Most small businesses don't have a high powered advertising agency to produce selling radio commercials for them and end up with something akin to a high school play, or with the business owner reading tired copy. It was just Tom delivering solid copy about the benefits of staying at the motel (and a little twinkle music in the background. Coordinate your radio with your other advertising and you can benefit from the power of electronic word of mouth, radio. Maybe you can't get the local station to come up with Tom Bodett quality but there is nothing wrong with solid copy pitching benefits, benefits benefits. The radio ad person should know all about your campaign and image before leaving with the order.

That's because humor in radio requires the timing be perfect, much like the way a standup comedian tells jokes which means even less copy than normal is needed. The less copy you write, the better your radio spot will sound. One of the biggest mistakes made with radio copy is when the client insists on trying to tell the company's entire story within sixty seconds. To many ad agencies, radio is considered advertising's ugly stepchild. The announcer is talking a million miles per hour because they've been given two minutes of copy for a one minute ad, the end result being a verbal assault on your eardrums.

For example, in the Austin market, for what I would pay for a spot on one of the top five radio stations, I can buy three or four decent daytime TV slots. That's probably because most radio listening is car listening. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to get that kind of immediate and continuing response from radio. In fact, I put one of my dental clients on the radio recently, along with his TV, and he did very well with it. And television has one very important benefit that radio does not have.

Today, more than ever, it is crucial that your ad copy explodes the reader's curiosity. The words must be ordered in such a way that they unlock the reader's mind and walk right in.

Another tricky part about putting humor in ads is that it takes more time to establish the bit, which means you have less time for the rest of the copy. The main reason is because it takes a trained writer to know how to create an ad that includes not only genuinely funny copy, but also perfect timing and the right amount of copy needed to pull it off. Hal Eisenberg is an award winning copywriter, voice over talent and producer, as well as owner of The Eisenberg Agency, a full service advertising agency specializing in creative ads that get results. There's a national jeweler who comes to mind that likes to do his own radio commercials. Ever heard or seen a radio or television commercial that you really liked and actually looked forward to hearing or seeing again only to be assaulted by another one so annoying it made you want to heave your radio or television out the window.

Most radio stations offer two ways to buy ads. The advertising on radio targets you passively. From meager beginnings in 1920, radio has grown with us to be a major player in advertising. AMD is traditionally the most expensive radio time because that's when more people listen. Few markets have one radio station so dominant that it reaches all the listeners.

The biggest mistake many business people make is letting the station staff come up with the commercial copy and finished product. Steer clear of characterizations The last of the great character actors on radio was Mel Blanc and he died 20 years ago. Most small businesses do not have a high powered advertising agency to produce award-winning radio commercials for them. Too many radio people take you literally when you tell them what you want in your commercial and try to get it all in one ad. Be sure your radio ads sell the same benefits at the same time as your newspaper, shopper and other print and billboard ads.

If your exec isn't a writer (you may luck out in that some radio execs are copywriters in training looking for an agency gig) and you don't speak up, your ad will probably get written by either. It tastefully surrounds the content for maximum effectiveness, drawing the eye (in this case, ear) in to read (hear) the copy. And that usually entails going outside the radio station walls to get it. That leaves you to carry the banner for great radio advertising. First off, do NOT let a radio station employee write your ad.

Include all the differences in your ad copy that are better than their product. Include any proven facts in your ad copy. Ask people at the end of your copy why they decided not to buy. This will give you new ideas on how to produce a more profitable ad copy. Know exactly what you want your ad copy to accomplish.

Most radio interviews are booked on the phone, since you can reach every host in the country, and, since hosts are big phone-people. Bryan Farrish Radio Promotion is an independent radio interview promotion company. Regardless, radio does not take things seriously that are presented via banner ads ONLY. These personal visits are usually only possible in the hometown of the guest or booking person, since radio PR campaigns just don't charge enough to pay someone to visit stations nationally. Reaching radio hosts (for the purpose of trying to get booked for an interview) can take on various forms, depending on the type of station the show is done at.

Typical methods of advertising-newspapers, radio and television are effective if used properly, but there are other, less expensive ways to get your company's name out.

In the marketing world, radio has earned the reputation of being the odd step-cousin. In the spirit of being objective, here are a few for radio. You could turn it around and say Because radio is holding me back -- I'm only reaching this local market. Internet radio shows are starting to take off in a big way. And many marketing consultants will probably tell you radio is an excellent medium to reach a local market.

Here's a neat trick to get lots of radio advertisement time, TOTALLY FREE! Imagine. For More Unusual Web Traffic Generation Ideas, Visit http. Please feel free to use this article in your website, ezine or e- book. For more surprising web promotion ideas, visit Hugevoice. Terence is the editor of Hugevoice Bulletins, an ezine dedicated to discovering unusual, alternative ways to generate web traffic.

If you're a typical small business, you've probably been approached by at least several different radio station sales representatives. Drive time gets higher radio ratings because there are so many people in cars listening to their radios as they drive to and from work. Because radio advertising is so ethereal (see #1, above), you need to do a lot of it to get your message across. The smart radio station sales person probably won't even try to sell you drive time spots because either they've already been sold or because she or he knows you're most likely to choke at their cost. But there area few things you need to think about before you sign that radio advertising contract.

It's always amazed me how some companies will devote so much time and money into making sure their radio buy is right but devote so little time to the message itself. The radio stations may even volunteer to do this for you for free but remember, you get what you pay for. Ask to speak to the sales manager and let them know you're trying to gather information for a radio buy. Most likely they'll have the pulse on the market you're in and if not, can gather enough information to help you decide how much you'll need to spend to make radio effective. Hal Eisenberg is an award winning copywriter, voice over talent and producer, as well as owner of The Eisenberg Agency, a full service advertising agency specializing in creative ads that get results.

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