Radio Advertising

Using the radio as one of promotional methods was a very late idea that we had, and though it would have been a great way to promote our small business, unfortunetly we didnt have time to put it into our business plan or presesntation, but its something that we wanted to document as it could be useful in the future.

“Radio is three fifths as effective as TV, but only one seventh of the cost. So radio can be a much more cost-effective medium than television for advertising purposes, if it’s used correctly.”

Affordability means that radio advertising is often the preferred mainstream advertising medium of small businesses. People feel very loyal towards their favourite radio station which advertisers can look to exploit, as Radio Works’ Michael Charnley-Heaton says:


“Radio is the ideal medium for small businesses as local radio listeners have a very close relationship with their favourite station and advertisers can benefit from this.

• The Radio Station – it almost goes without saying that listener numbers are the main determinant of the cost of advertising on a particular station. Therefore try to choose stations that have the highest concentration of your target audience rather than the most popular stations.
  
• Length of the Ad – the standard length is 30 seconds, with 10 second ads being approximately half the price of 30 second ads.
  
• Time of Day – early morning and late afternoon are the most desirable times so are the most expensive.
  
• Length of the Campaign – longer campaigns are more expensive but cheaper on a per ad basis. In general it’s best not to advertise on the radio for less than 4 weeks, unless it’s a highly intensive campaign.
  
• Campaign Frequency – radio advertising relies on repetition so don’t have your ads spread out thinly. If you can’t afford high frequency ads consider advertising one week on and one week off over a couple of months.
  
• The Type of Advertising – radio stations are flexible with what advertising options they have. For example, you can often sponsor particular shows or features, or run a competition on air.

 

There will also be the cost of the creative. A general rule is that developing the ad should cost no more than 10% of your budget – around £250 for small stations and £2,000 for some of the most popular stations. These fees include script writing, actors to speak in the ad, music and sound effects. However, if you’d like a popular song it can cost up to £25,000 in licensing fees.