Creating Your Radio Commercial

Once you select the right station and the right radio spots, you’ll want to be sure you create a commercial that people enjoy and that grabs their attention and inspires interest in your product or service. Whether you will have a radio station or an advertising agency produce your commercial, you will want to be sure to come to the table with ideas and important points you want to hit. Be sure you have a strong call-to-action, and include a method of tracking the progress. You can do this by using a separate phone line, directing them to a specific website or giving them a special coupon code, for example.

Here are some additional tips to help you create effective commercials that capture your listeners’ attention:
. Use humor.
. Use interesting sound effects.
. Use unusual voices.
. Include interesting music.
. Make sure your target audience can relate to your commercial.
. Add your URL as your call-to-action.
. Feature only one product or service per commercial to increase recall ability.
. You won’t succeed without repetition. Radio is effective over time, as are most marketing methods.
. Run an ongoing campaign with related commercials. This will engage your audience and get them listening for the next variation.
. Save money by running ads three weeks out of every four, instead of every week. . Concentrate your spots during a few days of the week, such as Wednesday through Sunday.
. When choosing between running your ads during the morning drive to work or the afternoon drive home, choose the afternoon. People are more apt to be in a buying mood on the way home from work, and they often stop and do shopping on the way home.
. Never forget to negotiate the best deal.
. Be sure to listen to your commercial on a regular car radio before airing it to make sure it sounds good. The high tech equipment the production companies use will make anything sound good, but that is not how the commercials will be listened to.

If you have a small or mid size business, don’t assume radio is for the big guys only. Gather rate sheets from the radio stations that would fit with your product or service and that baby boomers would listen to, and then discuss with them about negotiating some deals. You’ll be surprised by how easy it is for anyone to participate in this type of media, and you’ll be excited by the results.