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Advertising is all about top-of-mind awareness. Even though most (if not every) company wants top-of-mind awareness, B2B marketing directors and business owners sometimes shy away from broadcast advertising, usually because:
They personally don’t listen to the radio or watch TV.
They believe their buyers do all of their research and buying online.
They believe that their audience doesn’t make buying decisions based upon what they hear on TV or radio.
Their target audience is a very narrow, specific group of buyers, and they don’t believe mass media is a smart way to reach that narrow group, and…
It’s expensive. Or at least more expensive than “free” marketing channels like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
As an advocate of multi-channel marketing, my advice is simple: prioritize a media mix. While we’re certainly proponents of a strong online presence, digital marketing doesn’t necessarily mean “no broadcast.” The days of hearing a message at a frequency of 3 times before acting on it is now 7 or 8 times. Digital, broadcast and even print (depending upon the demographics) all contribute to that frequency.
To reach a business listener, broadcast advertising may hold some unforeseen opportunities. For example, talk radio stations draw a following of educated, affluent, white-collar listeners. Television advertising allows you to reach your target at precise times of the day, when they are likely to watch news or business-related programming. Online/social media ads have robust targeting capabilities, driving traffic to your website to capture sales leads. All of these channels allow you to completely customize your message to build brand awareness or promote specific activities like business events, recruiting efforts or the roll out of a new product/service.
Here are some tricks for integrating your broadcast advertising campaign with other media:
Do some research. Remember that YOU might not necessarily represent your target audience. Spend some time identifying the characteristics of your preferred clients and then align the media that are best suited to reach them. ask your station representative for station qualitative information including qualitative rankers. Most stations have access to research and are able to not only provide basic ratings, but ratings and where the station ranks in the market geared toward a specific demographic or target. Instead of asking for a full media kit with a lot of information that is not useful to you, ask for station coverage maps to make sure you are hitting your target geographic areas and station line-up information. There are many national companies that no longer want to be affiliated with “controversial” programming.
Write a great script. Be smart about the length of the ad (:30 ads are not necessarily half the cost of a :60) and use those seconds to write a compelling, memorable message. Write a strong call-to-action that’s easy to remember. Integrate your on-air message with your online marketing by driving listeners to a web URL (make sure it’s short, easy to spell and easy to remember).
Ask the media partner to integrate. Many stations are able to contribute to an integrated campaign by using Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, etc…even broadcast station websites are another place to gain extra exposure. Stations have also been using their texting lines to help with recruitment. Mention a station text number in your broadcast ad with a keyword and you receive an automated response back with more information or a link to an application.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate. Most advertising sales executives are willing to get creative to support your marketing strategy. Negotiate an integrated social media marketing campaign timed around your upcoming event or launch. Ask the station to run mentions on their Twitter and Facebook pages that support your ad.
Be your own publicist. If your message is compelling and timely enough, ask the station about live liners and on-air mentions within the context of their programming. If you are comfortable being interviewed, ask about getting an in-studio appearance. This is a great way to get exposure and to establish yourself as an expert, while reinforcing the message you’re advertising. It’s wise to stretch your marketing and advertising budget, so don’t be afraid to ask for more than you expect. Learn more about advertising campaigns and media buying and how an integrated approach can support your marketing goals.