Many ideal local patients continue to listen to Local Radio. There are many reasons to consider radio advertising;
- Radio can be cost effective
- The Station will have shows listened to by specific demographics
- Stations are often looking for advertisers, but they are also on the hunt for interesting and relevant station content
Radio within inner-metro areas can be expensive and hit and miss. But for outer metro or regional practices, radio can be a great way to communicate your services and that you care about the local area. Advertising will usually be the first thing you do with a radio station. When you are first discussing advertising inform them of:
- The target market you want to reach. Ie Gen X Women 38 – 52 yrs.
- Set times over 12 months you want to advertise. For example you might not advertise October – December as you don’t have available appointments but advertise heavily in January.
- Â Set a budget, we recommend not spending over 20% of your annual marketing budget on radio.
A quality station will then come back to you with a proposal which will include: the programs that reach your target market, forecast audience for your advertising and a cost. The cost can vary widely, but you should expect to pay $20 approx to reach 1,000 listeners for a 30 second commercial during peak times of the day and closer to $10 or $15 during off-peak hours. Once received if you want ProVision to assess your radio proposal please get in contact with our marketing department at marketing@provision.com.au.
Free Promotion with Radio
Advertising and free promotion (or Public Relations ) go hand in hand and something you can leverage when you build a relationship with the station. When you commit to advertising, discuss with the station an interview with your optometrist. This is usually best done around specific topics and leveraging the ProVision campaigns. For example you can use a media release or even call the station producer and discuss having an on air interview on for example Myopia prevalence, Digital Eye Strain, Kids Vision, the Importance of an Eye Test, Protecting yourself from U.V Rays etc etc. An interview like this is a sensational way of showing your expertise and how you care about the community. Interviews are also fantastic as often you will be able to share the content and boost it through social media and even retain the content on your website.
Is Radio For You?
Radio is far from a dying communication channel. Many people listen to the local station, it can be one of the few places where local issues are discussed and covered. Radio is not for every practice and can depend on your location and the quality of the stations in your local area. However it still can be a powerful part of your marketing mix.
To discuss any opportunities or radio in more depth please contact the ProVision Marketing department.
