Radio + Digital = Success

Is your business hyper-focused on your digital marketing strategy? If so, you’re not alone—and you could be missing out on a critical avenue for connecting with your customers. The focus on digital marketing is a natural and necessary strategy for businesses to adopt, and there is endless data to back up the wisdom of targeting existing and potential customers on social media and through online advertising. However, don’t leave the older, tried-and-true forms of marketing behind to enter the digital space. Combining radio advertising with your digital strategy is a formula for success. Far from being an outdated medium, radio has a tremendous reach and is a key component of staying visible and relevant to customers. If you’re overlooking radio, you could be missing out on an important opportunity to grow your brand.

Didn’t everyone stop listening to radio?

The pronouncements of radio’s death have been greatly exaggerated. People have adopted streaming platforms as a way to listen to music, but that shift hasn’t come at the expense of radio. About 93% of the US population listens to radio each week, so it’s virtually guaranteed that your customers are in the audience. Much of this exposure happens in the car, when people are driving and playing the radio. Because nothing aside from driving is competing for attention with the radio, people are much more likely to be listening closely and absorbing the message than they are with some other advertising mediums.

As an added benefit for people who advertise on radio, many businesses have written radio off as a marketing tool, which leaves ample space to develop a presence with minimum competition.

Why do I need to combine radio and digital marketing?

At Salem Surround, we refer to the process of “surrounding” your customers. This means that your brand should be present where they are, from the websites they visit and the social media they use to the radio stations they play in the car. Encountering your brand in multiple places increases recognition and boosts your credibility. The familiarity of your brand convinces consumers that you’re a trustworthy, legitimate business that offers quality goods and services. Combining digital and radio marketing makes it easier to surround your customers in this way.

Additionally, radio and digital marketing require two different approaches. Digital marketing campaigns are data driven and are focused on connecting with customers in very specific ways. You work on SEO to ensure you show up when someone searches for a particular term. You advertise on websites that offer complementary goods or services and on sites you know are frequented by your target market. You use social media marketing on the platforms you know your customers are more likely to be using.

Radio casts a wider net. Although you’ll choose stations that play music that aligns with your customer profiles, your messaging will also be heard by people who you aren’t targeting with your digital marketing efforts. As a result, new customers you aren’t reaching are likely to hear about your brand, allowing you to tap into new markets. Because radio is hyperlocal, these customers are in your backyard and can become ideal brand evangelists in your local market.

What are the best strategies for combining radio and digital marketing?

Although each marketing avenue requires its own unique approach, there are many ways to make your radio and digital marketing campaigns work together. These are some of the ways to combine your strategies, so you get the best returns from combining radio and digital:

  • Use consistent language. The language you use in your radio ads and digital ads don’t have to be identical, but there should be enough overlap that customers connect them as being from the same brand. If you have a logo, be sure to use it in both advertising platforms to help build the connection. Keep the tone of your messaging the same across platforms. If you usually use humor in your digital ads, use it in your radio ads. If you tend to be formal in your marketing messages, your radio advertising should be equally formal.
  • Focus on campaigns. A great way to maximize the effectiveness of combining radio and digital marketing is to conduct marketing campaigns for specific products or promotions. For example, if you are having a major sale, focus on your digital ads and your radio ads on spreading the word. This alignment will exponentially increase awareness and help to surround your customers with your message.
  • Be visible on radio online platforms. Place digital advertising on the websites of the radio stations you use for radio advertising. Listeners who use the station website will see the continuity of your message after hearing about you on the station and then encountering your ad online.
  • Treat radio personalities as influencers. Most radio stations have on-air talent with important relationships with listeners. Instead of creating your own advertising to play on air, engage one of the on-air personalities to read your advertising for you. When they present your brand, listeners will take it as an endorsement from someone they trust. Also, hire on-air talent to promote your goods and services on their own social media pages. This again connects your digital and radio efforts while leveraging the trust relationship on-air personalities have with their listeners.

When you add radio to your marketing plans, take some time to make sure your website is optimized for search. If a potential customer hears about you on the radio and goes online to learn more, you want to make sure you’re easy to find. The start of a radio campaign is a good time to check in on your SEO and make any necessary tweaks.

At Salem Surround, we understand radio, and we know how to use it in conjunction with digital marketing to boost your returns. We offer a variety of customizable strategies to help you refine your marketing efforts and reach new customers. Find out more about how we can help you build an effective radio and digital advertising strategy by contacting us today.

 
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Learn more or receive a free digital presence evaluation. Contact us today.