Influencer marketing is a high-impact strategy in any advertiser’s toolbox, and there’s no one better to promote your brand than a popular local radio host.
Radio personalities are some of the most beloved, respected influencers in their communities who have spent years building connections with their audience. Partner with them, and their fan will follow.
When you work with a local influencer, you leverage their trust, credibility, and reach. Here’s what to expect when you partner with a popular radio personality.
Today’s radio hosts connect with their fans on-air, online, and on social media. They’re multi-media mavens who understand what resonates because their fans share what they like – and don’t like. Those insights are invaluable for marketers.
The more radio hosts interact with their audience, the more dialed in they are to their fans’ interests and values – and where the opportunities are for brands.
To make the most of your campaign, ask your radio influencers for input on how they like to interact with listeners, from spontaneous on-air mentions to social posts or short, snackable digital videos – or all of the above. They might suggest other ideas, including appearing at a live event or visiting your business. Trust they know what resonates with their audience.
Local influencers also know how to speak to their listeners. Whether they share anecdotes about their experience with a business like an auto repair center or recommend a product or service they’ve tried to listeners, they have a style and energy that works.
Trust your influencer to speak naturally to their audience. The more authentic the endorsement, the more effective it will be.
It’s not just good practice to let hosts speak freely – it’s the law. Federal Trade Commission regulations stipulate that host endorsements can’t be scripted and the endorser needs to experience the product.
Your business can offer talking points to the host with guidance on themes, products, or messaging, but the FTC requires they make endorsements their own. While that’s required, it is also good business practice: Listeners respond best to authentic recommendations from informed influencers.
The best influencers don’t just plug your product or service – they experience it like a customer. Radio hosts understand their listeners trust them, and they don’t want to squander that goodwill.
Many radio influencers want to spend time with a business, meeting the owners and staff to deliver authentic experiences. They’ll ask to sample and try your products, from lawn care services to window installations, so they can share first-person experiences with their listeners.
Recommendations and word of mouth are the best advertising, so bring your influencers into the fold and help them become experts. When they interact with your product, it nurtures more authentic recommendations. Listeners trust their favorite hosts like a suggestion by friends or family – so let them speak freely and in their own voice.
Remember how we said listeners love to comment and share? That extends to influencer endorsements, too. After a host shares a recommendation or appears at a local event, their fans will give them honest feedback that benefits your business.
Ask your influencer to relay customer reviews. It helps fine-tune your marketing so you can derive the most value from your investment.
There’s no predetermined format for influencer marketing, which makes it flexible and dynamic. The best marketing campaigns require collaboration and adaptability.
The more insight and support you offer, the better brand ambassadors they can be. To strike the right balance, it helps to establish a clear workflow.
Influencer marketing may not follow traditional ad metrics, but there are ways to track success. Your radio station partners can help measure key performance indicators, such as:
Once you’ve gathered performance data, share it with your influencer partner to refine and optimize future campaigns.
Ready to see how influencer marketing can help your business? Federated Media’s marketing experts can match you with the right radio personality to increase brand awareness and engagement and deliver a strong return on investment.