Yes, radio spots are cheaper that TV ads and often even cheaper than newspaper ads. 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. 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. The important thing to know is when your spots will run and how many people will hear your message. If you're a typical small business, you've probably been approached by at least several different radio station sales representatives.

Some radio stations are now selling thirty second spots which is fine if you can get your message across in that limited time frame. 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. To many ad agencies, radio is considered advertising's ugly stepchild. Combine that with having to endure five or six of these spots in a row and it's no wonder stations are losing listenership. 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.

I tend to use voice impressions that I or others do in radio spots from time to time and it can be a real attention getter. What they've learned is that even bad spots will eventually stick in the mind with enough repetition. However, this can also backfire as I've heard spots where voice impersonations were used just for the sake of putting them in the spot with no real message or tie-in to the product or service. The same rule goes for putting voice impersonations in your radio ads. 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 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. Second, give a listen to the radio stations in your market besides the ones you usually listen to. The radio stations may even volunteer to do this for you for free but remember, you get what you pay for. 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. Ask to speak to the sales manager and let them know you're trying to gather information for a radio buy.

However, there are ways to keep your costs in line yet still reap the benefits of radio -- for instance, buying less spots but running them all in one or two weeks, so your customers are more likely to hear your message. To reach your target market, you need to purchase several spots. That's why radio can also turn into one of the more expensive media. Below are some other positive reasons to use radio. Depending on the costs of radio in your community, radio may be a very affordable way to get a good viral campaign going.

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.

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.

But the spots also work for a different reason. The sexual reference in this and other spots in the campaign worked, causing sales to rise 13% in the first two quarters of 2002. From the tag line to the plot, they are about a desire for Heineken. When a guy across the bar responds by pouring his own, he nervously pours too fast and spills foam all over the table and himself. The sexual content is implicit, yet direct.

You should be promised a proof of your radio ad before it goes on the air. 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. Coordinate your radio with your other advertising and you can benefit from the power of electronic word of mouth, radio. The newspaper ad says one thing, yellow pages another and the radio commercial is off in its own world. The radio ad person should know all about your campaign and image before leaving with the order.

This year, the game was nearly as good as the ads, as there were a surprisingly good number of breaking spots. This bad concept was in stark difference to their introductory spots featuring Flash animation based around their logo. AmeriQuest had two entertaining spots revolving around the themes of misunderstanding and jumping to conclusions. Leading the pack was Career Builder, FedEx, Mastercard, and Anheuser-Busch. Career Builder put a great spin on a stale category with the best work since Monster's I Wanna Be.

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.

The radio people will want you to voice it because some of your fiends will tell you they heard you on the radio and you will be convinced radio works. 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. Steer clear of characterizations The last of the great character actors on radio was Mel Blanc and he died 20 years ago. Be sure your radio ads sell the same benefits at the same time as your newspaper, shopper and other print and billboard ads. Yet, every radio station in the country has at least one would-be Bob Hope who thinks he can out-funny the pros.

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.

It is pretty easy to get sticker shock when you see that a sixty-second radio commercial on a popular Los Angeles station could cost you a thousand bucks. Let me give you a real-life example to better illustrate ROI. There is a company who was promoting seminars where they would attempt to sell a service that cost $8,000. When they were starting to do advertising to promote these seminars, the question of how much budget should they allot came up. Faxing can be done for as little as 7¢ per page in some major metropolitan areas, so they came back and said they thought they would want to send out about 25,000 faxes a week for the 5 weeks they would be doing seminars.

Here's a neat trick to get lots of radio advertisement time, TOTALLY FREE! Imagine. Please feel free to use this article in your website, ezine or e- book. For More Unusual Web Traffic Generation Ideas, Visit http. I ask,though, that you reproduce it in its entirety and without alteration, including the resouce information above. For more surprising web promotion ideas, visit Hugevoice.

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