With so much marketing expertise, professional staff, extensive knowledge, and the capability to create powerful marketing messages, it just makes sense for radio stations to offer marketing services to clients outside the traditional radio ad. When you can do this, it gives businesses the opportunity to streamline their marketing strategy with your radio station(s) alone and perhaps be more cost-effective with their marketing spending. That’s a “win” for everyone.
Here are some alternate marketing services that your station should be offering to clients. It should be noted that these do not require new hires to pull off.
1. Live Event Sponsorship
As you know well, there are few better ways to promote a live event appearance for a business than radio. Promoting an event on-air and online via the station website and social media channels means the client will have their event broadcast on multiple platforms – with each one promoting the other.
2. Lead Generating Digital Promotions
Tying in radio campaigns with digital promotions allows clients to expand their reach as well as the frequency of their reach. The radio station can encourage listeners to enter online contests by driving traffic to the client website. If the client doesn’t have the ability to host a contest on their site, the radio station can host the contest on their website and then share the signup information with the client. Stations can also help with e-mail newsletters to their loyal listeners or by targeting specific contacts within their e-mail database.
3. Community Involvement
Your radio station(s) can be of great assistance when it comes to assisting clients with local fundraising or sponsorship opportunities. For example, you might already have a partnership with a local homeless shelter and can quickly arrange for the client to sponsor a food donation drive or other related events that gives the client visibility in the community. This may or may not result in higher ad spend at the time of the arrangement, but it will go a long way at solidifying the trust between the client and your station(s).
4. Social Media Promotion
Nearly every advertising medium, radio included, is taking on some form of social media integration with their marketing messaging. Your radio station(s) can promote client social media posts on their platforms. This can be on topics and events related to the client, driving traffic towards their social channels or their website. Maybe the client has created a unique hashtag related to their business. Stations can mention this hashtag both on-air and on their own social accounts to help it get traction.
5. Youtube & Facebook Videos
Your on-air team is comfortable in front of a microphone and a crowd. Chances are they will be just as comfortable in front of a camera promoting a client business similar to a live spot or remote break. These can easily be produced on a mobile phone, so no special equipment or editing software is needed. These videos can be Youtube Live or Facebook Live events or even produced featurettes that the client can loop at their business. Either way, these are good for the client because their location is front and center as well as their services. It’s good for the station due to the client sharing the video with their social media followers and customers.
It’s no secret that radio stations offering alternate forms of marketing to their clients are doing much better than those that fall behind on it. Each of these should be seen as a revenue opportunity, as well, as talent and time are never free.
While we’re technically a radio station website provider, we love to talk strategy with our clients that helps move the needle in your market. Reach out to us for help upgrading your radio station website(s).
