Radio Results Blog

A billion people now use Facebook. More than 700,000 of these users are in the state of Maine.  Ry Russell, owner of The Saco Drive-in Theater in the greater Portland area, knew that he could sell more tickets by converting a small portion of Maine's social media users into fans of his page: facebook.com/sacodrivein. Using traditional radio advertising to achieve his goal, Ry expanded the business's number of Facebook followers from 2800 to 16,000 in just over 2 years.

The 2012 Radio Mercury Awards for the best commercials were announced this week.  The winning commercials all had one characteristic in common....they all tell a story.  Most radio commercials contain 150 words of fact. Great radio commercials are 60-second epics using story to cement relevant facts into the receptive mind of the listener.

Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and James Madison...they are to blame for the reason a local motorcycle dealer can't use Steppenwolf's song "Born To Be Wild" in their radio commercials.  Or why the local jewelry store can't use Beyonce's song, "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" in their radio commercial. Or why the local Van Halen tribute band can't use their own version of "Jump" in their commercial promoting an upcoming appearance. And why nobody can use "Happy Birthday To You" in their radio commercial.

The typical 60-second radio commercial is only 150 words long.  So, it is important that each word is meticulously selected to convey the intended message.  This applies especially to the verbs.  According to The Writing Center at The University of Houston, "one of the best ways of grabbing and keeping [an audience] is to use strong descriptive verbs." So why was the word 'get' used, by my count, 42 times in the last 7 radio commercials I just heard.  'Get' and its various conjugations (gets, got, gotten) are not strong, descriptive verbs and they don't belong in most radio commercials.

I have been listening to the radio all morning and have heard more than 30 commercials. It frustrates me to say that very few of these commercials had a point. They were each 150 words that wandered aimlessly for 60-seconds.  As each commercial ended I often had no idea, even, what the business did.  These advertisers all forgot the first rule of creating effective radio commercials: Do it With Purpose.

Here are 5 of the most common rookie mistakes made by first time radio advertisers and suggestions on how to avoid making them.

Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today. —Robert McKee

Advertising is critical for expanding the success of a business.  Most businesses, however, have limited resources for advertising. With careful planning and execution, radio can provide effective advertising solutions within any budget.  Here are 6 ways to buy a powerful campaign and not break the bank.

You have made the decision to invest your advertising budget in local radio.  So you contact several radio stations and invite them to send a sales guy to make a presentation to earn your business.  Each one makes a compelling argument for advertising on their station. Are there questions you can ask each sales guy to make sure you make a choice that will be effective for your business and get the most for your investment?

I have Red Robin stuck in my head and all I can say is, "YUM"! Until recently I had never been to a Red Robin There was not even a Red Robin within 500 miles of me. But for the last few years the restaurant chain's jingle would inexplicably appear in my consciousness out-of-nowhere and repeat in an endless loop: "Red Robin, YUM...Red Robin, YUM...Red Robin...YUM".