Did Video Kill the Radio Star?

Did Video Kill the Radio Star?

Five Reasons to Consider Radio for Advertising

With the popularity of internet radio apps like Spotify and Pandora or the launch of iTunes radio, many advertisers have been quick to write off traditional radio as a valid advertising channel. Video may have killed the radio star, but with rising costs to internet advertising, radio is emerging once again as a cost-effective and productive means to reach a local audience.

Not convinced that radio is right for you? These five facts may just prove to you that radio never died, but it is a viable marketing channel you ought to pursue now!

1. Radio reaches more households and more affluent audiences.

In 2013, MediaPost reported that there are over 242 million radio listeners in America every week. According to Jeff Haley, the CEO of Marketron, radio reaches over 90% of adults in the $75k+ household bracket each week. This represents twice the national average for household income.  On a weekly average around the nation, radio listeners spend 2 hours and 27 minutes during their commute. That is a lot of time to listen to your ads! Plus, radio listeners are typically people commuting to white-collar jobs, shopping, or driving their children to practices or school events. For many advertisers, these are the decision-makers you want to reach.

2. Radio is a medium that dominates mindshare just before purchases are made

Mediapost revealed that radio is one of the most effective influences in a purchasing decision:Quote
“According to an annual study carried out by Arbitron and Edison Research, in 2013, 49% of those polled who went into a store to shop had been listening to AM/FM radio in the half hour just ahead of that visit. Compare that to only 6% who had been using a cell phone to research information or 6% who had been researching on the Internet via desktop. Only 3% had been viewing a magazine.”

While it is difficult to pay attention to an online advertisement using a tablet or smartphone during a commute, this is not a problem for radio listeners. As listeners are already on the go, radio can sway the decision making in what someone has for dinner, where they shop or how they spend their weekend.

3. Radio increases buyer’s actions for specific industries

A survey by the Radio Advertising Bureau showed that consumers are greatly influenced by the radio ads when thinking about their next home improvement project.

4. Radio increases trust more than traditional or digital advertising.

Consumers still trust radio advertising over more modern mediums like search ads or pre-roll videos. Neilson reports that 58% of consumers trust radio ads compared to 44% who trust search advertising, 39% who trust social media ads, and 35% who trust mobile display ads. The survey by the Radio Advertising Bureau also showed that listener trust was positively influenced when a radio personality promoted the home improvement project or service.

5. Radio is an affordable medium for local advertising

If you want to reach a certain locality, you only have to pay a small amount of money to advertise on a local radio station. The airtime is comparably cheaper than a national television and thanks to listener demographics, advertisers can more effectively plan out what radio stations will be best for their target audience than if they tried to reach the same audience through television.

While internet and mobile advertising continue to be the fastest growing segment for advertisers, radio has been the most trusted medium over the years. If you are looking for a marketing channel that can produce qualified local and national leads, then radio is one of the most cost-effective and reliable advertising channels to consider. If you’d like to know what a radio campaign would look like for your business, contact my friends at Media Plus+ today for a free, no-risk consultation and they will help plan out an affordable radio campaign that attracts qualified leads for your business.