Every ad can become annoying. Even if it was interesting or funny hearing it the 1st 2nd and 5th time, it can certainly lose its appeal hearing it a 25th time, and more. Which, could turn a positive impression into a negative one. So on behalf of all loyal radio, streaming, and podcast listeners… the ones who didn’t plan on switching the station but just might if annoyed enough by hearing the same thing over and over… please stop running the same advertisement for long periods of time. Audio ads are very affordable to create, so create more ads and tell more of your story! Yes, repeating the same simple message is good for memory recall, but variations of your story can help prevent audience tune out and annoyance. Tell listeners some behind the scenes stories, experiences of your great service, or products listeners might not have known you had. There are endless things you can promote with your audio real estate, so take advantage of it and run updated ads and/or rotate a few at the same time. Booking great time slots is one thing, but making the most effective use of them is another. Whether a radio spot, streaming audio or podcast ad, keep listeners interested by telling them more and more. Need assistance and ideas to write a full campaign versus just one radio spot?… we can help.
Keep your Ads Fresh!
Imagine seeing the same social media post day, after day, after day. It would soon have less effect, you’d start to swipe past it, ignore it, dare I say become annoyed by it and perhaps stop following. Well, the same could be said for a TV or Radio ad that runs too long. Yes repetition is important, but with research showing that a high percentage of listeners are loyal to their radio stations, they’re actually overhearing your ad if it the same one airs for too long. There’s more to your story than just that one message. So keep it fresh, update your radio ads, make fans out of listeners, tell your whole story so they create a desire and interest to connect with you and become customers. Social Media is just more proof that if you stay active and fresh in your marketing, the results will pay off. So mix in updated stories with your radio branding… add chapters, specials, successes, help listeners really get to know you… and picture being at your store or using your product/service. You can still keep the same sound, the same image, but freshen up the content so it’s not the same message, same exact words that over time can have less effect. The cost of updating your radio and streaming messages is minimal, so why not!? New stories are more interesting, it’s what people seek, not old stories. Let’s work your story into listener’s minds, and you’ll be TOP of mind.
#advertising #radioads #copywriting #radioproduction
The Value of Spec Spots
This is a story, from Before I worked in the radio industry. I was employed at a restaurant, and was involved in their advertising decisions (because I just happened to be a recent College graduate in the Radio and Advertising field). Time after time we would see Marketing Reps from the local Newspaper, Magazines, TV stations, and numerous Radio stations come in and pitch their product. They would leave rates, specials and promotions they were doing… which all left the owner of the restaurant – Unenthused. To cut to the chase, it’s likely because these reps were simply asking for money to be in their product…in their newspaper, on their radio station, etc. Never was their pitch about the restaurant. The odd time an idea would be ‘mentioned’, or an actual radio commercial ‘script’ brought by, but mostly the pitch was ‘our radio station this and that, advertise with us’.
But then one day, a new sales rep from a radio station came in with a radio – a ‘ghetto blaster’ it was called. (Yes this term ages me). He asked for 30 seconds of our time, and then played a radio ad custom made for the restaurant. Wow. That was the first time I ever saw the restaurant owner’s eyes light up about advertising. I could see her wheels spinning, thinking about how many people would hear about the restaurant, the image that would be established, the potential new customers… all because she heard a radio commercial for her restaurant, instead of just hearing about a radio station rate card. It was shortly after that I started working in the radio field, and would bring up the potential value of spec spots. For the radio station reps who embraced it, they set up more meetings and presentations. They were happy to have a creative idea to present, a recorded sample of how the client could sound on the air…instead of just selling the radio station. For them, Spec Spots became a foot in the door, ‘breaking the ice’, a conversation topic, a better impression on the potential client. Why better? Because the conversation was about the client, and how they could sound on the air. The radio sales reps were presenting possibilities, ideas, something more exciting than the cost of advertising. And the cost of doing this for the radio station was minimal, but the payoff was new clients, or existing clients committing to more air time. Sure not every meeting landed a new client, but every meeting established more attention and appreciation from businesses than just asking for a purchase order. When Overnight Radio was founded, one main aspect of our value, is creating spec spots. An idea not thought of before, a sound that’s not the usual afternoon voice at the radio station, something unique to present to a potential client…that could very well finally make them a (bigger) client. So if you’re a monthly package client of Overnight Radio, don’t forget the value of Spec Spots. Radio Spec Spots are one of the most cost-effective ways to pitch ideas and impress clients. So use your units effectively, pick a client and request a spec spot. Happy Selling, Sincerely, Jaysen Cole.
5 Tips for Effective Radio Ads
5 Tips for Effective Radio Ads by Overnight Radio
(the information below is based on two decades of what we’ve seen get the most results)
1. Make your message RELEVANT and how it helps/solves a problem/makes life better for the CONSUMER.
By creating a message that’s relevant to your target demo’s life, they’ll create an interest in your commercial, and want to know more. Once you get a listener WANTING to learn about your product or service, their minds are open to absorb information, and you can brand your company’s name into their long term memory. Illustrate the experience of using your product, show the benefits whether it’s superior product, service or savings, and use terms and concepts that paint a picture. If listeners can see it in their life, they’ll establish a desire for it. If you start an ad only with information about your company, you may lose interest before listeners realize they may want what you sell. Give them a relevant reason to care about you, be interesting, tell a story, and think about the environment you’re advertising in. (People aren’t listening to the radio to hear about businesses, but they’ll pay attention to interesting items/stories/solutions for their life)
2. Make your message COMPELLING and HARD TO IGNORE
A common ad is a common mistake. When creating, don’t think about what a radio ad should or typically sounds like. Try to avoid being like others. If your commercial has unique elements, it’ll better stand out in the commercial clutter and make people curious to learn more. If it’s filled with common clichés and generalities, not many will remember it. Since today’s consumers are hit by over 5000 advertisements a day (signs, tv, online, social media etc), you really need to be different to make an impact, but don’t be confusing or complex. Find one or two really interesting and beneficial points, and don’t let people ignore the message, or even worse FORGET it. But how do you avoid being ignored? Be entertaining, make an interesting point, tell a story, be anything but the overdone usual. But be simple, and clear…
3. Making your message SIMPLE and CLEAR
Many ads out there are quite complex and confusing to the common listener. Let’s be real, listeners are not sitting by the radio waiting to figure out and analyze every ad. Being too clever can go over their heads because their lives are too busy to figure out what you’re trying to say, they likely won’t remember it. You can’t expect a person that has work, family, health, daily chores, errands, street signs while driving, etc on their minds, to figure out a complex message. Narrow down what you want to say to only the most compelling point(s), and KEEP IT SIMPLE, but interesting. Repeating the main point is also never a bad thing. While it may sound redundant to you, accenting the main sell point/product appeal helps consumers remember it, or hear it once if their mind only tuned in half way thru the ad. If it’s clear how your business can help the consumer, simplicity will help you be Top Of Mind. Help the listener, don’t outsmart them. And know and relate to your target demographic…
4. Know your TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC
By understanding the people you’re trying to reach, you’re already on the right path to an effective radio ad. Ask yourself; Are you trying to reach someone that’s already interested in your product (today’s buyer with a special offer)? Or are you trying to reach someone who may someday be interested in your product (branding ad for tomorrow’s buyer)? Ads for Today’s buyer can be easier to create, as the target demo is already interested in your product. They may just be looking for a good price point, special promotion or extra service to get them to buy, so a hard sell or direct ad can work effectively in this case. However, Tomorrow’s buyer may not even know about your product and may not currently care, so you really need to interest and educate them with unique creativity. If you do this well, your company will be Top of Mind the day they decide to buy…which may even be sooner than they’d planned. That’s Big Bang Branding. You’ll also want to keep in mind the age range, gender, and professional status of your target demo so your ad relates to their lifestyle, and choose the appropriate kind of radio station to advertise on. But if you’re still unsure how to make a simply effective radio ad…
5. IF STILL UNSURE, GET A PROFESSIONAL AD WRITER.
Like many skills, some just can’t be taught. Some get it, some don’t. For example, if you want to learn how to drum, it will be very difficult if you lack rhythm, timing and coordination. Writing effective copy is also a skill not everyone can comprehend and become great at, but they often highly excel in other areas. So to those people, we suggest using your time wisely, hire the right person/company for the radio copy writing, so you can spend more time doing what you do best. Being a good delegator can be a lucrative skill. So, where can you find a proven radio ad writer and creator? … www.overnightradio.com
Voice talent and landscaping.
Who doesn’t love to save money? It’s one of my favorite hobbies.
I mow my own lawn…I buy my own groceries. Imagine having to pay for that? A lot of money wasted, especially since it’s relatively easy.
But the hobby of saving money buy doing it yourself has diminishing returns as you move along the scale of tasks from easy to hard.
Sure I save on landscaper costs when i mow my own lawn, but when i try to add sod or cut down large trees, I run the risk of doing it improperly and inadvertently costing me more in the end when i need to replace the sod i laid down incorrectly or when i need to pay for my neighbors roof repairs when the tree i chopped down fell onto his house.
The same is true for any profession. In my industry, people try to cross lines all the time. Writers think they are voice talents, voice talents think they can write, producers think they can predict what commercial will work and what won’t.
For the most part, none of the above scenarios work. Because each professional is trained in a different yet similar aspect of the radio industry. Sometimes they overlap, and that’s where the confusion enters.
Let’s take the producer. He/she works with scripts every day of their lives, and to some extent, their opinions on a scripts worth, is…worth something. They’ve seen it all, from good to bad and all in-between. BUT, that ability to pick out a bad or good script, does NOT mean they are writers. All it means is that they have a general awareness of something they see every day. Like a building you pass by on the way to work. You know the one side of it’s wall very well. But there is a whole building inside you know nothing about…have yet to enter and probably wont.
It’s not that the producer knows nothing…they know a lot…but 99% of their knowledge is about production, and how scripts relate to their line of work. The inner workings of how that script came to be are unknown to the producer, and as such, renders what they know about writing to being very limited.
Let’s take the voice talent. They have a microphone, a computer and an audio program to record their voice. They have the basic knowledge of how to turn it all on, get a signal, record, and render to an mp3 or wav. Which is all they need to know – because their focus has always been on the read, the sound and cadence of their voice, as well it should be.
Some notice in their audio program, the ability to compress, eq and other effects. They have heard of these, so why not do it myself? Of course, this is similar to saying you know how to properly cut down a tree because you know what an ax is.
When voice talent start moving into the producers field, all sorts of accidents can happen. Too much compression, improper eq, sometimes even reverb is added. This has the same effect as the tree. It will cost you money since producers will shy away from using you since you have already pee’d in the pool.
Just like scripts are not a producers forte , a voice talent’s eq and compression settings are not theirs to handle. Put the ax down.
I know voice talent who tell other talent to compress the heck out of their voice, as if it will help them sound better and in turn get more work. It does not. It’s like your neighbor telling you to poison the heck out of your lawn so you won’t have to mow it anymore. Sure, you don’t have to mow it, but it’s also dead. The neighbor has no ill will, they are just ill-informed. Which makes them unprofessional.
You, and your voice, or your scripts or your productions, SHOULD be professional. Stay in your lane, and let the others do their job. Make sure what you’re doing helps the other professionals in your surrounds to do their jobs. ie: record a clean signal of a great read, don’t add ANYTHING to it, render it to the preferred format, and done.
The goal here is to let the landscaper do their work. Mowing the lawn is one thing (akin to recording your own voice) but landscaping is quite another. Let the professionals do their thing, and you can do yours.