Radio and Search

I recently brought on a new client who was “testing” radio to help grow their business. When I meet businesses, who want to “test” radio, it is typically for short lengths of time and minimal spending. These schedules require extremely creative commercials that make an impression without all of the additional add-ons of information that typical businesses want, such as phone numbers, addresses, business hours, etc.. The goal is to get listeners to remember the business name and invade their minds enough to get them to search for the business. Getting the search is important as a 2011 Google Mobile Movement Study found that 88% of consumers who search for a business either call or go to the business within 24 hours of searching the business name. My job is to get people to both remember the business and to find them online—whether that is for a phone number, a website or a social media page.

After about 45 days of the first 60 days of advertising, I receive that dreadful phone call as an Account Executive… “Radio isn’t working and we are going to stop at the end of the month.” That phone call, especially after 45 days of using radio, is pretty awful to experience, but it is especially awful when it is followed with “Google is where all of our leads are coming from and we want to purchase the leads from them instead.”

This scenario tells me that I didn’t do my job. I created the commercials that were memorable and pushed people to search for the business. I know that because their Google searches were nearly non-existent before radio. What I failed to do is properly explain that Radio doesn’t provide a point, click or call tracking. It reaches people at home, at work, in the car and while they are visiting local businesses, whether they are intentionally listening or not. It is a medium with a strong power to reach consumers.

I also failed to show proven data that radio drives search. I won’t go through the case study for this post, but if you wonder how radio drives search and it can benefit you, visit: http://www.rab.com/public/radiodrivessearch/

I lost an advertiser, but I learned how important it is that we continue to explain the benefits of radio. After all, once again in 2018, radio was named the best medium for reach by Nielsen. I’ve noted this one in my lessons learned, but I’m out there ready to help my next client achieve profitable results!

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Join Catrina Ossman from Clever Marketing Ideas and me (Ashley) for our Brand Builders meeting the first Tuesday of every month at 12:15 pm at the Adrian District Library in downtown Adrian. The meeting is free and it is a great place to get marketing tips from two people in the business.

Until next time.... --Ashley