Laura Manston from our Practice Marketing team looks at the key things to consider to create successful radio adverts…
Whether you’re driving in the car, sitting in a waiting room, or shopping in the supermarket, the chances are that a radio is on playing adverts. The repetitive nature of these adverts means that catchy jingles, business names and offers often get into our heads, making it a popular choice for companies looking to raise their profile or advertise a particular promotion.
If you’re thinking about taking to the airwaves as part of your practice’s marketing campaigns, you need to have a clear objective of what you want to achieve and identify your target audience. The key to success is asking the right questions and using the answers to plan an effective campaign that helps you reach your chosen objective and audience.
Here are some simple steps to think about before you get started on a radio advertising campaign.
Number crunch
Before you pick up the phone to call your local radio station, you first of all need to sit down and crunch some numbers. By asking yourself a few simple questions, you’ll create a clear picture of how much you want to invest and the return you wish to make. Below are some questions worth considering when it comes to the financial aspect of radio advertising:
- Which treatment do I want to promote? (It’s recommended that due to the costs associated with radio advertising, your campaign focuses upon higher value treatments)
- What offer, if any, do I want to promote?
- What is my profit line on that treatment?
- How much of my profit do I want to give away?
- How many cases would I need to get from the campaign to get a return on my investment?
An example:
You want to do a one-month radio campaign to promote dental implants and will charge £3,000 for treatment.
Of this £3,000 you will make £1,000 profit and have decided you are happy to give away 25% of the profit from each case you receive, equalling £250.
The radio campaign costs you £5,000 for a month.
In order to break even, you need to receive 20 cases a month from the radio campaign.
Know your audience
Getting your audience right is critical to a successful campaign. This means finding a radio station that targets the right audience for you.
To do this, contact the radio stations in your area and ask them:
- What is your listener demographic during each of your radio shows?
- What are your audience figures during each of your radio shows?
With this information you will be well equipped to make a decision about which station is best suited to your needs. For example, if you’re promoting cosmetic dental treatments, then your advert is likely to be aimed at young professionals, so a slot during drive time may best serve you rather than one during the middle of the day when they are at work.
Doing this kind of research and preparation will help to ensure that your first steps into radio advertising get off on the right foot and you get more bang for your buck.