in the next couple of years it will be hard to find an HD radio for sale. What are your thoughts on HD Radio?
800-599-RADIO|Text DR Radio to 511-511|714-787-0101 International
By the RadioActive Media Team
Yes, it’s only July, but in the retail world, it’s already the end of the year. Now, is the time to get your advertising for 4th quarter completed and booked. If you haven’t started, don’t waste any more time.
During the 2009 holiday season retailer Target used radio for the first time. They relied on live reads from their newspaper circular by local on-air personalities. In 2009 Target didn’t use coupons and since newspaper circulation is going down, they chose to use on-air personalities to flesh out their newspaper circulars by talking about seasonal activities like buying some holiday lights, making dinner for the family, buying gifts for family and friends. These are all everyday things we all need to buy and we all need to do. Target gave up their creative control to these local on-air personalities. The result was Target moved product better than before.
You may not have $10million to spend on your 4th quarter advertising, but whatever your budget, RadioActive Media can design the best radio campaign to move your product or service to your target audience. We are experts in the power of on-air personalities and have used them to benefit our clients.
Don’t waste any more time thinking about your 4th quarter campaign – contact Jeff Pollak at 800/559-RADIO (7234) and learn more about using radio personalities to deliver your message.
800-599-RADIO|Text DR Radio to 511-511|714-787-0101 International
By the RadioActive Media Team
No element of a direct response campaign is more important than the call-to-action. As a consumer, I’m often bewildered by ad messages that don’t make sense. Big, expensive, pretty award-winning ads make me mutter “What was that? What did they want me to do?” What a waste of money and effort.
When you craft your call-to-action, start with the goals you want to achieve. Do you want more prospects, more leads, and more feedback? What action do you want your audience to take? Are you driving traffic to a website or to call/text? How many different ways do you want them to reach you? Thoughtfully list all the different ways and follow each through with great detail to track the response of each method by media vehicle, by day and by time slot.
Direct response requires easy and clear instructions in a call-to-action. When you only have thirty or sixty seconds to make an impression, demonstrate an excellent perceived value and ask for the order or action, you need the kind of talent and expertise that can achieve that conciseness and reaction. Talent to write strong, exacting copy. Expertise to set up, handle and track the great amount of details required to track every possible point of response.
When using radio, you only deliver the message by audio, so the message is even more important and you need to take up more of your precious time to repeat the call-to-action.
Let’s talk about how we make it easy. If we want them to know about our website, we use an easy, short URL address like www.auction.com. If we want them to make a call, we like a vanity number like 800-Auction or an easy to remember number like 800-777-7700. If you want them to text, choose an easy “short code,” the actual number after the client word or phrase, like DR Radio to 511-511.You want the URL, text message and phone number all to be memorable.
Direct response results are trackable and measurable. To that end, several URLs, codes and phone numbers can be used to discern response by media vehicle. Copy can suggest to Rush Limbaugh listeners to mention “Rush” when you call or go to the site for a discount, free shipping or the like. The same holds true for any other talk show host. Or enter a memorable code like KRTH6 (for 6AM). Change the code for each live read and you have tracking.
For more great ways to create a great call-to-action, consult Jeff Pollak at RadioActive Media at 800-559-RADIO (7234) or text DR RADIO to 511-511.
800-599-RADIO|Text DR Radio to 511-511| 714-787-0101 International
By the RadioActive Media Team
The right promotion will impress an advertiser’s audience, increase visibility, connecting it by association with stations, concerts, contests, or other events. At RadioActive Media we are adamant that a promotional campaign deliver 3-4 times the media investment. A client spending $100,000 to participate in a media event should expect a great return, around $300-400,000, on that commitment. It takes experts to evaluate and negotiate packages of tremendous value.
The team at RadioActive Media participates in creating packages in concert with radio stations. They look at events and contests for possibilities. Often canned station packages won’t provide enough value, aren’t appropriate or creative enough to explore all the potential added value.
If a station has a booth at an event, how can leads be generated for the advertiser? Can brochures be given out at the booth? Can visitors sign up for giveaways, expressing their level of interest for the product/service?
If there’s a concert, how about on-screen exposure and sponsor messages at intervals?
Obviously every client and opportunity has to be carefully matched and their entire program developed and planned extensively. With that said, let’s go ahead and look at many of the options for campaign inclusion.
While the rules for sweepstakes have caused stations to be leery of collecting audience information to pass through to advertisers, it’s absolutely possible and easy to encourage visitors to receive discounts, coupons, prizes or other benefits when they go to either the station or advertiser website and give permission (opt-in) for additional messages.
Stations can do emailings to their own subscribers, or promote on their Fan Pages. Advertisers should expect promos for participating as sponsors in contests. Speaking of social media, there are a myriad of opportunities for expansion of exposure in promotion on Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, to name a few.
When stations use other media like print or TV, they can feature sponsors. Many times they’ll have spots voiced by talent at no additional charge. Inclusion in press releases and mentions in appearances by promotion teams are more great examples of stretching value. “Bumpers” or audio messages going into commercial, news and other station breaks kick the impression level up another notch.
New opportunities are expanding. Stations have iPhone apps. Sirius XM provides offer codes to pad displays. Radio ads have calls-to-action that ask consumers to text message which can generate text, audio, video responses and coupons. Driving traffic to websites is just the beginning of what’s possible.
To learn more about how radio promotional campaigns can be developed into spectacular successes for consumers and advertisers alike, reach out to Jeff Pollak at 800-559-RADIO (7234), text DR RADIO to 511-511.
800-599-RADIO|Text DR Radio to 511-511|714-787-0101 International
By the RadioActive Media Team
Solar Panel Installers and Manufacturers Pool Media Resources
Stretching Ad Dollars with DR Radio Lead Generation Campaigns
A unique nationwide turnkey ad program with a track record for matching qualified residential customers with the closest solar panel installers is being expanded. RadioActive Media would like to work with installers and manufacturers interested in the mass audience of radio to deliver significant response from homeowners.
Co-op advertising is a great way for smaller installation companies to join forces with solar panel manufacturers to make a big impact together. Harness the expertise of the advertising agency for the West Coast’s largest residential solar installation firm that knows best how to stretch a direct response radio ad dollar.
Cutting edge techniques like asking radio listeners to text message to locate their closest installer make RadioActive Media’s expertise special. Top that with their knowledge to use every possible tool to extend a campaign: promotions, on-air appearances, and remnant advertising and you get an unstoppable combination. If you want more proof, read the success stories in our Case Studies.
Make hay while the sun shines by calling Jeff Pollak at 800-559-RADIO (7234) to learn more about this excellent opportunity. Don’t delay. Do it today.
800-599-RADIO|Text DR Radio to 511-511 |714-787-0101 International
By the RadioActive Media Team
School’s out and vacations are being planned. There are all kinds of resources to gain information about tourism destinations. How are you getting that information out to the right people? Are you using text messaging, iPhone apps, the internet, any advertising? Or do you even know where to start? There are many options for placing your advertising dollars and in this economy you can’t afford to make a mistake. If you aren’t keeping up with all the latest changes, it can be confusing and difficult to decide what to do.
We at RadioActive Media can guide you in the right direction crafting a combination of creative and a media plan that will get the results you want. We know how to reach your target audience.
A lot of vacationers rely on word of mouth from a friend to offer suggestions on travel destinations. And what better friend to give you some good travel advice than the person you listen to on the radio and trust completely. We know how to reach that trusted friend on the radio and get your destination noticed.
Text messaging has become commonplace these days and iPhone apps abound. RadioActive Media combines text messaging with an iPhone app to create radio text messaging that can bring more attention to your specific travel destination where you can promote special offers, hours of operation, previews, current events – anything that you want travelers to know. Your response is almost instantaneous. Because we are able to see results immediately, RadioActive Media has the ability to tweak whatever needs to be tweaked to keep your results coming.
Your city, state, region, museum, theme park all want to be on the top of vacationer’s destination list. Contact Jeff Pollak at 800/599-RADIO (7234) or text DR Radio at 511-511 for a free consultation to discuss your best strategy.
800-599-RADIO |Text DR Radio to 511-511 | 714-787-0101 International
By the RadioActive Media Team
At RadioActive Media, we see cross promotion as a way of reaching 2x the potential customers when Advertiser A includes Advertiser B in the message and Advertiser B includes Advertiser A in their message. Yes, it really can be that simple.
Cross promotion campaigns have different definitions and numerous examples. These campaigns can be quite straightforward such as a point of purchase signage exchange to the more modern version of link exchanges on websites. There does need to be some synergy within the target markets.
Green is a fantastic category to explore the possibilities of cross promotion campaigns. Have you seen the news that Westinghouse has licensed its brand name to Akeena Solar?
“Westinghouse Solar panels will then be marketed and installed by Akeena and its network of installers as well as Lowe’s, the home improvement chain.” – Greentechmedia.com
Solar panel installers already identify the manufacturer(s) they install and many times include logos and/or links on their site for the manufacturers. As described, this is a one-way promotion:
SOLAR PANEL INSTALLER SOLAR MANUFACTURER
A true cross promotion would be:
SOLAR PANEL INSTALLER SOLAR MANUFACTURER
So how would this work? The solar panel installation company creates a radio campaign that mentions they install the solar manufacturer’s excellent product and could even include a discount, a contest or a longer warranty. The solar manufacturer creates a radio campaign that mentions the great installation services of the solar panel installation company and includes the discount, contest or longer warranty.
To make it easy for the customer (and create a trackable cross promotion campaign) we suggest adding text messaging to the campaign. Text SOLAR to ### ### for details. Text SOLAR to ### ### to receive your discount.
You get the idea and we have ideas in creating cross promotion campaigns. Contact Jeff Pollak at 800/599-RADIO (7234) or text DR Radio to 511-511 800-559-RADIO (7234) for a free consultation. Let us help you build your brand to the same kind of success as our other clients.
800-599-RADIO |Text DR Radio to 511-511 | 714-787-0101 International
By the RadioActive Media Team
Marketing Technology Products to Senior Consumers
When the 2010 census becomes available, does anybody not believe that Seniors will grow into one of the larger if not largest demographic group?
According to the 2000 census, adults 50+ made up 30.4% of the population or 93 million plus. What will the 2010 census bring? Are you marketing your products and services to this diverse group?
Forget preconceived ideas regarding Seniors and their purchases. Cell phones and iPads have changed Seniors’ perceptions of technology. Technology is getting easier to use and more affordable. E-readers like Amazon’s Kindle offer magnification of the written word. Digital cameras, GPS devices such as Garmin and Tom Tom are gaining in popularity among the senior demo. Golf GPS handheld devices are another example of technology being used by Seniors.
Radio and radio personalities are tried and true methods to reach Seniors. Live reads by a trusted and respected source can go a long way in introducing a product. Ease of use features rather than the gadgets themselves might be a better creative approach when marketing technology. A well-respected senior talking about their use of a newfangled technology and how it makes their life better is powerful marketing.
If you think you may be missing an opportunity to reach a dynamic and growing segment of the population, call Jeff Pollak at 800-559-RADIO (7234) or by text DR RADIO to 511-511.
800-599-RADIO |Text DR Radio to 511-511 | 714-787-0101 International
By the RadioActive Media Team
Media buyers and their sales representatives have an interesting relationship. Yes, reps are supposed to get the most per spot that they can. Buyers are supposed to get each spot for as low as they can. It seems like the most adversarial of positions.
What happens when these apparently opposing forces join their efforts to serve one cause: providing superlative impact, service and value to advertisers? Can these forces all coexist? It can be a magical experience for all involved.
Here are some of the activities of outstanding reps. Please share your thoughts here or join our discussion at: http://j.mp/RepExc. We’re looking for the anecdotal comment. What did you (as a rep) or your rep do that was over the top in service, packaging or promotion that was stellar?
1) Share competitive spending. This can help the rep as well as the buyer in the event this new knowledge yields an increase in budget.
2) Be aware of activities in all forms of advertising and share news. Your buyer will be impressed by your interest to give them a head’s up about competitive campaigns.
3) Share examples of interesting creative, great promotions, appropriate specials, and station case studies.
4) Follow research reports. What might your buyer be interesting in seeing?
5) Learn your client’s planning dates. Provide estimates of trends in pricing and inventory. What should buyers expect around Olympics, political, next quarter, and next year?
6) Look for opportunities. Who do you think of when you have last-minute unsold inventory or another advertiser’s creative doesn’t show up in time? Do you ever surprise your clients with spots at no charge?
7) Make your buyer a star. Do you ever offer your buyers tickets to share with their boss?
8) When you read about an advertiser seeking a new agency, do you share that with your buyer?
9) Ask your buyers questions. What kinds of prizes, services, products, or cash might they make available for promotions that would extend their promotional exposure? Would they be interested in last-minute opportunities and be willing to keep creative ready to queue up and substitute instantly?
10) Do you offer remotes? What buyers have locations? What advertisers would like to work with retailers who have locations in a cross-promotion?
There are a myriad of small things reps do every day to help build relationships with their clients. Providing spot times before and after schedules, smoothing out traffic issues, and proactively calling with makegoods for spots missed or pre-empted are just a few of the things that make great reps special.
800-599-RADIO |Text DR Radio to 511-511 | 714-787-0101 International
By the RadioActive Media Team
What makes one radio direct response campaign successful and another one not so much? It if was a formula, every campaign would be the same. In our experience at RadioActive Media, the difference is all about:
Strategy First
This may sound elementary. Too often clients want to discuss tactics which include the markets, stations, radio personalities, etc. without first defining the strategy. The strategy should be the Who and the Why. Who are we targeting (beyond age and gender) and Why are they the best prospect? Are there secondary groups that with a slight change we could increase their interest? This is also the time to think beyond traditional methods and get creative in exploring opportunities such as co-op advertising and remnant advertising.
Tactics Follow
Now that we know the Who and Why we can begin to plan the Where, What and When. Where encompasses many choices such as national vs. local market selection or radio formats. What can also include commercial length, radio text messaging, live reads, and sponsored radio programming. When is giving sufficient time (we recommend minimum 13-week schedules) to grow the campaign.
Tracking and Enhancing the Results
Tracking needs to be part of the Strategy and Tactics discussions. Direct response advertising has the built-in concept of testing to keep initial costs down while various parts are being tweaked. Consider real-time measurement reporting by using radio campaigns with text messaging.
How RadioActive Media Can Help
Contact Jeff Pollak at 800/599-RADIO (7234) or text DR Radio to 511-511 800-559-RADIO (7234) for a free consultation where we can talk strategy, tactics and tracking for your business.
800-599-RADIO|Text DR Radio to 511-511|714-787-0101 International
By the RadioActive Media Team
As an advertiser or media planner, are you willing to go outside your comfort zone to test direct response radio?
“The effectiveness of leadership is seen by his or her ability to rock the boat, which means that the leader never becomes complacent at any level of achievement or accepts the status quo”writes NC Narrayan in Defining the Role of Champions in Business Excellence.
Many traditional advertisers historically have sniffed at direct response referring to many of the “slicer dicer” companies as not being in their same league. During economic downturns, “champions” explore new options to stretch ad dollars.
Advantages of Direct Response Radio
Stretching the traditional ad dollar by 20%
Minimizing risk by testing in small increments
Sales and lead tracking
Tweaking campaign from results to continually improve benchmark goals
Achieving reach goals by using multiple dayparts and formats
Trying direct response radio minimizes the risk of a new initiative by offering the ability to test incrementally by budget and market. The tracking capability of each spot in the test provides sales/leads per spot. As soon as the next day, analysts can massage a media buy to add the most efficient time slots and cancel others, continuing to tweak with each result, thereby constantly improving from initial benchmarks.
By testing and expanding campaigns in this way, reputations have been made. The proof is in the results. Advertisers learn that 3 different dayparts coupled with a variety of formats gets them the same reach as campaigns with the prestige of primetime for a lot less money and the accountability of result details by station, day and time period.
The Marketing Director for a solar panel installation company became a hero when she turned to direct response radio and improved their cost per lead by 75%.
These and many other “champions” look to direct response radio to build sales and brands with much success, improving their position and moving into new, higher ones.
“In fact, a leader should foresee the trouble the organization will face in the coming years and initiate changes when everything is going well in the eyes of others. Rocking the boat means driving the organization to change when everything appears to be fine.” NC Narrayan
So when you reflect on the advantages to stretch media dollars while minimizing risk to start small and expand with continual test increments and quick results, doesn’t direct response radio start to make sense?
Champions in business shake off complacence by choosing options like direct response radio that let them minimize their risks and continue show and share results quickly.
800-599-RADIO|Text DR Radio to 511-511 |714-787-0101 International
By the RadioActive Media Team
The pros have some great advice for advertisers and media planners regarding their strategies during the ongoing political campaign season. Rates have been increasing with economic recovery according to industry sources like Radio Ink. Concerns about inventory due to candidate campaigns, issues and committees, while regional in nature, are pretty extensive and real. You can’t plan too early.
“Think about the environment in which your spot will run,” says Mary Beth Garber, President of the Southern California Broadcast Association, when it comes to media planning during political campaigns this year. Advertisers might think “My spot is going to die. Let me put it on the radio.”
Garber makes a great point when she says inventory pressure will be great on TV, making radio look attractive. While Garber’s focus is the Southern California market, others say to extend that look on a regional basis for the hottest campaigns in battleground states like Missouri, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Texas, Florida, and Minnesota as well as in California. Of 36 Gubernatorial races, only a few are not expected to be tight.
The political window for campaigns to receive the lowest 52-week rates started in mid-April for June races and resumes 60 days before the November election. The Supreme Court ruling opened the door for large coffers of spending by Political Action Committees (PAC) and Independent Expenditure Committees (IE) and others like teachers’ unions. Sam Hassell of Salem Radio Networks talked about these races affecting media planning in our Political Season Planning Part I.
In California, “we haven’t begun to scratch the surface of the Senate race,” according to Garber. “If Barbara Boxer has any challenge, 100 PACs will come out of the woodwork.” Inventory for 35+ and certainly over 50+ will be in greatest demand as those are audience known to vote.
“It may seem like “wall-to-wall commercials” come November, so Garber’s advice is to “start early.”
Contact Jeff Pollak at 800/599-RADIO (7234) and we can discuss the many ways we can help with you media planning during the political season.
800-599-RADIO|Text DR Radio to 511-511|714-787-0101 International
By the RadioActive Media Team
The shortage in broadcast inventory and rate hikes are concerns in every political year. For planners, their work began early this year. Advertisers planning for 4th and even 3rd quarter need to put their campaigns in motion as soon as possible to lock up their commitments and rates.
The political ad campaigns are “extraordinarily active” already this year according to Sam Hassell, SRR Regional Manager, Salem Communications, causing increased prices and reducing inventory for advertisers. “Rates are climbing on the national front on network and national spot,” he continued.
Media planners and advertisers should plan sooner for 4th quarter and particularly for November. They should also think about state primary pressures for August. Know the markets where campaigns are that might affect you. You can anticipate more independents in primaries who are heating up Republican races in addition to the standard two-party and Tea Party competitions. These additional campaigns continue to absorb more inventory, inflating the pressures of time and cost further.
In general, Hassell says to expect an increase over the same quarter last year. Advertisers should plan to book campaigns as early as possible to secure inventory and get the best rates possible.
Contact Jeff Pollak at 800/599-RADIO (7234) and we can discuss the many ways we can help with you media planning during the political season.
800-599-RADIO|Text DR Radio to 511-511|714-787-0101 International
By The RadioActive Media Team
As direct response marketers, we appreciate all too well the power of testimonials to give credibility. Case studies detail how problems were solved and successful stories ensued.
We practice what we preach. We have told some great stories on our blog and on our site that you might like to read. Two common themes you’ll see are how direct response radio drives traffic to a variety of other media and calls to action with tracking and accountability that’s nearly instantaneous.
How a direct response campaign using radio and mobile marketing made a hit on the Top Grossing Apps and Top Paid Apps lists:
How a traditional campaign was given direct response mechanisms to track and improve a lead generation campaign, driving the cost per lead down by 75% for a solar installer company:
Radio has made household names for advertisers and products with its broad reach and the ability to target demographics, personalities, music/news formats and dayparts. Radio is relatively inexpensive when compared with media like television that might seem sexier.
Here are 2 case studies where the power of radio personalities used in a cost-efficient, measureable direct response campaign helped to build brands so attractive that they were subsequently acquired.
Creative promotion packaging all played a part in stretching media dollars to create tons of value and an attractive acquisition for a travel business.
And we wouldn’t be a direct response marketer without the tried and true testimonial. The Marketing Manager at a major solar installer company describes RadioActive as “fierce negotiators:”
More details of our Case Studies and our Company are in our Brochure.
Call us for a free consultation about the kinds of goals you’d like to achieve with direct response radio driving traffic to all your calls to action! 800-559-RADIO (7234). Let us help you build your brand to the same kind of success as our other clients.
800-599-RADIO|Text DR Radio to 511-511|714-787-0101 International
By The RadioActive Media Team
Every advertiser is interested in getting the best bang for their buck. So, why not just use PI (per inquiry) where you only pay for results and not the specific ads? Let’s look at what PI is and does.
PI can also be referred to as cost per lead or cost per sale. When using PI, the advertiser and the medium or agency agrees on what constitutes a response and the advertiser then pays for every response they receive. You are paying for the performance of your ads, not the actual air time.
This all sounds reasonable and perhaps even too good to be true. The downside to PI advertising is you give up all control of where and when the ads run. If you need to achieve a certain amount of responses each week, you have no guarantee that you will receive that number of responses. Your ads may run in a time slot that isn’t geared towards your target audience and you could possibly run ads for a week or more without any results. That’s not going to help your business grow.
The amount of inventory is limited, so the client that relies exclusively on PI may never realize more than a trickle in sales. Strong stations may not offer any PI inventory at all. When inventory pressure is greatest in fourth quarter, pickings might be slim to none. Therefore, it’s nearly impossible to run a campaign of any significant volume.
We’re not saying that PI advertising is bad. It can be part of any well thought-out campaign that might also include remnant advertising meant to drive sizeable results. At RadioActive Media we understand you have goals for your advertising and we will work with you to achieve those goals. We continue to tweak and refine your ads and time slots to give you the best results. Contact Jeff Pollak at 800/599-RADIO (7234) or text DR Radio to 511-511 and he can design the best advertising campaign for you and your company.
800-599-RADIO|Text DR Radio to 511-511| 714-787-0101 International
By The RadioActive Media Team
Today’s ad agency can’t survive by just knowing one thing well. New-age agencies doing the best by their clients have a wide variety of skills and knowledge, not just to be cutting-edge, but to get the job done correctly and completely with measurable results of performance.
Digitalization has completely changed how agencies do their business. While new technologies offer greater speed and flexibility, these new times demand a wider spectrum of expertise to handle the complexities of consumer engagement.
Strategically, today’s agency must know and accept that you can’t place advertising for one medium in a void any longer. Almost all serious businesses with advertising budgets have a web presence. This makes it a requirement that advertisers choose to get marketing strategies from professionals who understand the various elements need to fit together.
Think of the various considerations as you plan your campaign. Let’s say you plan on using radio advertising.
Let’s take a look at the answers needed just to determine the digital, copy, tracking and testing requirements of a client’s call-to-action to define and generate the parameters for each campaign. There are many other issues such as budget, campaign duration, creative format, talent choices, testing, station/daypart selection and the like. We’ll address those in future posts.
How the Multi-Disciplined Agency Interviews the Advertiser
Agency: What action do you want your audience to take?
Advertiser: Buy something.
Agency: Where? Online? At a Store?
Advertiser: Either. Both.
Agency: Do you want to offer an incentive?
A coupon? A discount?
Directions? Locations?
Advertiser: Yes.
Agency: What action do you want them to take?
1) Go to website
2) Text to get coupon/discount/locations
3) Call to order/ give or get information
Advertiser: Yes.
You see where we’re going with this…
Agency: How shall we track results?
1) Coupon code
2) Text a word to a code (RADIO to 511-511)
3) Unique tracking link
4) Unique phone number
5) Other
6) All of the above
Advertiser: Yes.
Of course.
So here is our list of considerations:
1) Drive traffic to website with unique URL
2) Allow to text for coupon/discount/locations
3) Allow to call to order/get info with unique phone number
All of these require:
1) Copy considerations
2) Coordination with:
a. Telemarketers
b. Webmaster
c. Text vendor
d. Other possible liaisons
Yes, the devil is in the details and so are the results.
But great news! Digitalization makes everything faster. Creative is delivered to radio stations in audio files by email. Contracts, trafficking, and invoicing go that way too. Testing all the various elements before a campaign starts is critical, but a fairly quick process as well.
Perhaps best of all: direct response reporting is also fast. Text message campaign results are available 24/7 with instant analytics. Radio schedules can be verified in a few days so the next decisions about refining campaign elements like creative and offer configuration can be changed just as quickly. The campaign moves on to new, improved benchmarks.
800-599-RADIO|Text DR Radio to 511-511|714-787-0101 International
By The RadioActive Media Team
In the May 2010 issue of Response Magazine Marc Jacobs, our Vice President of Business Operations was the featured author of RadioWaves. The complete article is posted below.
The Powerful Combination of DR Radio and Text Messaging
DR radio advertising in conjunction with texting is an oilfield just waiting to be drilled and tapped. DR Radio with SMS gives companies the ability to catch the customer wherever they are. This is mobile marketing at its best! The consumers listen to radio wherever they go and their cell phones are ever-present, whether they are taking a walk in the park, at the market, the mall, driving or on a bus.
Returns are high and instantly measurable. Access is universal, clutter is minimal and conversion is tremendous. In many cases, ROI starts at 100% and tops 300%.
Text messaging lets advertisers immediately measure instant audience reaction. By doing so, the client enhances their own brand while increasing the number of advertising opportunities. A radio listener learns they can enter a contest by sending a text message to a branded text code address such “Text RADIO to 511-511.” Then the listener receives a storable sponsored verbal message, coupon or even a video.
Easier than a lengthy URL to a website, selecting a simple, memorable short code, such as 511-511 with an easy call-to-action code, such as PILLOW (“text PILLOW to 511-511”) makes the process better for the consumer and secures more responses.
The big added bonus is now the consumer is automatically opted-in for future messages and calls from the advertiser. Capturing the affluent consumer gets easier as well: satellite listeners, early adopters, provide the greatest response rates.
An online advertiser running a :60 radio text messaging campaign with spots every hour had 350-450 text message responses after 24 hours. Another hit the list of Top 10 Paid Apps on iTunes with this mobile media 1-2 punch of radio with SMS.
Results reporting is instantaneous. Real-Time Measurements include:
- Time and Programming
- User area codes
- Number of occurrences
- Coming soon: GPS Location
Real-time reporting means quick analysis and campaign refinement to constantly improve results. For example, when we learned that Thursday had the best results, we moved live reads to that day to further enhance those results. Campaigns continue to receive text messages even when the spots aren’t running. This shows that people would follow up days, if not weeks after they heard the spot.
The text message can be changed frequently to fine tune offers, discounts, coupons and even extend the promotion due to its success. SMS is less expensive and more effective than phone routing for finding a franchise location nearest the mobile customer. Text messaging adds the flexibility of a dynamic promotional element where an offer and creative can quickly be changed without having to recreate a spot or reprint an ad.
Voting is another use and excellent way to engage an audience and for an advertiser to have a “personality” with potential consumers. Each respondent receives a sponsored confirmation message.
Of course, it is not just text. Pictures of the product, an audio message, a link to a website and/or a barcode for couponing can be part of the campaign. Using video to describe the product, service or event adds a visual element to a radio campaign.
The growth of text messaging is explosive. Wireless penetration in the US has topped 89% according to CTIA.org; messages are over 3.5 billion/day (3x greater than 2007). Now that text messaging is gaining on email as the preferred means of daily international communication, according to a survey by Tekelec, the SMS option is one to add to every campaign.
Advertisers using mobile marketing today enjoy the benefits of low message and spam clutter and 97% response rates. What Adam Cahill, Hill Holiday, says make sense: “For years, the argument has been used that online ad spend should bear some close relationship to the amount of time consumers spend with the channel. The same logic would dictate that at some point in the next couple of years, 50 percent or more of all online spend should be targeted to mobile devices.” I agree it may not be practical to expect 50% budgets, but the growth and performance are here now.
The power of joining these two mobile media methods together to get traditional and instant direct response measurement for analysis and campaign refinement makes radio with text messaging a perfect pairing.
800-599-RADIO|Text DR Radio to 511-511|714-787-0101 International
By the RadioActive Media Team
Marc Jacobs and Jeff Pollak of RadioActive Media will be attending this year’s Response Expo in San Diego. We’ll be gathering with over 2000 direct response professionals and advertisers to share our ideas on how to increase leads and sales. If you’d like to learn more about how well direct response radio and mobile marketing deliver great results, call Jeff at 800-559-RADIO (7234) to book some time May 12.
Share your thoughts on the future of radio and mobile marketing on our Fan Page. That’s where we share photos from industry events, on-air appearances and campaigns.
800-599-RADIO |Text DR Radio to 511-511|714-787-0101 International
By The RadioActive Media Team
You want to build awareness of your company or you want to introduce a new product to the market, so you start planning your branding campaign. Do you ever consider using direct response radio to accomplish this? If not, you may want to rethink that decision. Geico and Dell use direct response very effectively to brand their companies.
Branding is all about building name or product recognition and encompasses the entire customer experience. Direct response provides more than branding because it can provide measurable results. DR Radio is more than just adding a phone number or web address to your advertisements and hoping for the best. It’s creating the right message to the right target audience and using the right vehicle to do it. Then you analyze your results and tweak to improve the campaign results.
RadioActive Media knows just how to build your branding campaign to deliver the results you want: making your company or product a household name in the most cost-efficient way. This is important to you and you don’t want to let “just anyone” do this. We are experts in direct response radio. Here’s a Case Study where we took an advertiser from brand only (read: no tracking) and added direct response components in their campaign which reduced their cost per lead by 75%: http://j.mp/RAM100.
If you want measurable results for your branding campaign, contact Jeff Pollak at 800/599-RADIO (7234) or text DR Radio to 511-511. Jeff can discuss with you the best way to achieve your goals.
800-599-RADIO|Text DR Radio to 511-511|714-787-0101 International
By the RadioActive Media Team
At RadioActive Media, our simple goal to constantly improve tracked results for our clients’ radio ad campaigns replaces planning formulas once a campaign starts.
Mathematical formulas can be helpful in starting the campaign planning process and as one of the measurement tools. We were recently having a discussion about the number of times a spot needs to be heard in order to produce the desired action (i.e. a sale, an inquiry, store traffic.)
Frequency is part of the GRP equation: Reach X Frequency = Gross Rating Points which is a mathematical formula. Pure, easy to calculate and is used in most media plans and calculated on most media buys. The concept is good, however the execution may be somewhat flawed and here is why.
1. Computer formulas have generalized the process of media buying:
- In order to have actual reach and frequency calculations, true duplication needs to be accounted for in the buy.
- The formularized version may use duplication tables, which makes all talk radio equal. Some Tier 1 radio personalities would disagree because audience composition may be different.
2. Mathematical formulas do not take into account the advertised product or service:
- Once or twice in a lifetime purchase (such as a home) versus multiple purchases of DVDs.
- Big ticket items such as solar panels versus small ticket items such as movie tickets.
- The influence endorsements by a radio personality have on the potential consumer.
3. Product/category life cycle:
- New category? Before the iPhone we didn’t have apps. More exposures are needed to explain new inventions first, prior to actually buying.
- New product/service in an existing category? Consumers understand the category, however as a new market entry, a brand name building campaign is more appropriate and should still be tied to performance-driven elements.
- Existing category and existing product? Maintenance schedules are often recommended in this scenario but may be affected by changes in the competitive landscape.
4. Cross media campaigns and the new technologies:
- Most formulas are media specific such as radio exclusively or TV.
- Social media has certainly had an influence on purchasing behavior.
- Mobile media is game changing.
Finally, we come to the consumers themselves. There is always a certain amount of folks who have already made the decision to purchase an iPhone, as an example. They are just waiting for the new version, their next paycheck or their maybe even their tax return. In any event, the decision is not will they buy; It is when they will buy and from whom. Solar panels are a bigger ticket item and still relatively new to market. The decision cycle may take more time and more research on the part of the consumer.
In our opinion, results do not come from formulas. Results come from experience, testing and most of all tracking and fine-tuning the campaign every step of the way.
Contact Jeff Pollak at 800/599-RADIO (7234) and we can discuss the many ways we can design a results-orientated campaign.
800-599-RADIO |Text DR Radio to 511-511|714-787-0101 International
By RadioActive Media Team
Do you deal with vendors and manufacturers? Have you ever asked your vendors and manufacturers about participating in a cooperative advertising program?
At RadioActive Media we have and we can assist you in planning a co-op advertising campaign.
Cooperative advertising is a cost-effective way for the manufacturer who does not sell directly to the consumer to support those companies that have that all-important direct relationship with the customer. Without the direct-to-consumer companies, manufacturers would need to take over that role and spend advertising dollars.
Solar panel installation companies are a great example. Most solar panel installation companies install solar panels manufactured by others after buying the materials from that manufacturer. It is fairly obvious that we are talking about a symbiotic relationship, so why shouldn’t that relationship continue through the marketing and advertising portions of your respective businesses?
Here are some examples of co-op advertising:
1. Manufacturer advertises their products and tags the end of the radio commercial with a specific retail business, “Call ABC Solar Installation for great deals on our solar panels.”
2. Solar Panel Installation Company runs radio ads that promote their company’s great installation process and mentions several top manufacturing companies in which to choose (or rotates the manufacturers).
3. Solar Panel Installation Company runs radio ads that promote their company’s great installation process and mentions one manufacturer exclusively.
4. Solar Panel Installation Company runs radio ads that include text messaging for discounts on solar panels by a specific manufacturer.
Financial agreements should be clear. The split in advertising costs should be based on the percent of value received. In example #1, the manufacturer is clearly receiving the most value. In example #2, the manufacturer receives less individual value. In the third example, the relationship is quite even in structure and mutual in promoting each other’s businesses. The fourth example incorporates mobile media providing a visual component including both companies’ logos with a call to action.
At RadioActive Media, we can create exciting campaigns benefiting all parties and include mobile media for point of purchase discounts. We include tracking capabilities to improve performance and maximize results.
Contact Jeff Pollak at 800/599-RADIO (7234) and we can discuss the potential co-op advertising has for your business.
800-599-RADIO|Text DR Radio to 511-511|714-787-0101 International|
By the RadioActive Media Team
Airlines offer different rates based on supply and demand. Generally it costs less to fly during the week than on the weekends. Media is no different. When the demand isn’t as great, the cost goes down. On occasion all media will have remnant advertising. This is when they have air time or space available that hasn’t been sold. Using remnant advertising is where RadioActive Media can save you money.
Remnant sales are done quickly, can save you up to 70% and are usually offered to large advertisers who have a budget and have some flexibility in their scheduling. RadioActive Media is a company that is contacted with these opportunities, usually with a week’s advance notice. We have access to radio stations in all markets as well as nationally syndicated radio programs.
Since remnant advertising costs so much less than regular rates, you need to be aware that the spots are pre-emptible. If you have some flexibility, then you can consider allotting a certain percent of remnant advertising to your schedule.
When offered, remnant advertising as part of your overall direct response ad campaign can save you money and lower your overall cost per lead/cost per sale. RadioActive Media can develop a customized direct response radio advertising campaign just for you.
If you are interested in expertly designed marketing strategy with the added benefit of saving money on your advertising campaign, contact Jeff Pollak at 800/599-RADIO (7234) and let’s figure out the best way to reach your advertising goals.
800-599-RADIO |Text DR Radio to 511-511 | 714-787-0101 International |
By the RadioActive Media Team
Of the major broadcast mediums, only Radio is truly mobile. Back in the day, Radio was referred to as portable. All you needed was a transistor radio and batteries. While the technology and the terminology has changed, Radio has been leading the way in what is now called Mobile Marketing for decades. Radio’s ability to go anywhere, anytime keeps it at the forefront of the major mediums.
Radio technology, sound clarity and stations/programs choices has improved dramatically over the years with “portability” now in your pocket, attached to a ball cap at a game and through satellite services. Combine Radio’s mobility with text messaging and you have a match made for our increasingly mobile society with the potential for immediate results.
Imagine that your next customer is streaming their favorite local radio station at work, they hear your commercial for a sub sandwich and by texting they can instantly receive a coupon for a pretty good discount. They text, they receive your company’s coupon and they enjoy a great sandwich at a savings. Your company either gained a new customer or had an existing customer return.
Mobile marketing is powerful and Radio is truly a mobile medium. Call 800-599-RADIO to talk to experts about how your company can benefit from adding mobile media to your advertising campaign.
800-599-RADIO |DR Radio to 511-511 | 714-787-0101 International |
The beauty of thirty, sixty minute or 2 hour radio shows for advertisers is the opportunity to let your experts really interact with and build an audience. We like to develop experts into talk show hosts. It’s not only easier to make experts good radio hosts than to make radio personalities/host experts in particular areas, but also makes the programming more compelling. Oftentimes the hosts of the shows become celebrities and personalities that are more famous than other station personalities.
Typically we start by buying time on the top stations in the top 10 markets. Then we negotiate and barter with other stations where we usually retain 10 -12 minutes for the our client’s advertising and the rest of the available time, usually 5-7 minutes, is reserved for the local station to use and sell to non-competitors.
The difference is night and day from traditional infomercials:
1) These are live call-in shows as opposed to a single recorded, canned production with predictable formulaic content. The shows sound seamless and don’t sound like infomercials.
2) Commercials are not done by the experts, but by professional talent, preserving the expert’s credibility.
This type of call-in long programming is superior to the infomercial because the creative is new and different every week by topic and with new callers. Audiences have also become less responsive to canned infomercials. Today’s more sophisticated audiences are looking for programs that provide value. The proof is in the growth of the audience.
Case Study: Building a Following and Syndicating the Show
We took an expert in the financial category and built a long-running syndicated program. We started with KZLA in Los Angeles with a very early morning time period on Saturdays. We used a combination of live shows with replays of recorded episodes.
When the expert developed a following, we moved to a slightly better time period at 7AM.
Then we expanded the number of stations, building out a custom syndication of the show to 26 stations over 1 year using top stations on weekends.
Next we expanded the duration from 1 hour shows to 2 hours long.
If you are looking for a showcase for your experts with a media strategy that seeks interaction and a purpose to educate, inform, and/or entertain, give Jeff Pollak a call to brainstorm the best ways to present your content and wrap it in direct response mechanisms to measure your results.
At RadioActive Media, we believe the best advertising is truthful and speaks to the strengths and value of the company’s product or service. We also know that radio personalities lend their own credibility when endorsing a product. Defending your ad copy claims can be costly, both monetarily and in reputation.
Most advertisers and their agencies do not set out to mislead consumers or take unfair advantage over their competitors. It is surprising that even some of the largest companies can be called into question, scrutinized by the National Advertising Division (NAD) and reviewed by the FTC.
Two phone companies were suing each other over what each stated were misleading claims. One claimed they were the most reliable network and the other claimed they had the most coverage. Both companies eventually dropped their lawsuits against each other.
The Federal Trade Commission has been investigating the heart healthy products which claim to lower your cholesterol or lower your blood pressure as advertised by a variety of food companies. The major issue is the lack of evidence to back up these claims. In some cases the FTC “urges” the company to halt the claims and in other situations they may file a complaint in federal court.
How about several years ago when a major discount chain was challenged to prove its claim of lower prices and a savings totaling a certain amount by shopping at that store? The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus raised the issue after a competitor complained.
When should you beware?
Ask yourself the following questions when you first review the advertising concept and once again when reading the ad copy content:
1. Is it true?
2. Can it be proven if necessary through research and/or independent studies?
3. Does the content possibly violate any fair trade practices?
If you have any doubts, investigate further.
On the other hand, if a competitor is making claims in their advertising that causes you concern, you should also ask the same three questions regarding their advertising content.
Successful advertising does not have boastful or make extraordinary claims about the company or product. The best advertising is believable and includes an invitation (call-to-action) for your product. Endorsements by radio personalities are a tried and true method of standing out and being heard and valued.
We can help in getting the right message across to your potential customers using a variety of exciting and actionable vehicles. Call Jeff Pollak at 800-559-RADIO (7234) to learn more.
Here’s another case where a radio ad campaign helped build a company so well that it became attractive to interested buyers.
In 1999, TravelWorm.com was the leading reseller of hotel rooms in Las Vegas running ads in the back of the Los Angeles Times’ Vegas travel section. Talk show personalities Howard Stern and Tom Leykis were brought in to voice commercials that were used in a national radio campaign which ran for over 3 years.
As a key sponsor of the Stern Show in Vegas at the Hard Rock Hotel Casino 2 years in a row, a complete promotional package was developed and assembled including on-air appearances, TV, pictures on the set, and logo presence included on microphones. TravelWorm also provided all the airfare for all the guests, talent and crew.
TravelWorm provided a grand prize of a trip for two to Paris for The Ms. Howard Stern Beauty Pageant. Years later, after the Stern show moved to Sirius-XM, the shows have been replayed and can be heard periodically to this day.
The radio ad campaign with a powerful promotion package of tremendous value greater than its cost helped build a brand name, attracting the interest of the likes of Hotels.com, who eventually bought TravelWorm.
Different mediums offer different advantages and benefits to the advertiser. At RadioActive Media we recognize this and have provided strategies for our clients that include mediums other than radio.
When you are using multi-media, you need to make sure your advertising is working together, providing the same message and call to action by directing consumers to a specific website, phone number or to text a message. You want your marketing dollars to work most effectively and by using multi-media you can reach a larger and wider audience providing you with quicker results and ROI.
RadioActive Media creates a specific plan for each client, matching their needs. Some of our clients are using other mediums to market their companies. RadioActive Media believes Radio could work in conjunction with mobile marketing, television, direct response, public relations, e-marketing, social media and outdoor. Our goal is to make sure they all work together forming synergies that yield returns above and beyond what each medium could do on its own.
If your advertising needs a little more “oomph” or you are interested in branching out and trying some other advertising channels, please give us a call at 800-559-RADIO (7234). We will give you a free 15-minute marketing analysis.
It makes a great story when an ad campaign can not only build the awareness of a brand, but also build the value and visibility of a business to make it attractive to prospective buyers.
Matrix Diabetic, a diabetic supply company, started a radio advertising test with Salem Radio Networks. They used talk show celebrity Mike Gallagher to do live reads. Gallagher had a personal story to tell. His son was diabetic and he appreciated having supplies delivered to his house. The :60 spot campaign worked well and began to expand on its success.
Other talk show celebrities were added to the campaign. Rush Limbaugh, Doug Stephan, Michael Savage, Dennis Prager, and Michael Medved were some who recorded voiced spots. Additionally, pre-produced spots were aired on Sirius & XM Satellite Radio. All were designed to drive traffic to the website and phones.
After two years, Access Diabetic, Matrix’ biggest competitor, became interested in Matrix after hearing their campaign on the radio. They then stepped up to purchase the company.
Technology is constantly changing. It’s critical to our clients that we provide complete management of all the elements of great direct response radio campaign. It is our responsibility to be the best guide by presenting a wide variety of choices to get the desired reaction from the audience while delivering at the lowest possible price.
Our tip for the day is to encourage testing of text messaging services to customers for greatest connection and the best pricing. When a consumer is looking for information about your products/services, they are often on the move. More and more consumers are relying on their phones for information.
Look into using a text messaging service when you want to provide store location information to customers. This works for any company with many franchisees and multiple locations. Imagine your customer being told to text “Quiznos” to 511-511. Then they would receive a phone message with a coupon and the location closest to them.
1. Be Able to Provide Information to your Customers when they use their Cell Phones
We depend on our cell phones for instant information and constant access. The big roadblock is that a phone routing service is not allowed to handle cell phone numbers! This obviously reduces your capability in REACHING and INTERACTING with your customers.
2. Give your Customers your Closest Location to Where They Are Right Now
With texting, customers can receive information with specific locations THAT ARE NEAREST to where they are currently using their cell phone based on their area code or (soon) geo-location.
3. And Last, But Not Least: Do It All for Less.
For example, a phone service may charge $500 in set up charges, plus $500/mo. for 1000 minutes of call time. A text message service may charge $350/month and include 1000 text messages.
Yes, technology is constantly changing. At RadioActive Media, we make every effort to stay on top of all the moving parts that make direct response radio campaigns great. We get involved in cutting edge, creative uses of technology that get our clients better, quicker, more accurate readings so that we can constantly improve their results. If that’s the kind of radio ad agency you’d like to do business with, please give us a call. Jeff Pollak can be reached at 800-559-RADIO (7234). Want to try text messaging – text RADIO to 511-511 and you will receive a call back.
The buzz about the change in the new FTC guidelines for the notification of endorsements and testimonials hasn’t met with any requests by radio stations accepting commercials from what we’ve seen. It seems to be business as usual. Salem Radio Network, for instance, is neither insisting nor requiring disclaimers in spots.
Stations have a great deal to protect when it comes to the renewal of their licenses with the government, so compliance is high on their radar. In this instance, these new revisions of the guidelines don’t seem to call for any change in operating approval procedures.
Perhaps a key phrase in the release at the FTC site (http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm) helps. The explanation that connections (between advertiser and endorsers) “that consumers would not expect” be disclosed may be the reason requirements have not changed when placing commercials for approval.
Note that the guidelines had not been revisited since 1980 and the Internet has greatly changed the playing field of advertisers and endorsers. Bloggers, for instance, have received products for free, written up reviews about them, and not disclosed the freebies.
These guidelines are just that. They are not a binding law, but may serve as a “best practice” for companies seeking to use celebrities, bloggers, and consumer testimonials.
Our on-air appearance on The Gary Bryan Morning Show with client Massage Envy did better than expected. With only a 10-day flight duration, we kicked up recognition and drove traffic to the website and phones.
Marcy Schaubeck, franchisee and Massage Envy store owner with Gary Bryan
Listen to the show:
Developing special on-air appearances is just part of our standard operating procedure to deliver the most impacting experience and value for our clients.
Steve Pollak of RadioActive Media, Marcy Schaubeck and colleagues from Massage Envy with Jeff Pollak and Marc Jacobs of RadioActive Media
iPhone App Enters Top 10 Paid Apps and Top Grossing Apps
Case Study:
At a time when the average cost of a paid app is $1.56, a RadioActive Media client offering a remote access app successfully launched the first advertising campaign for a paid app at $29.95. Compared to other apps, the price might seem high. That didn’t slow down the results. During the campaign, our client hit the Top 10 Paid Apps. Currently, they remain in the Top Grossing Apps.
The process starts with direct response radio commercials that tell consumers that they can learn more and sign up for this service by texting “iPhone” to 511-511. They receive a message with a video presentation by the service and a link to purchase it at the iTunes App Store.
Big Bonus #1:
Combining the mobility of radio with that of cell phones, the campaign also drove traffic for consumers to sign up for free services for their PCs or Macs as well as other services.
Big Bonus #2:
Giving the advertiser the ability to gain and retain opted-in consumers for sales teams to call back and continue to message these consumers.
The growth of mobile marketing and the excitement of apps for iPhone and an ever-expanding array of devices are tremendous. The marketplace for iPhone apps includes 134,000 apps (at this moment) that have enjoyed 3 billion downloads. The average expenditure on apps is $80 and the average number of apps on phones is 65.
Stratospheric Potential:
With 34.3 million iPhones sold globally, cell phone US penetration is 89%, and the response rate to text messaging over 90%, the skyward trend seems limitless. Certainly, the broadcast nature of radio to hit a wide audience coupled with the direct interaction from consumers clinches speedy results.
The reporting of those results is instantaneous and available 24/7. Data collection includes radio station air times and programming with user phone numbers, and number of occurrences. New capabilities keep expanding. Advertisers can offer couponing, gift rewards programs, audio and video creative. In the future advertisers will be able to drive customers to retail locations based on where the cell phone is located at the time of inquiry. The capability to provide great customer service with timely information based on a consumer’s location increases the possibility for a visit by the consumer.
If a mobile marketing program is something you’d like to explore, call Jeff Pollak at 800-559-RADIO (7234) to brainstorm the options that are best for you.
“Beezid, baby,” starts Howard Stern, as he launches into a glowing presentation of a Beezid commercial live read.
Yesterday Howard Stern did a live read for Beezid during the broadcast of the Mistress Beauty Pageant. Beezid, an online auction site, provided a 50” TV to give away.
Howard generously gave 2 minutes 13 seconds of live air time to the :60 media purchase with 2-3 plugs in the show that were replayed on a loop all day and into the Best of the Week replays on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
The total value of this bonus play is probably $100,000, not to mention the extra unquantifiable value of Howard’s celebrity and a live performance.
RadioActive Media knows listeners. Listeners listen for a reason – they feel CONNECTED to their favorite radio personality. They listen to what they have to say about life, politics, food, family, health and they laugh and rant and cry. They become engaged by calling in and sharing with the rest of the audience about issues that are important – to them.
We use our relationships and expertise with the nation’s hottest radio personalities and programs to give our clients special access into the inner circles of the industry.
Howard Stern
Love him or not so much, he is on point and in demand. Howard has scored guests such as: Chris Rock, Paul McCartney, AC/DC, Jamie Foxx, Benecio del Toro, Tracy Morgan, 50 Cent, Paul Giamatti, Robert Duvall, Seth Rogan, and Jimmy Fallon. Howard has two channels on Sirius, Howard 100 and Howard 101.
Oprah
Continuing her style and providing thoughtful and thought provoking programs covering health related issues with Dr. Mehmet Oz, social issues with Dr. Maya Angelou and current events and cultural trends with Gayle King. Laura Berman’s show addresses couples and their lives and relationships and Derrick Ashong brings politics, pop-culture, social media, music and the arts to his listeners.
Sports
Too many to cover, here are just a few on NFL Radio: John Madden, Shannon Sharpe, Marty Schottenheimer and Peter King. All major sports and then some are available.
News/Talk
A wealth of talent appealing to all segments of the population and political views. Anderson Cooper, Nancy Grace, Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Alex Bennett, Alan Colmes, Bill Bennett and Stephanie Miller. Greta Van Susteren, Glenn Beck, Geraldo Rivera, Larry King, Sanjay Gupta and Wolf Blitzer.
These are household names with a loyal following.
There is a reason why so many stars, companies and major news sources are part of Satellite Radio. Don’t forget that Satellite Radio takes a financial commitment from the listener and that takes real loyalty.
At RadioActive Media, we know how to match your consumers with the right radio personalities/programs to create awareness and build loyalty to your company and products.
We understand that green companies manufacturing green products are traditionally leaner. While savvy in green manufacturing, they are sometimes not so savvy when it comes to marketing. RadioActive Media understands Green marketing.
“RadioActive went above and beyond to ensure our radio campaign was successful. They are fierce negotiators on behalf of their clients. The daily follow through on campaign status is critical for campaign’s success. We received daily call logs and were able to check the status of every call and make real time decisions. The ROI from the campaigns RadioActive planned proved successful and have been the basis for us moving forward with the continued successful partnership.”
- Marketing Manager: SolarCity
Now IS the time.
“Four out of five people said they were still buying green products and services, even in the midst of the recession, according to a study by Opinion Research Corp.” [Source: State of Green Business 2010]
“Consumers want products that aren’t just greener, but better — that offer some kind of personal benefit, whether they’re cheaper to buy or own, have enhanced features or higher performance, are more convenient, less wasteful, healthier for their families, or simply cool. “[Source: State of Green Business 2010]
We have a wealth of ideas from using Radio Personalities that are known for being Green, to being the Green Leader in your industry and with consumers through Original Sponsored Programming opportunities. Add 24/7 tracking and Radio Text Messaging (RTM) for lead generation with instant reporting and that is best practices.
If you’ve exhausted conventional marketing methods and need a fresh approach, contact RadioActive Media today at 800-559-RADIO for a free 15-minute marketing analysis.
Using Mobile Media Marketing: Track, Measure, Tweak, Repeat – A Case Study of a “Green” Advertiser Using Direct Response
By the RadioActive Media Team
Marketing “green” businesses is a core competency as well as a passion at RadioActive Media. In one of our signature mixed media marketing campaigns, we drove thousands of leads in new, qualified residential installation customers seeking solar panel technology for their homes.
Our broadcast radio direct response advertising program was fitted with 2 tracking methods. The radio spots from 21 stations sent consumers to a choice of a website with a unique URL or a unique phone number.
The creative included pre-produced as well as live, endorsed spots. The pre-recorded spots were endorsements by well-known personalities from each of the 21 stations who were synergistic with “green” products and the brand.
The majority of the total media budget became dedicated to this media combination based on its success to fill the pipelines for installations.
This success came on the heels after inheriting the advertiser from a traditional ad agency that didn’t implement any form of measurement to determine the ROI of the effort. The cost per lead came down by 75% with RadioActive Media’s efforts.
Here’s why tracking is important. You start by setting your first benchmark. That becomes the new level to beat. Then you start to learn things. You learn that certain stations that skew toward the “green” audience do not drive a big volume. You still max them out with a strong schedule because they have the lowest campaign CPLs (cost-per-lead).
Then you might learn that 50% of leads come from online. That’s actually not so surprising when you take into effect how much research on big purchases like solar panels is done online. Banner ads rounded out the support of the online campaign.
You also learn about the value of choosing the right endorsement prospects. For instance, you don’t want a personality that is overused which would dilute the value of their testimonial. You want one that is synergistic, sincere and credible that fits in the budget and stands out too.
To introduce a new concept that seemed too good to be true, RadioActive Media selected the company’s leader by personalizing the familiar names of other companies he helped from inception. The tone proved to be just right.
So now you can see the wide variety of interconnections that can be tweaked to continue to refine and improve the results of a direct response campaign: talent, creative, stations, times, and online campaign ads. In radio text messaging campaigns text/audio/video messages can change the actual promotion. It’s important to plan and choose your direct response mechanisms and then to track, measure, tweak and repeat.
At RadioActive Media, our goal is client success. We think long-term and know from experience that each campaign requires a minimum reach and frequency to generate reaction. Longer campaigns generate better ROI efficiencies or what we call payback.
We need to understand your business model. What are the goals for sales and distribution? How is the company perceived? What is the profile of your consumer? Who are your competitors?
Next we look at the past to have an understanding of successes and failures. What lessons were learned? What has been the marketing mix? If you had to do it over again, what would you change?
Budgeting for a campaign is usually the hardest piece of the puzzle to solve. Most clients are concerned about spending too much and receiving lackluster results or not being able to track the results. There is the other side: not spending enough and just falling short of making that breakthrough. When a potential client is light on funds we explain the what, why and how the funds will be used. We not only encourage them wait and save up more funds until we are confident the goal can be reached, but we have actually turned away business when we know the budget won’t yield success.
After an initial call and sending out a media kit, the next step is a conference call. A customized proposal is prepared with 3 options to fall within budget.
We will tweak the proposal with feedback, work on creative, book the media time and implement/supervise all the direct response components. We will run down our proprietary checklist of test details to make sure that all parts are working before the media starts to run. We will communicate with all stakeholders to share the media schedule and estimates and to make sure everyone knows what to expect.
There is a shared triumph when all the upfront hard work to put the right pieces together meets with success. Contact Jeff Pollak at RadioActive Media today at 800-559-RADIO for your free 15-minute marketing analysis.
We believe mobile technology will continue to grow and offer many applications to make our personal lives more productive, streamline business and promote faster b2b communication and data accessibility.
The average iPhone user has 65 apps and spends $80 on average on their apps. The market is eager and hungry and willing to pay. But how will yours stand out?
At RadioActive Media we have had tremendous success in mobile technology early on with our Radio Text Messaging (RTM) campaigns. We drove a campaign for a remote access business app that took it to the Top 10 Paid Apps and Top Grossing Apps List (it remains on the latter today). Our campaigns use radio to reach a large targeted audience enhanced with text messaging to deliver specific offers, videos, and coupons. The text messaging feature also instantly syncs consumers up with locations near them, providing savings from more costly phone routing systems.
Imagine listening to a talk show personality who endorses your app on air and directs their audience to search for your app by texting a simple word like RADIO to a simple short code like 511-511? You can send a link to your site and iTunes. You now have permission to call and text that person again. How cool is that?
Our experience lets us assess the capabilities to build campaigns that achieve a direct response across a wide variety of calls to action from website, to phone or text. All of these methods can be tracked, allowing us to see what works best and to modify creative, placement, or other elements quickly to improve results.
How do users currently go about finding business apps now? There are currently over 134,000 apps available at the iTunes App store in the following major categories:
Business Books Entertainment Education
Finance Games Finance Healthcare & Fitness
Lifestyle Medical Music Navigation
News Photography Productivity Reference
Social Networking Sports Travel Utilities Weather
Productivity is a broad category with some interesting apps such as Chemical Engineering Formulator with over a 100 important formulas and Goal Master is an app for managing and improving your daily habits. Another interesting app is iTranslate billed as a Universal translator for your iPhone.
Business has many useful tools and overlaps with Productivity. Did you know that you can print from and print information stored on your iPhone? Print states you can quickly and easily print without connecting to your computer.
Finance is an ever-growing category. USAA (membership eligibility required) thoroughly embraces mobile technology. For those not familiar with USAA they do not have branches. Branchless banking with their relatively new app USAA Deposit@Mobile allows their members to take a picture of both sides of the check and transmit the images for immediate deposit. How productive is that?
These are just a few of the apps that are making our lives easier and businesses more efficient. Business apps are lagging behind personal apps. It’s time to change that. We can help promote your business app to other businesses and consumers. Text RADIO to 511511 or call Jeff at 800-599-RADIO (7234).
Advertisers should expect accountability. Yes, you absolutely can and should track the results of your radio advertising. To that end you need to build a product/service configuration before you craft the creative.
Plan Ahead to Choose the Tracking Methods
What actions do you want interested consumers to make? Next, plan what you want to implement that will be promoted. Is it a coupon? Is it a new landing page, a toll-free number, and/or a text address? All of these things can be tracked to determine conversions.
Analyze Test and Rollout Results to Make Changes for Improvement
Equally important, once these actions are built into reporting, the analysis will generate intelligence that can be acted on to massage your campaign and improve results. That’s why direct response advertising has the built-in concept of testing to keep initial costs down while various parts are being tweaked. Elements that are tweaked can include the creative, the media schedule, the call-to-action and even the original offer!
Weekly Reporting
Specifically with radio campaigns, determination of the spots that actually ran with their times can be pulled together weekly, as we do at RadioActive Media. With coordination from the client and their other vendors, we pull together results from phone, text, and website components of the campaign. These elements have all been built out with tracking mechanisms like unique vanity phone number, unique text names and unique URLs and/or promo codes.
Upon completion of a test, determination is made whether to use those initial results as the first benchmark from which subsequent results will be judged as efforts are focused to expand and improve the campaign. Week after week, as new media are added, a track record emerges. Retention of each performing station/time period maintained. The rollout to new, additional markets and time periods continues to be evaluated for keepers.
24/7 Instant Reporting
When we do a complete 1-2 punch of mobile media marketing by using radio campaigns with text messaging, we have the additional advantage of instant results 24/7 from the text part of the campaign. We don’t have to wait for the weekly results from the radio campaign to get an idea of the reaction we’re getting. Real-time measurements include time and programming, user area codes and number of occurrences. Coming soon, we’ll also have the GPS location which can dramatically enhance what opportunities retailers can provide their customers to increase traffic.
Tracking of radio ad campaigns should be the norm in this day and age. The options in elements for reaction continue to make the advertisers capabilities greater to be and get reaction from wherever the consumer is. Accountability: expect it!
What are some of your favorite radio commercials? Did listening to the radio ad make you nostalgic, tap you foot, sing along, or hungry? All of these things at some time or another? That is why at RadioActive Media we are passionate about radio advertising. We don’t rely on pictures to convey a message, we believe in engaging the listener.
Changing the copy keeps the message fresh and several versions will appeal to different people. Different radio personalities also appeal to their own audiences and by using more than one personality you can extend your reach.
The message itself should be a call to action, meaning you would like your listener to do something. The copy at this point needs to be straightforward and easy for the listener to remember, as they may be mobile. Phone numbers such as 800-559 RADIO are more memorable. Simple and easy to remember website addresses will yield better results. The newest innovation is text messaging. As an example: “Text now for a sandwich coupon from Quiznos. Text BARCODE to 511-511. Your listener immediately receives a text back with a Quiznos coupon with contact information.
So that ad made us hungry and we’re going to get great sandwiches and save money. Let us help you create engaging and call to action copy for your next radio campaign.
Are you getting the results you need and want from your radio schedule? No, perhaps you don’t have enough frequency. This determines how many times your target audience hears your message.
There is no magic formula for the right frequency, but with a little history on your side, you can figure out what works for you. First, look at what you have done in the past and the results you have from those schedules. What has worked and what hasn’t? Take a good look at your schedule – how many spots did you run and over what time period? Did you run more spots in those schedules that did well? If your schedule gave you the results you were looking for, check out what frequency you had on the schedule and keep that number of spots in mind whenever you put a new schedule together. If you didn’t get the best response, you might want to up the number of spots you are running and get a better frequency. Your audience will need to hear your spot more than one time before they move to action.
If you are working with a radio station rep who suggests less than a 2 frequency using PPM measurement or a 3 frequency in diary measurement, he doesn’t have your best interests at heart. As you build a radio history, you will learn the best frequency that will work for your product – sometimes it’s a 4 frequency and sometimes it’s an 8 frequency over several weeks. RadioActive Media has the experience to guide you through the process of finding just the right frequency for your business.
Howard Stern told his satellite radio audience listeners on Monday that he is considering and being considered by Fox to be Simon Cowell’s replacement on American Idol.
“There’s not a better job on the planet than judging that [bleeping] karaoke contest,” Stern said.”
“If I do say so myself, I can’t imagine anyone else but me replacing (Cowell),” Stern said. “I mean, I don’t know. How else are they going to make that show work? Who knows how to broadcast and who knows how to be interesting? And who’s not afraid to speak their mind?”
“It would be the best thing that happened to me,” he said. “What a cush job — $100 million for four months. Who wouldn’t take that?”
Stern’s five-year, $500 million contract with Sirius expires at the end of the year.
It seems like every advertiser is only interested in one of two demographic groups: those who are 25-54 or those who are 18-49. These are pretty large demo groups and cover a lot of different types of people. There are so many radio stations to choose from and their ratings can be within tenths of each other. How do you decide?
Direct response advertising doesn’t necessarily rely just on ratings. Your focus needs to be more on the psychographics of the individual station. If you are selling lawnmowers, you don’t want to advertise on a station where the majority of listeners live in an apartment even if they have the highest ratings in the 25-54 demo. That would be a waste of money and your results would not be stellar.
Most radio stations should have available some type of psychographics for their station. The information can be syndicated like Scarborough or Media Audit or proprietary, gathered by station personnel or a third party. This data can give a better insight into the people behind the numbers. It can tell you where they fall in the 18-49 demo. Are they on the younger end or the older end? Do they have children? Do they own a home? Are they planning on buying a home, a car, a computer or a pair of eye glasses? What is their household income? Where in the metro area do they live?
This type of information is vital to you when you are deciding where to place either your short form or long form advertising. At RadioActive Media we can direct your advertising to the best station for your product.
We live in an age of instant gratification. People want what they want and they want it NOW! We are impatient for results. If you want to make sure that your target audience hears your ad enough times to take action, don’t skimp on the length of your campaign. You should plan on a minimum of a 13 week commitment for your schedule. Anything less won’t bring you the results you are expecting and you just might miss some potential customers.
With radio direct response campaigns you will already be getting a sense of performance with great frequency at its inception that sets the benchmark for improvement as the campaign progresses.
For clarification let’s make sure we are defining radio direct response in the same way. Long Form direct response is 30 or 60 minute shows that you’ll most likely hear on the weekend or in the evenings, but can be scheduled whenever the station has airtime available. Most common show themes include mortgage, financial, home repair, real estate type shows, but Sunday morning religious shows can also be considered long form direct response. Short form is, well, shorter! They run a minute or less (:5, :10, :15 or :30) and ask you to do something – call, e-mail, text – take some kind of action.
Let’s look at long form. You can promote the heck out the show on the station you are running, but it doesn’t mean everyone will tune in the first show out of the gate. It might be 2 to 3 weeks before the public becomes aware of the show’s existence or remembers to listen to the show. Sometimes a listener will stumble upon a show and will think wow – great show, but it can take a while before it becomes a habit. Statistics show it takes any where from 4 to 6 weeks to create a habit and to tell others. Remember you are building your audience over time and allowing your expert to build a rapport with listeners. Don’t shortchange your program by pulling it after a month because results aren’t what you wanted or expected.
What about short form? Do you know how many times someone needs to hear your ad before they act? Some people will respond right away, but most people will take several hearings before they take action. Depending upon your product or service, it might take 6 to 8 times before someone is moved to act. With an ever evolving radio audience you want to make sure your message gets the proper exposure and you don’t want to pull your ad before that happens. When your Account Executive shows you a schedule, the frequency absolutely has to be a minimum of 2 using PPM ratings and a minimum of 3 using diary ratings. (Check your market to see what rating system is currently being used.) Any less frequency won’t work and you can bet your AE doesn’t have your best interest at heart.
The bottom line is don’t be impatient with your radio advertising campaign. Give it time to capture its audience: 13 weeks for long form and make sure your short form campaign has a good reach with a 6-8 frequency for your listening audience.
From an ad agency president: “With consolidation, the music has become much more ‘generic.’ Less local bands, less local flavor, much more corporate.” This agency had a promotional idea for one of their clients & the attorney for one of the larger station group owners said NO. In this top 20 market, out of the 30 or so commercial stations approximately 22 stations are owned across 5 station groups. If you have an idea and it is rejected, consolidation doesn’t leave you a lot of places to go, or does it?
Interestingly enough, customer service and pricing has not been an issue; most likely due to the economy. Even with aggressive sales technique to try and get on every buy, limitations are an everyday challenge when your client wants something different or unique. Another issue is with the ‘generic’ music and the new ratings system (Arbitron PPM) the ratings are so similar (compressed) that it makes it difficult to stand out from the crowd.
The beauty of radio has always been its innovation and ability to do something unique. It is still possible, you just have to know what to ask for and where to look.
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He can do the same for your client. Howard not your cup of tea? We can match you with any of the hundreds radio personalities to stand out from the crowd and be unique.
Original Sponsored Programming allows you to showcase your product to a well-defined target audience. Original Sponsored Programming can be crafted in such a way as to lend total creditability to the sponsor’s message.
Want something even more innovative? Radio Text Messaging is about as new as it gets. We have had excellent success in combining radio advertising with radio text messaging in a campaign that thoroughly engages the audience to action. Best yet, measurable and tangible results to maximize ROI.
Let us put the fun and innovation back into your media campaigns. Radio is everywhere and so can your message.
“Inventory is getting tight on Sirius XM and more particularly on The Howard Stern Channel, as a result, Sirius XM is quietly letting it’s advertisers know they intend to raise their spot rates almost 50% if the schedules are not booked by tomorrow 1/29/10. Supposedly these increased rates may be in effect through the end of March ’10.”
If you are looking to use talk radio any time soon (and sooner is better than later!), call Jeff Pollak at 800-559-RADIO (7234).
Imagine listening to an expert whose topic intrigues you and during an hour on the radio. They earn your respect for their knowledge and opinions. They answer questions from callers in thoughtful, educational ways. You follow this expert week after week, learning new tips and enjoying the experience. Mightn’t the glow of your feelings pass on to sponsors of this program?
Bob Brinker is a perfect example. It is easy to fall into a pattern to listen at the same time each week to his advice and his interaction as he talks with his listeners. He gains loyalty as the audience learns more. He offers a value that creates a desire to return time and again.
What power this relationship can have! What can this loyalty mean to the sponsors?
The 5 Benefits of Long-Form Original Radio Sponsored Programming:
1) Long creative format (30 minutes or 1 hour)
2) Long-term relationship with an audience (13 weeks)
3) Controlled testing and rollout
4) Convergence with other media
5) Measurable response
Marketing executives looking for a unique new idea to reach the mobile consumer should consider original sponsored radio programs. These programs may be 30 minutes or an hour and, over a 13-week commitment, roll out a topic at length before their audience. The sponsors provide announcers so as to not detract from the expert’s position.
Like all direct response advertising, the process starts with a test. Two such advertisers willing to use radio programming started with 1 or 2 stations. A mortgage show broadened their campaign of radio shows out to 80 stations over 4 years as they enjoyed increased success. Expedia took a travel show out to 90 stations in just 2 years.
This is not a format for those set in their ways. It offers a terrific opportunity to explore a topic creatively with great depth. It also offers the critical analytical element of response measurement. Unlike other methods of sponsorship, this one can be tied to milestones that can include audience, reactions to a call to action, and incorporation of other converging media, such as text messaging.
What more could a sponsor ask for?
RadioActive Media’s strong suit is in developing meaningful, accountable radio programming that engages, not bores the audience, for advertisers. Content drives loyalty. Loyalty builds brands. Brands measure results.
The term “Internet Radio” has most likely been shortened from “streaming radio content over the Internet”. Certainly, there are some Internet-only radio “stations”, in fact at one site they list 242. That may sound like a lot, however there are almost 14,000 true radio stations in the U.S. Internet-only radio programming is highly specialized in areas of religion, educational, political and unsigned and indie artists/bands. On the more obscure side, there is an Internet site streaming background music for your pets so they don’t get lonely while you’re away.
Let’s talk about how the Internet is helping people listen to their favorite station, program or sporting event through streaming content. Yahoo! Music and AOL Music (both powered by CBS Radio) provide a wide variety of formats in which to listen. You can also get an app to listen on your iPhone and iPod touch.
The Internet is an excellent means to listen to your local radio station when you are out of market or away from a traditional broadcasting source. Here is an excellent example: when the Rockies and the Dodgers played their last regular game on October 4 (and throughout the season) the game was available on KDA and KABC and through MLB.com’s connection to these stations.
Sounds very similar to satellite radio. MLB is on satellite and you also get a variety of formats and radio personalities. Sirius and XM both have an internet listening options that include your computer, iPhone and iPod touch.
Being able to listen to radio stations while writing this blog through such a wide variety of sources; over-the-air, satellite, computer and mobile devices keeps radio a top advertising option. Add the unique marketing opportunities such as Original Sponsored Programming and Radio Text Messaging and advertisers can truly maximize their ad dollars and measure their results.
Radio campaigns have reached a new height of performance with the explosive combination of radio and SMS text messaging. We call this kind of campaign Radio Text Messaging (RTM), a new super combination showing tremendous success with some ROI’s topping 300%. Direct response radio ads use a call-to-action such as text RADIO to 511-511. Consumers respond by texting to receive special coupons, discounts, or notifications. Advertisers receive the additional benefit of opt-in acceptance when the consumer texts, giving them permission to contact the consumer again.
RadioActive Media placed the first paid advertising for an iPhone app with a measurable call to action using a special offer code to work on iPhone so consumers could get the app. The excitement of the immediacy from radio direct response advertising used this way delights consumers and advertisers alike.
The success is partly due to the huge growth of text messaging, which doubled in 1 year up to 110 billion messages in 2008 and now exceeds 3 billion a day. As a very new method of message delivery, the future looks bright. The creative varies from text to audio, pictures and video, making a very powerful and immediate impression. Technology is in the pipeline to improve smart phones; consumption of the phones is escalating, and contracts with phone service providers are all converging at breakneck speed.
What about the response? 95% respond to text messages in 5 minutes. 98% inside 30 minutes. How’s that for return? Enviable open rates are 80%. As for conversion, M:Metrics reported a 12% rate for targeted campaigns. Obviously that will vary due to the compelling nature of the message and the offer.
Here are some uses for radio with mobile marketing:
Polls
Coupons for instant redemption
Special previews
Event notification
Giveaways
The speedy response time of results, the ability to tweak radio creative in short order, and the 100% opt-in nature of the consumer make this effective combination of radio and mobile marketing unstoppable. To learn more, text RADIO to 511-511.
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There has been much written about digital radio from technological and political points of view. I am concerned with two groups; the listeners of radio and radio advertisers.
Digital radio is offered in four distinct ways:
DAB Digital Radio (also known as Digital Audio Broadcasting) – Primarily in use in the UK and Europe to Canada
High Definition (HD) – Selected by the FCC for use in the USA.
Digital Radio Mondiale (DRB) – New standard to replace AM broadcasting.
Satellite Radio Broadcasting – No geographical boundaries
All four technologies provide better quality sound and are comparable to CD quality for the listener. All four provide the enhanced technologies of scrolling program information, song titles, artist names, and the like. All four technologies can carry data alongside the audio. Imagine text and video to be transmitted with the audio providing new ways to connect with the listener.
What are the differences?
Satellite radio has the programming and the radio personalities and no terrestrial boundaries. In other words, it is literally everywhere a satellite signal can be picked up. The way that digital radio works is the same as AM and FM stations work now. In fact with your digital desktop or car radio you do not have an AM tuner, FM tuner or added digital tuner. Your radio automatically switches from analog to digital and digital to analog depending on the signals and boundaries.
Better Quality Signal is Better for All
Similar to the enhanced quality of video and audio with digital TV, digital radio’s sound is greatly improved. This is good for all radio.
Ahead of the Curve
At RadioActive Media we are already incorporating the future of data alongside the audio through our Radio Text Messaging (RTM) campaigns. Radio is the mobile advertising medium. Mobile advertising is positioned to be one of the fastest growing media vehicles. Combining these two powerful resources is game changing. We like game changing.
Radio offers so many advantages over other media for advertising, but sometimes advertisers forget some important things about radio advertising. This is the first of a series in which we will expound on each of these common mistakes.
Give it enough time
Advertisers never give enough time to their advertising schedule. Most figure if they don’t see results in 4 or 5 weeks, it’s not working. WRONG! Give your schedule at least 13 weeks to work. Listeners can hear your spot anywhere from 3 to 10 times before they take action. If your schedule is too short in length, you may miss an opportunity to reach someone at just the right time. Prepare to be on the air for a minimum of 13 weeks and your response will increase.
Now that you have your 13 week commitment, make sure you are on the right stations. I know that sounds simple, but your favorite radio station may not be the right audience for your product. Make sure your target audience is the audience that listens to that station.
Again, it sounds simple, but you want to make sure you are running enough spots to reach your target audience. You want to create the right frequency to get response. If you know that your prospects take six times to respond to your ad, make sure you have enough frequency in your schedule to get that response.
You are not advertising on TV; you are advertising on radio, so paint a picture and have copy that engages the listener. Change it up frequently; don’t let it get stale. People respond to different things and you want to get the most response out of your audience. Also, you will want to have a simple phone number to remember or text to and an easy website to direct people to. Your audience may not be able to write your number or website down immediately so you want it to be something that they will remember easily.
When you track your responses, you’ll know what time slots are working best for you. Then you can make adjustments to your schedule to get the best results. Don’t be afraid to change things up.
Radio advertising can give you the best bang for your buck. Just remember to keep these things in mind. Radio isn’t strange or difficult, but you can’t think of it in the same way you think of television.
You work closely with your advertising agency and you think they are doing the right things for you, but are they? How should you judge them and their work?
One of the ways you can feel good about your agency choice is if they are measuring your results or if they are asking you about the results. Keeping track of your results shows they are paying attention to your schedule and are willing to make corrections or tweak the schedule as needed. If your agency isn’t asking these questions or keeping track on their own, you’ve got the wrong agency.
Does your agency really know who your prospects are? Are they proposing a schedule and ad copy that makes sense? And, speaking of ad copy, are they changing it up on a regular basis? Do they do spec spots for you or call you up with suggestions or ideas that they thought of in the shower or driving to work?
You count on your agency to do a lot for you and to do it right. You want to have confidence in them and what they are doing for you. Are they easily available to you either by phone or e-mail? Do they answer the calls or e-mails in a timely manner?
If you can answer these questions in a positive manner, then more than likely you have the right agency for your company. If not, perhaps you need to rethink your agency choice. You are relying on your agency to bring in new business to your company through their marketing and advertising efforts on your behalf and if they are not delivering in the way you need them to, it might be time to find a new advertising agency.
It is that time of year again when finance and marketing teams work that love-hate relationship in putting together the marketing budget for the new fiscal year. Whether you like it or not, it is as certain as death and taxes. Many small business owners and marketing managers often overlook the full potential of their marketing efforts.
There are many ways to go about creating a marketing budget, however, there is one common mistake most often made by business owners: projecting out a full year’s marketing budget appropriate to the expected results. Small business owners tend to be a bit conservative when projecting their marketing budget as well as their return on investment (ROI.) Allocating too thin of a marketing budget usually results in missed opportunities to grow their business as desired, or exceeding the budgeted amounts.
As a general rule of thumb, new businesses should appropriate 20% of the budget towards their marketing efforts. However, in today’s competitive environment and multi mediums of marketing, that may be understated. It is still surprising how frequently businesses fail to even allocate 20% of the budget towards marketing endeavors. Even if you have the best sales staff in the world, you need marketing. Whether it is used for producing professional collateral materials, launching a pay-per-click online campaign, or going full scale with a radio or TV campaign, money needs to be set aside to build and advocate the brand.
As any good marketer is aware, no one medium works alone. In my many years in marketing, I have come to know first-hand that communicating a clear message is essential to the success of a campaign. The message should not necessarily be that of your own preference, but that which will translate well to your targeted customer. As difficult as it may be, the marketer’s own predisposition needs to be put aside in favor of the preference by their customers.
Marketing should not be considered an expense but an investment in your business.
With any investment, the key decision component should be the return on that investment. This is where it becomes complicated. Analyzing the results can be clouded by different factors. First off, each individual medium contributes to the overall success. Let’s assume you are using radio and driving customers to a proprietary web address. The radio campaign has a call to action incorporated into the message. In a perfect advertising world, the customer acts exactly as we expect, the radio ad suggests going to a proprietary web page and taking action. In reality, the listener may simply Google the company name as a result of hearing the ad on the radio. That is how individual results become clouded with credit going to the online campaign over that of radio. It is clear that mediums do not exist in silos and instead work in concert to enhance one another’s own success toward the common goal.
Slicing and Dicing
In addition to the overall budgets being too thin and often less than a 20% allocation, the budget is sliced and diced across mediums, promotions, times of the year and other factors. I believe in marketing because I know and I can prove that marketing (in our case Radio) drives business. Too much slicing and dicing diminishes the power of any campaign.
Calendaring
Media planners are very good at “calendaring” or creating a visual schedule for the fiscal year. This calendar should be multi-layered taking into account the seasonality of the business (if any), special promotional activities (sales) and the ability to take advantage of marketing specials. Take advantage early and get the worm; specials for 1st quarter begins now.
Longevity
Too often I hear “well that didn’t work” and it doesn’t matter what “it” is. Often the campaign was not long enough to build any significant momentum. Some campaigns are planned to be short in duration to promote a holiday or annual sale and a significant amount of the budget may be allocated to this campaign. I will go back to building and advocating the brand. This is not a short term goal, but a sustainable effort that builds on itself over time communicating a clear message that is essential to the success of a campaign and therefore the business. Give some more thought to the long-term goal over the demand on the budget of special sales and annual events.
It is early in the year so take another look at your budget with both short-term and long-term goals in mind.
800-599-RADIO|Text DR Radio to 511-511|714-787-0101 International
We’re fans of radio. Growing up in Southern California, we were raised on talk radio. We spend a lot of time in cars and outside. Radio is our constant companion. We’re passionate about it. With passion comes the drive to make radio perform for our clients.
Cutting edge applications of radio fascinate us. Following that path put us in front of satellite radio and radio text messaging. We placed the first paid advertising for an iPhone app with a measurable call to action using a special offer code to work on iPhone so consumer could get the app. (Can we post results or just say successful?)
Learn more about our radio direct response services that demonstrate our strengths in this special niche such as long-form sponsored radio programs at Original Sponsored Programming. See our Case Studies and learn more About Us.
We hope you’ll follow and participate in our discussions as we talk about direct response radio, performance advertising, talk radio and the power of celebrity to build brands. The future of radio is going to be very, very interesting.
Connect with us at 800-559-RADIO, 714-787-0101, or text RADIO to 511-511.
“We have done radio marketing campaigns in the past with other agencies. We have found RadioActive Media to be knowledgeable, responsive, and effective. They always have their finger on the pulse of the radio campaign.”
