Radio Advertising Pros and Cons

When it comes time to advertise your small business, radio probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind. But that doesn't mean it isn't an effective way to reach your target audience, particularly if you place your radio spots during peaking driving times. And radio advertising typically costs

A good radio ad will grab a listener's attention, perhaps with a catchy jingle or a talented radio personality. Radio ads engage listeners by contructing a 30- or 60-second story, keeping the product or service being sold at the forefront throughout, covering all the key points in an efficient and entertaining way, and finishing with a call to action such as a phone number, which is typically repeated at least two or three times to help the listener remember it until they can write it down or pick up the phone.

If you choose to create a radio ad for your business and will be writing the ad yourself, make sure to use informal language and write the way you talk. The proper pacing is also important; trying to cram too much into your ad will only make you seem pushy. Include the proper pauses, just as if you were speaking to the customer directly. When you have a draft of your script completed, read it aloud to a friend or work associate to get their opinion.

Remember that people listening to your ad are probably doing something else at the same time, like driving in their car or doing household chores. For this reason, repeat key information like your company name and the name of the product or service you're selling at least three times. Let them know the call to action is coming (Have a pen or pencil handy?), and then repeat your phone number or Web address at least three times as well.

The music and tone of the ad should also fit the station the ad will be airing on. For example, if you'll be buying time on a rock music station, you don't want to use a country and western jingle in your ad. It also pays to choose the proper type of station or programming -- talk radio, news, specific music genre -- and make sure it is a good fit with your customer base.

The most effective radio ads are those that are interesting, humorous, have strong offers, and that are repeated frequently for a set period of time during a specific time slot. For this reason, radio stations sell these time slots in packages.

Some pros to advertising your business on the radio:

• Radio ad are cheap to produce, especially when you compare them to other forms of advertising like television.
• They create a lasting impression, in part because you're paying to run them repeatedly over a specific time period.
• Radio spots give you an opportunity to tell a story about your business in a fun, entertaining way.

However, like all forms of advertising, there can be some disadvantages to radio advertising as well:

• Whereas in print advertising a reader can cut out your ad and save it for later use, a radio ad is very ephemeral, playing over the radio for a minute or less.
• Morning and evening commutes are key times when many businesses want their ads to run, and there are only so many spots to go around. This can drive up the cost for those choice time slots.
• It can be difficult to reach some target audiences who do not traditionally listen to much radio.

For information on other types of advertising, included the advantages and disadvantages of each, be sure to check out Television Advertising Pros and Cons and Print Advertising Pros and Cons.