Radio - TV’s Step Child: Unglamorous - yes, but it gets the job done.

It’s true, radio is often viewed as the step child of broadcast marketing. It takes a second seat next to TV. However it’s also true that radio gets results and is much cheaper to produce and air than TV. Radio commercials can substantially stretch a practitioner’s ad budget, and when produced right, put extra mileage in his message. We recommend a three point strategy to use radio; plan well, spend wisely, get results. And a three step creative process to insure success.

Step #1 - The script, service, and audience.
Focus on a specific service or procedure and take extra time to carefully write a positive script about it. For example a urologist may wish to promote services or surgery for incontinence. This otherwise hush-hush subject is best served with a script that targets a core audience of adult women.

Step #2 - Who talks to the audience - and how.
To record a radio commercial targeting women needing relief from incontinent problems it is intelligent - in fact a no-brainer - to hire a woman to be the voice behind the script. A female voice with the right sound and tone can add a measure comfort and credibility to the script’s content making it particularly meaningful to a female listener. In addition to quality of vocal presentation it is also very important to included ample address and phone information so a listener can easily reach the office. Remember radio spots are only one minute long - no a lot of time to cover a lot of ground.

Step #3 - Spend wisely on media.
Spending wisely means choosing the right station with the right programming and the right ad placement within that programming. To get premium placement and therefore better listener attention it’s advisable to purchase single sponsor spots instead of random run of station spots. Sponsored spots may include specific coverage such as the news, weather, education, medical commentary, etc. They cost more but do provide some exclusivity which can result in higher listener recall and therefore a better response to the ad message.