Radio Advertising???

[Danielle Beck]

Hi! I need some help...I am planning the annual New Year's Eve Masquerade Ball at Union Station. This will be the 3rd year. It's a great event which I am quite proud of. The attendance last year was 800 people, which is great, but my hope is to build it to 1,200 people.

I have worked with WTTS in the past -- they are WONDERFUL, but I am concerned that their frequencies aren't strong enough. I can rarely get their station when I am north of 465. ZPL (99.5) has shown a very strong interest in the event...but are they the right station to advertise on? And now there is a new station, I-94, which seems to be getting quite a bit of attention. So here are my questions...any advisement would be greatly appreciated!

1. Should I only promote on one radio station - allow them to be the "exclusive radio sponsor" or spend money on multiple stations and not tie it to one station? In th case of WZPL, they have offered to have their personalities on-site which could bring a large crowd (??)

2. How powerful is radio advertising? Is it where I should focus my advertising dollars? Obviously I will be doing a lot of socal media marketing, and have a great partnership wth NUVO (also a WONDERFUL organization to work with).

I know I could work with a media buyer, but I need to make sure that radio is where I want to spend money...

[Pat Coyle]

I'm not a media buyer, but I'll throw in my 2-cents:

Radio is absolutely a good way to promote events, and buying a mix of stations is the best way to expand your reach. On the other hand, if you have a limited budget, heavying up with one station, and turning your event into a co-promotion with the station can also work well. There's equity in a radio station audience. That is, the listeners feel affinity for the station and its personalities, and loyal listeners might be more likely to get involved with your event if the station is behind it. If you pick the right partner (i.e. the station that has be biggest or best access to your target demo), and you tap that affinity by integrating the personality of the station into your event, and you bring your partnership back year after year so that you build up equity, then you may be able to grow your event year-after year.

What you want to avoid is spreading yourself too thin so that your event falls through the cracks. You do need a certain level of frequency in order to make sure your message gets heard. Also, if memory serves, radio rates can go up a bit in Q4 based on rising demand from retail and diminished inventories...so whatever you do, it's wise to do it as far in advance as possible so you can negotiate the best rates.

Don't forget that radio stations have online audiences too. They have Websites, Facebook and MySpace pages, Twitter followers, E mail lists and even Smaller Indiana groups :-). Rather than trying to build your own online momentum, you might consider leveraging your radio partner's digital audience in order to increase your frequency and try to drive interaction. If your radio spend is decent, you may be able to negotiate digital stuff as value-add to your deal.

[Erik Deckers]

Hi Danielle,

I can get WTTS north of 465. I've gotten it up in Anderson before.

I would allow one exclusive radio sponsor if they were willing to give some extra value other than just a cheap advertising package.

If you've got the money to do radio, do it. Otherwise, you'll just put it more into NUVO and social media.

BTW, if you need an emcee, talk to Paul Poteet, formerly of Channel 6/WRTV. He's here on Smaller Indiana.

[Jillian Koeneman]

I agree with @Pat and @Erik that radio can be a viable promo vehicle, but I personally feel it is most effective with well-established brands and services. My issue with radio is that it's hard to measure ROI and how effective your campaigns are? I'd personally lean more toward putting my dollars in ppc, seo, and social media.