As the world adjusts to the COVID-19 pandemic and businesses reopen, every business is struggling with the questions, “When is the right time to resume our promotional activities? Is it too early to get back out there?”
The answer is NOW — no matter what business sector, now is the time to become proactive to ensure that your business survives and thrives. From healthcare-forced cancellations of elective procedures to financial institutions closing their lobbies and every business in-between, it’s time to craft a flexible recovery plan. When there is upheaval in the marketplace, it creates opportunities for those willing to adjust to the new normal. Getting out there now means consumers will hear about your brand first, well in advance of your competitors.
Not only does being proactive help maintain and even grow market share, but being proactive helps ensure employee retention and engagement.
Why use radio now?
Radio offers powerful numbers and huge reach. According to Nielsen studies, radio reaches 92% of Americans every week compared to 88% for television. And Americans listen to radio almost 12 hours weekly. But numbers alone aren’t the entire story of why radio provides your clients with superior advantages over other media.
- Portable and always available. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted life as we have known it. More people than ever before are working from home. Over 42 million Americans have filed for unemployment, yet 85% of our workforce is still on the job … either remotely, on factory floors, or in an essential business. And here’s where radio shines — listeners can access their favorite stations in many ways: a radio receiver at home, in the car, on their smartphone, via their smart speaker, or streaming on their computer. Radio listeners don’t have to give up their favorite stations because of their location or activity.
- Demographics. No other media provides the ease of reaching specific demographics like radio. Radio delivers a wide array of listener demographics, from Generation Z and Millennials to Generation X and Baby Boomers.
- Affordable to produce and place. Radio features are cost-effective to produce, and production turn-around times are quick. As your client’s situation changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, adjusting their message is easy, fast and affordable.
An added advantage of radio is that amid the COVID-19 pandemic, radio outperforms static media, including billboards, digital billboards, onsite signage, and yard signs. Radio boosts and compliments the performance of any other media that clients might be using. Radio’s portability delivers strong daytime audiences. Most on-the-go listening happens in-car, creating a virtually-captive audience during any daypart with the highest listenership occurring during morning and afternoon drive times.
Why is radio so effective at reaching specific demographics?
Radio is local, so the content is tailored to the station’s specific audience. A radio station’s format determines its listening audience and demographics. Local DJ’s know their audiences and keep them listening and engaged. From millennials to boomers and from Black or Latino audiences, radio can deliver a specific audience like no other media. So, regardless of your client’s business goals and target audience, there are radio formats that can effectively reach it.
Don’t forget radio’s power during the upcoming 2020 elections. News/talk has proven to be a leading format, reaching more listeners than any other. Radio’s ability to deliver diverse audiences also continues to astonish — radio reaches 99% of Latinos and 98% of Black Americans every week. With low production costs, you can customize your client’s message and deliver it across diverse formats.
Which formats deliver what audiences?
Teens
- Pop CHR = 19.1%
- Country = 12.7%
- Hot AC = 8.5%
Millennials
- Country = 15.1%
- Pop CHR = 12.9%
- Adult CHR = 7.9%
Generation X
- Country = 13.1%
- Pop CHR = 8.6%
- Adult CHR = 8.6%
Boomers
- News/Talk = 15.0%
- Country = 12.8%
- Classic Rock = 9.1%
Hispanic or Latino
- Mexican Regional = 16.2%
- Spanish CHR + Hot AC = 9.6%
- Pop CHR = 8.8%
Black
- Urban AC = 29.3%
- Urban Contemporary = 20.7%
- Rhythmic CHR = 6.7%
How does radio compare to social media and print?
Radio’s weekly reach is over 270 million listeners, about 92% of Americans. Newspaper audiences continue to decline — estimates put readership in 2018 at just 28.6 million for weekdays and 30.8 million for Sunday.
Social media is, well, social. That’s not to say that social media won’t influence purchasing decisions, but results are difficult to quantify. Estimates put Facebook users at about 223 million, Instagram users at 120 million, and Pinterest, about 86 million.
Radio offers the broadest audience with the ability to target demographic groups by age, sex, and ethnicity.
How can clients get started in radio?
If your clients haven’t used radio, consider introducing them to it through some of our services.
Audio news release (ANR). Audio News Releases are 30-or-60-second showcase segments about your client’s products, services, or brand. They can be produced as hard news or feature stories, and may be educational or entertaining. MediaTracks distributes ANRs to radio stations, syndicated programs, and networks, either as earned or paid media. Our team helps you select the most effective channels of distribution to grow your client’s reach — including:
- Guaranteed Placement Audio News Releases – Health Environment or News/Public Affairs Environment
- Custom Feed Audio News Releases – Earned Media, Pitched and Distributed
- Urban Reach – Guaranteed Placement on Stations that Attract Largely African American Listeners
- La Red Conectado – Spanish-Language ANRs with Guaranteed Placement
Radio Media Tours (RMT). A Radio Media Tour is a pre-arranged series of 10-15 minute interviews with 15-to-20 select radio stations. Each station interviews your client’s representative. The spokesperson can either be live in the MediaTracks studio or calling in from their office or home. This format requires about 3-5 hours for the spokesperson. MediaTracks can target over 13,000 radio stations throughout the U.S. and we provide results reports afterward.
Public Service Announcements (PSA). A Public Service Announcement is a message from a non-profit organization created to benefit the community as a whole — for the greater good. The message is altruistic and topics may include health, public welfare, or the community at large. If your clients include non-profits or foundations, consider introducing them to PSAs. MediaTracks produces and distributes PSAs to targeted radio stations locally, regionally and nationally. Stations air the message at no charge.
Contact us today (847-299-9500) to see how radio can work for your clients.
Sources:
https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2019/tops-of-2019-radio/
https://www.journalism.org/fact-sheet/newspapers/
