It’s no secret that digital media creates brand awareness. But did you know that radio can be just as effective (if not more so, when paired with digital marketing) at doing the same?
Radio is an incredibly powerful marketing medium. Let’s discuss how you can leverage it to create and build brand awareness.
Why Radio Advertising?
One of the many great things about radio advertising is the diversity of the audiences it reaches. Think about how many ages, socioeconomic groups, geographic locations, and different occupations radio reaches. It’s a lot!
Thanks to the power of sound, human connection, and storytelling, this medium has the power to stand out in a person’s day and create an emotional connection that sticks with them long after the ad is over.
That connection, that brand awareness, is what you want from your customers, and radio knows how to harness it.
Why Does Radio Build Brand Awareness?
Radio advertising works for brand awareness for many reasons. Some include:
It Has a Wide Appeal
According to the Nielsen Audio Report, 91% of Americans 18 and older listened to the radio on a monthly basis in 2023. That’s higher than the same demographic’s consumption of live television, smartphones, TV-connected devices, computers, and their tablets – which is quite a feat!
Using that statistic, think of how many people your brand reaches through radio alone. Because they listen so much, the audience feels like they know their local on-air talent and, because of that, they trust what the talent says. People want and need those types of relationships in the digital world of today.
It’s Cost-Effective
Think of how much goes into a TV ad. At the very least, you need people to work the cameras, sound designers, actors, and the right equipment. A whole lot less goes into creating a radio ad, and you get the same (or better) desired outcome. A radio ad only needs a good script and a trustworthy voice or two behind the words, things that won’t break the bank.
You Can Target Your Audience
Thanks to a radio station’s music genre, programming, and format, they have their own target audience. Understanding these target audiences can be hugely helpful to your business because, once you know their audiences, you can align your advertising with the audience that matches yours the closest (AKA those who will be most interested in your products and/or services).
Think of it this way: the radio station has already done the hard work – they have an established audience that you can tap into instead of doing the “ideal customer” research on your own.
It Creates Emotional Connection
As we said earlier, familiar radio personalities often feel like trusted friends to their listeners. This is a relationship that you can leverage. When listeners hear a radio host recommend a product or service, it’s like they’re getting a genuine recommendation from a friend. It doesn’t feel like someone plugging a service or an impersonal, canned script.
Beyond that, audio is a highly emotional medium. It creates connections that are difficult (or impossible) for other mediums to nail down. Certain sounds trigger specific feelings in people, like nostalgia, for example, which prompts specific behaviors and perceptions. Creating a sound that resonates with listeners takes you very far on the radio.
It Offers Consistency
One of the main tactics in building brand awareness is to create a consistent presence on the radio.
People need to hear or see a message anywhere from 3 to 7 times until it really sticks. By remaining consistent on the radio, you can easily reach that quota and rest comfortably at the forefront of your audience’s minds so they not only understand your message but act on it.
Radio Allows Multitasking
While it’s true that you can do many other things while watching TV, are you really paying attention to what’s on the screen while scrolling through Instagram? Probably not.
Multitasking while listening to the radio, on the other hand, is different. Many people drive while the radio is on, some exercise, and some work. Because your ad can reach people all day, it’s bound to build that awareness because, even though people don’t realize it, they hear each and every ad. Including yours! So, when it plays once every hour, it builds up awareness in the listener’s mind.
Use Radio as Your Tool
Radio advertising has been around for many years, and there’s a reason for that – it’s very effective! To realize it for yourself, simply turn on your favorite station and see how long it takes for an ad to play that resonates with you. We don’t think it will take long.
At Federated Media, we’re masters in the art of radio advertising. Let us help you build brand awareness over the airwaves – just get in touch with us today to get started.
