Radio Advertising Space…Small Business, Small Steps, Big Difference

Advertising is often a concern for small-business owners, but even big dreams can be reached through an adroit promotional plan. Radio advertising space links businesses to a plethora of prospective consumers, and obtaining radio advertising space is as easy as A.B.C.

Foremost, the small-business owner must adopt an advertising strategy, and consequently adapt said strategy to his or her consumer audience. For radio advertising, the small-business action plan should essentially cover the basic interrogative bases-all six of them: Who, What, Where, When, Why and How:

Who is the reach, or intended audience?
Of what will the radio advertisement consist, in terms of product information?
Where (on which radio stations) will this radio advertising space be allotted?
When and how frequently will the advertisement air?
Why should this advertisement be allotted radio advertising space?

How will radio advertising space be obtained and necessary expenses paid?
It is especially important that a small business correlates its strategy to its target market, as this is the initial reason behind the advertisement, after all.

Bargain hunting tactics can be applied to small-scale advertising as easily as they can be to back-to-school shopping. When searching for radio advertising space, the small-business owner should remain alert to sponsorships. Many times a sponsorship can ensure first-dibs airtime when the commercials roll around. Thus, the small-business owner benefits from additional listeners; he or she has the chance to entice the audience before they commit the worst crime imaginable to the radio advertiser: switching stations.

Last but not least, conserve, but always remember to be creative. It’s a juggle of both quantity and quality. A penny-pinching small-business owner wants to take advantage of even the smallest financial opportunity at minimal cost-or loss. Yet at the same time, he or she needs to entertain, and do it fast, at that. Most radio advertising space spots are short; 30 seconds or 60 seconds are standard spot time lengths. Some fast-talkers even make do with 15.

The key is to embrace brevity, because by running a long ad, an advertiser in turn runs a high bill. Instead, have an outline of key points ready to outline your ad premise, and keep it succinct. Toppings like sound effects and wordy witticisms should be quarantined to 60-second ads only, as shorter commercials may tend to seem overcrowded.

Nonetheless, radio advertising space affords room for cleverness via theme. For example, if the advertisement details a beret sale at the Hawaiian Hat Hut, call your sale a luau instead of just a weekend special; people will make the connection and remember it. Don’t have built-in subject matter? Although trite, something catchy like “Two-fer Tuesday,” “Saturday Shindig” or the like will stick. By conserving resources but splurging on ingenuity, the small-business owner can use radio advertising space to go the extra mile in just a few creative steps.