You might think that “Radio” is “Radio”. And when you buy Radio advertising, you may feel the wise choice is to pick the station or stations with the lowest advertising rates – or find a stellar ad package where you buy 1 and get 1 free. After all, you’d be saving money, right?

Here’s the problem with buying radio ads in that fashion…

You could buy the cheapest radio ads in the world, but they’re still EXPENSIVE… if they DON’T WORK. The best way towards getting advertising results will be with the CONTENT of your ads.

Your advertising person should emphasize the unwavering importance of the strategy of your ad campaign. And about the ad itself. The message you communicate to the public will always be the biggest factor of whether your radio advertising works or doesn’t work.

The hefty portion of our training is all about writing the best ads. Not about winning awards and being creative… but focusing on being persuasive and making an impact with our clients’ ads.

Here are 3 kinds of ads, which would you rather have?

1) Cheap ads

2) Glittery and Creative ads

3) Cash-register ringing ads

That doesn’t mean you can’t also have a creative ad that gets great results. But we focus on the “results” part first. And it also doesn’t mean you’ll never find a less expensive ad that can get results. You just need to make sure that the people you’re buying radio advertising from, actually KNOW how to write a good radio advertising campaign.

Have you ever had an advertising person give you a “spec” ad before they’ve ever learned anything about you or your business? You might even think it’s clever or funny. But that “spec” ad will never hold a candle to a well-researched ad campaign where the ad rep or ad writer asked you a lot of good questions and dug deep for the “good stuff”.

Look for an advertising person who can give you a proven track record. Ask for references… and then call those references to hear what they have to say.

For example, if I moved to an unfamiliar city to open a new business. I’d want to hear from local business owners who are getting great results from their advertising. When all the ad reps started calling me, wanting me to advertise with them, I’d definitely ask for a list of their happy clients. And I encourage you to do the same right here in Sioux Falls.

So, give me a call. And ask me for my list of happy advertisers. Have a conversation with them, business owner to business owner. Ask them about what radio has done for their business and ask what I bring to the table that they really appreciate and enjoy.

Of course, I’m not perfect. I’ve had my share of failing ad campaigns. But it was usually because I wrote ads that the business owner wanted to hear and insisted upon, instead of writing ads that their potential new customers would like to hear. I’ve LEARNED from my 14 years here. I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t. I’ll help you avoid “buying bad radio”.

So, when you’re ready to grow and take a bigger slice of the market… let’s get this party started!

Have a great day!

Duane Christensen

Results Radio / Townsquare Media

Sioux Falls

I’m a marketing guy, ad writer, and business grower. I’m on a mission to help local businesses get more from their advertising bucks. I also wrote a  a no-nonsense book about how to take a bigger slice of market share with better advertising. It’s called “Take a Bigger Slice”.