How to Write an Effective Radio Commercial for Your Orlando Business

Transcription

1 How to Write an Effective Radio Commercial for Your Orlando Business

2 How to Write an Effective Radio Commercial for Your Orlando Business Deciding to make a radio commercial is a big deal for most businesses. For some, it is their first time doing such a project. For others, it is something they have done several times before. Yet, each radio spot needs to do the same thing: bring a company s message to the radio-listening audience in an effective, compelling and memorable way. It all starts with understanding your audience. Get to Know the People You Want to Reach If you want to put together a radio ad that will get people to pay attention, you need to do one thing first: get to know the people you want to reach. Answer these questions as quick as you can: Who is your target audience? What problem, need, or desire does your product/service help them with? What would make them want to buy YOUR product or service? You have to know almost as much about your buyers as they do. Marketers use buyer personas to help them answer these questions, and many others. A buyer persona is a fictional representation of your ideal customer based on reallife data. It offers rich insights into how the buyer approaches a buying decision and what compels them to make that choice. It also defines their pains, hopes, and desires. All of this information will help you craft a focused, compelling advertisement that speaks to your target audience.

3 Crafting Your Radio Message Once you have created your buyer persona and know your audience, you can start putting together the pieces of your radio commercial. Before you start writing your commercial, there are a few other things to consider: Create a concept. Businesses can approach radio advertising several ways. A straight announcer can read copy. A fictional character can become a company's radio mascot. A vignette can put a company into a real world conversation. Determine the focus of the radio ad. Trying to pack too much information or detail into a 30 or 60 second spot will turn listeners off. Each ad should have a single clear focus. For example, a HVAC company might offer repair services as well as installing new systems. Make the ad about the repair services or the installation services, not both. Create a specific, compelling offer designed to get the listener to do a desired action. The HVAC company offers a 5 percent discount for labor on all repair work to everyone who mentions the radio ad during the month of March. The offer is the 5 percent. The desired action was getting the listener to call if they need HVAC repair work in March. Determine which radio stations and time slots your ad will run in. This helps decide the tone you set in your radio advertisement. A high-scale restaurant ad set to classical music is not going to run well on a country music station with a rowdy, morning show. A down-home diner ad set to bluegrass is not going to run well on a hard rock music station's midnight show. Decide how long a spot you want. Radio ads usually run 15, 30, or 60 seconds. The length of the ad will determine how much time you have to get your message across.

4 Writing the Script The next step is writing the script for your radio commercial. Most radio ad scripts are less than one page long. Having an experienced radio copywriter doing the work will help you get a concise, compelling message out in the time frame you have. The script needs to do a few things: Answer this question from the listener's perspective: What s in it for me? You need to connect your product/service to a particular problem, want, or need of the listener. Pass the name swap test for uniqueness. Replace the name of your company with that of your closest competitors. If the ad would work for both companies without any significant changes, it fails the test. Use humor appropriately. Humor is a powerful marketing tool, done right. The amount and type of humor should be appropriate for the audience, the radio station setting, and the company. Paint a verbal picture. There are no pictures in radio. It is all done with words. With a solid script and concept based on well-developed personas, making the radio advertisement a reality is easy.

5 Putting It All Together When recording the radio advertising spot, there are a few things to remember: Hire quality voice talent. Some people have a voice for radio. Others don't. Going with established vocal talent will prevent you from making a costly mistake. Make the recording in a professional studio. Controlled conditions in the studio will give you clean audio and a professional sound. Add sound effects. These can create a mental picture that plain words don't. If you follow these guidelines, and either work closely with the radio station you are airing your commercials on or use a quality marketing agency, you will find your radio commercial providing you with the desired marketing impact.

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