We’ve all seen ads on TV or in the newspaper for law firms, suggesting we “call now” if we’ve been in an accident, need tax help, or are going through a divorce. As consumers, it’s easy to simply tune out as we go about our day.
But what about radio? Is the legal industry ignoring radio as an effective way to reach out to future clients at their own peril? The truth is, despite traditional channels like TV and the hype surrounding digital, radio proves to be a great medium for law firms to market their services. However, it’s important to realize what’s true (and what’s not) as it relates to the state of radio advertising.
Here are the six radio advertising myths that your firm, and the entire legal industry, needs to forget.
Myth 1: Radio doesn’t reach younger demographics
It’s easy to dismiss radio as something young people don’t find “sexy” or exciting, but it’s simply not the case. In fact, of the 243 million Americans who listen to radio on a daily basis, 66 million of those are Millennials. Millennials also spend about 11.5 hours every week listening to radio in some form or another. Young demographics have indeed embraced digital and new technologies, but often they use devices like smartphones to listen to their favorite radio stations on the go or when they’re on vacation.
Myth 2: Radio doesn’t work well with other media
Another myth about radio advertising is that it’s a stand-alone medium that doesn’t work well with other channels like social media, direct mail, or the yellow pages. As most forward-thinking marketers have come to realize, this simply isn’t the case. A tax law firm, for example, might come up with a catchy radio jingle during tax season. They could then integrate that campaign with a live event, like a free tax law seminar. Radio also works well with social, as our tax firm could then promote clever tax-related hashtags on-air to drive traffic back to their social channels. These “social spots” help generate a list of followers, who become people that you can re-market to throughout the year or next tax season.
Myth 3: Radio isn’t targeted enough
Most people see radio ads as simply a mass marketing, “spray and pray” kind of strategy. But radio can actually be very effective at hyper-targeting your ideal clients. For example, 70 percent of adult men age 45-54 listen to Classic Rock radio formats. If your firm helps people with legal issues related to retirement planning, then you’d want to try targeting radio ads on those Classic Rock stations about your services. Once you experience some success, you can then think about hyper-targeting your message to different sub-segments. While your firm may specialize in one area of the law, you may have clients in divorce, civil or criminal law. These different sub-segments have different radio listening habits, so you’ll want to advertise the appropriate service on the right station at the best dayparts.
Myth 4: Radio advertising can’t be tracked
You might think it’s tough to put metrics and measurements behind radio advertising, but it’s actually not overly complex. There are now a variety of tools, tactics, and strategies available to track the efforts of radio advertising much like you would any other channel. Many businesses set up SMART goals and work with their media partner to find ways to measure radio’s contribution. By having an effective Call to Action such as “Receive a Free Tax Consultation” or “Call us if You’ve Been Recently Divorced” on your radio ads, you’ll then be able to use tools like Google Analytics by making them fill out some kind of web form to receive your offer. They’ll then count in your web traffic statistics on your Google Analytics reports.
Myth 5: Radio doesn’t reach a large enough audience
With all the talk about live streaming music, videos, and the “on-demand” digital age, radio is actually holding very steady when it comes to the amount of people it reaches. In fact, radio leads all other platforms in terms of young users it reaches on a weekly basis. Nielsen found that at least 93 percent of people in every age demographic listens to radio at least once a week, more than those who use their smartphone or watch television.
And although you’ll likely have target efforts as discussed earlier, different times of day and formats for example, radio is still one of the best mediums to reach a massive amount of people at once. Just think of all the Mid-Missouri university students listening to the radio between Mizzou, Columbia College and Stephens.
Myth 6: Radio doesn’t help brands stand out
Radio shouldn’t be underestimated by the legal industry, as many firms focus too much of their efforts on television at times. In fact, many firms in the Mid-Missouri market are sticking with the same-old strategy of TV spots and Yellow Page listings. This is a great opportunity for law firms who choose to advertise on the radio, as you’ll be one of the very few lawyers running radio spots and therefore be more memorable.
By working with your media partner, you can create a unique, professional sound. Zimmer has many different options for how a radio campaign can look and feel, and can conduct a Brand Marketing Workshop with you to solidify the creative before your campaign even begins.
Hopefully by now you’ve realized that radio holds tremendous value for businesses and firms of all shapes and sizes. So lawyers, forget all the radio advertising myths that might be holding you back from branding your firm on-air. Radio works wonders for reaching young people, integrating with other media and targeting prospective clients with the right message. Just remember, no matter what area of practice your firm is in, there’s probably someone out there in need of your services who’s flipping their radio dial waiting to hear from you.
