DID YOU KNOW: Stations offer many marketing services outside of radio ads! Because of their marketing expertise, experienced staff, extensive knowledge, and ability to create compelling marketing messaging, it makes sense that they would offer marketing services beyond radio advertisements.
There has been an increasing interest among small and medium-sized businesses in exploring other ways of marketing through radio stations beyond the traditional on-air advertisements in recent years. Taking advantage of stations' bundled packages allows businesses to streamline their integrated marketing strategies and be more cost-effective with their marketing expenditures.
Consider these ways to extend your radio advertising strategy beyond radio ads when marketing with your radio station.
1. Live Remote Broadcast
It's hard to find a better way to market a live event appearance for your business than radio. Radio stations are able to target a particular demographic and region based on the location of where your event will take place. Additionally, they can also provide live radio coverage of your event prior to, during the even, and after the event. As a community radio station, Zimmer Communications can assist you with promoting and developing your own event, as well as partnering with local events that take place regularly.
2. Lead Generating Digital Promotions
By combining radio campaigns with digital promotions, businesses are able to increase the frequency as well as the reach of their campaigns. With the help of social media, radio stations can now promote their social media accounts and promote online contests by driving traffic to their website. Digital advertising on websites is another digital option for radio stations. In addition, stations can help with E-blasts to loyal listeners or contacts in your client database. Who doesn’t like to win something? These online promotions partner well with radio and are a fun way to keep customers happy and engaged.
3. Community Involvement Opportunities
Local radio stations relate strongly to their local reach and are where many people get information about local events, local happenings, and even emergencies. For this reason, radio stations can be an excellent resource when it comes to marketing your business through local fundraising or sponsorship opportunities.
For example, the station you choose to advertise with may already have a partnership with a local homeless shelter and can arrange an event that gives you visibility in the community. It is often more impactful to hear your sponsorship associated with a familiar voice than in a newspaper ad. Radio stations are typically always at every community event, fundraiser, sporting event and business opening. There are ways to involve your business in every event they support.
4. Social Media Promotion
In nearly all advertising mediums, including radio, social media plays a crucial role in the marketing campaign. Radio stations are using social media in their marketing campaigns, and the air talent uses social media for their own personal brand.
First, stations can promote social media posts from their station platforms. In addition to this, the posts can be on topics and events that are relevant to your business, thus driving traffic to your social media channels.
The stations can also help their clients with social media posts for their business pages on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Perhaps your business has created a specific hashtag for social media use. Your hashtag could be promoted on-air as well as through social media in order to gain more attention.
5. Full-Service Design
Because radio stations know how important it is how your business is presented, they are now offering a full range of design services to complement on-air marketing messaging. This can include logo, print, and website design to ensure that the visual aspects of your branding are tightly integrated. Furthermore, if a station assists you in the design of your website, there is a good chance that they can also optimize it for search engines.
Marketing opportunities for radio stations are moving beyond advertisements these days. Integrated marketing is the wave of the future, and radio stations are uniquely positioned to help businesses achieve this goal.
6. Social Influencer Marketing
Your local radio on-air personality is the ideal social media influencer with which to partner. Not only do they fit the profile of a social influencer but they have a lot of community involvement and local pull which is an advantage when engaging nearby consumers. They are a trusted voice in the market. There are lots of reasons why local air talent has the following, the influence, and the skills to market your business through endorsements, with video and personal testimonials in the market
Interested in learning more about these services? Zimmer Communications builds a comprehensive marketing strategy for businesses that can include radio commercials, web design, social media, digital marketing, print design, video production, content marketing, and graphic design - all in one place. We create marketing tools that leave a lasting impression on your listeners, visitors, and readers. We have built a business model around our core philosophy: We are in business to help your business grow.
Originally published 7/7/22 - Updated 8/18/23