6 Types of Radio Ads

Types of Radio Ads

While it may seem that Americans are shifting from radio to streaming platforms to listen to music, that isn’t quite the case. According to a 2021 Nielsen study, 88% of Americans listen to AM/FM radio weekly. That leaves plenty of opportunities for radio advertisements to reach their intended audience.

If you have a small business, advertising on the radio is a no-brainer. It has an incredible amount of reach, and a relatively low cost compared to other forms of advertising. But when writing a radio ad, what type of radio ad should you choose?  There are many types of radio ads out there and deciding which style to write in can be a challenge.

In this blog, we’ve rounded up the top 6 types of radio ads. Here, you can learn a little bit about what they are, their effectiveness, and the pros and cons of writing in that style.

1. Straight Read

A straight read radio ad is the most straightforward type of radio ad. It’s a produced segment where one or more voices read from a script about the product or service. Typically, the voice talent is talking directly to the audience, telling them about the benefits of the product and why they should buy it. Straight read ads typically will include a call-to-action at the end of the ad, usually directing the listener to call a phone number or visit a website to learn more and make a purchase.

Straight reads tend to be easier to write and produce than other types of radio ads. They’re best suited for shorter ads, as well, usually at 30 seconds or less. Depending on the voice talent, however, they can easily be tuned out by the audience if the line delivery isn’t engaging enough.

2. Live Read

A live read ad is similar to a straight read, but it involves a radio personality reading from a script live on-air. The host of the radio show or DJ typically reads these ads out during short breaks between the other segments of the show.

Live reads can help your company stand out from the crowd, as the host’s familiar voice will hold listeners’ attention. A popular host reading your radio ad can also sound like an endorsement, which could incentivize listeners to check out your services.

3. Jingle Ad

Often combined with the straight read, a jingle ad is one of the most popular types of radio ads. Jingles are effective at getting listeners to remember a brand, due to their repetitiveness and use of melody. When combined with a straight read radio ad, the talent will typically talk about the product or service, and then the jingle will play in the background and/or at the end of the advertisement.

Jingles evoke emotion, increase recognition, and can often get stuck in listeners’ heads. If you combine a jingle with a memorable script for a straight read, you can create an effective commercial that will get listeners to follow your call to action.

Jingle ads can be a little more difficult to produce than a straight read, however. If you don’t already have a jingle for your company, you’ll need to write one or have a songwriter compose it for you. This can be costly at first, but the return on investment of a catchy jingle can be invaluable for future advertising.

4. Personified Ad

A personified ad is a type of radio ad where one or more speakers assume a character to deliver the script of the ad. These ads can be particularly memorable with the right script and voice actors, as they will catch listeners’ attention due to their narrative nature.

A typical personified ad script will usually have a character voice a problem, and then another character offers a solution in the product or service that is being advertised. The characters will discuss the product or service and its benefits, and the ad can close out with a jingle, a call to action delivered by an announcer, or the characters themselves talking about what to do next.

Personified ads can be humorous or play it straight, but either way, you don’t want the script to sound too cheesy. You can run the risk of making your audience roll their eyes, or become annoyed with the ad. A talented scriptwriter and voice actors can sell a personified ad effectively, but it may take several rounds of writing and recording to get it right.

5. Testimonial Ad

Testimonials can be a powerful tool to encourage radio listeners to purchase your product or service. Having a real customer record their thoughts on your product not only provides valuable feedback for your business, but it can be an effective type of radio ad. You can interview customers yourself, or request that customers send you recordings to utilize within a straight read ad. Keep in mind, however, that having a customer record their own audio may result in quality issues. If you or your producer has a good microphone and sound system, it may be worth the investment to interview the customer personally to receive the best quality audio for your radio ad.

6. Sponsorships

Finally, the last type of radio ad is the sponsorship ad. Sponsorships are a little different than most radio ads, as they are more subtle, but they can be quite effective. Like with a live read, the host of a radio show tells the audience at regular intervals that the broadcast is sponsored by your company. The host can then talk about your business, or just keep the ad to simple reminders to check out your product or service and thank you for sponsoring the show.

Sponsorships are more popular in other forms of audio advertisements, like podcasts, but they can still be effective on AM/FM radio. They take advantage of audience attention when they’re the most engaged, which is when they’re listening to the host talk about the topic of the day. You can reach out to local radio stations to ask about sponsorship opportunities.

Killerspots can Write All Types of Radio Ads for Your Business

No matter which type of radio ad is best for your business, Killerspots can write and produce effective and engaging ads for you. Our agency has been crafting killer radio spots for our clients since 1999, with award-winning results. Get in touch with us today for a quote, and you’ll be hearing your company’s name on the airwaves in no time.

Benefits of Email Marketing

Benefits of Email Marketing

Small businesses have lots of options when it comes to marketing strategies. However, those options are not all created equal. Some may be more expensive or time-consuming than others, and some may have higher ROI. The type of business you own will largely determine the different marketing strategies you employ, but there is one that is effective across industries:

Email marketing.

There are many benefits of email marketing as a marketing strategy. And did you know that email marketing is one of the most well-received forms of marketing with consistent ROI?

Many people spend a considerable amount of their day looking at emails, especially on smartphones. A recent survey from Statista found that almost 50% of smartphone users prefer to receive communications from businesses via email.  And those communications are usually successful in converting to sales. Another survey found that 50% of people buy from marketing emails at least once a month. This leads to an impressive average ROI for email marketing, earning approximately $36 for every $1 spent.

Numbers, however, aren’t the only incentive to work email marketing into your marketing strategy. Read on for the top 7 benefits of email marketing that you can take advantage of for your business.

Personalized Marketing

Email marketing is easy to personalize, which can make it more effective at converting leads and earning sales. Personalization options for email marketing are endless, but there are two common strategies.

The first involves simply including the recipient’s name in the subject line or body copy of the email. It seems simple, but this strategy is incredibly effective in increasing email open rates. Emails with personalized subject lines have a 26% higher open rate than generic subject lines. Most email marketing platforms include easy-to-use codes to include the recipient’s name, so it’s easier than ever to personalize your email marketing strategy.

Segmentation is the second personalization strategy for email marketing. Segmentation is when you divide your email list into categories and send different communications to each category. For example, you could have one email go out to first-time customers, and a different one sent to repeat customers. If your business markets multiple products or services, you can also utilize CRM software to tag your email list based on the services your contacts are interested in. Then you can opt to only send emails about certain services to those contacts. This ensures that your messages are relevant and interesting, instead of being viewed as spam.

Measurable Results

Another one of the benefits of email marketing is how easy it is to see measurable results. Email platforms often have built-in statistics that detail bounce rates, open rates, click-through rates, and more. You can see how quickly a contact opened an email after it was sent, or how many recipients clicked on a link in the email. This data is invaluable for future email marketing initiatives. Use the data to determine what works and what doesn’t, and you can refine future emails using those strategies.

Increased Site Traffic

Improved SEO is another benefit of email marketing. Including links to your website in your email communications encourages recipients to go to your website to check out your products and services. Backlinks to your website via email will improve your website’s SEO ranking overall. Emails with links to your website also can generate more traffic by word-of-mouth. Recipients can forward an interesting email to their other contacts, which could lead to more customers checking out your site who may not have otherwise.

Increased Sales

60% of consumers in a survey reported that they have made a purchase because of a marketing email they received. This statistic is particularly noteworthy for small businesses with an e-commerce site. Emails detailing promotions, sales, or product highlights can generate interest and encourage customers to purchase to take advantage of a deal. You can even develop email-only promotions or deliver your contacts a special coupon code to further entice them.

Cost-Effective

With a high ROI, email marketing is more cost-effective than other forms of marketing. Sending printed mailers, producing radio or television ads, or hiring more marketing personnel are all costly marketing strategies that may be difficult for small businesses. Email is an easy way to reach thousands or hundreds of thousands of people in minutes, at little cost to you. Many CRMs make it easy to send emails directly from their software to your contacts, so you can manage your customers and your emails all in one place for one price.

Timesaving

As a small business owner, you know that time is invaluable. In addition to being cost-effective, another benefit of email marketing is how much time it will save you compared to other forms of marketing. Traditional marketing campaigns, like television, radio, or print, can take weeks or months to produce and implement. Email marketing is easier and faster to put together, which means that your emails can be more timely or topical depending on what is going on in your business and the world at large. Emails don’t have to be fancy, either! A simple text-based email can be composed quickly and sent out even within a single day.

Improves Recognition

Finally, another benefit of email marketing is it can help improve your brand recognition. Email communications, like other written brand communications, will often be composed in your brand voice, or showcase your brand colors, style, or logos. Showing off your brand’s personality in your emails and providing your email list with something of value may even generate excitement for your weekly or monthly newsletters. You can research your audience and even do surveys to determine what kind of content they’d like to see in their inboxes. Then, when you deliver, it will improve your brand recognition and brand image overall.

Develop Killer Email Marketing with Killerspots

When done right, the benefits of email marketing are vast and rewarding. The first step to drafting a killer email campaign, however, is with killer written content. If you need help crafting emails for your small business, Killerspots’ team of talented writers can help create emails that engage and convert. Get in touch with us today to speak with our writing and marketing teams.