Five Common Marketing Mistakes

Buying the cheapest station to save money

A common mistake made by companies first starting in radio advertising. Even if it’s not your top choice of station, you’ll still be getting your company name out there, right? While this may be true, the people who will be hearing your ads aren’t an audience you’ll reap the benefits from. If you’re not reaching your target demographic with your ads, you’re not going to bring in new customers. If you’re looking to cut costs, don’t sacrifice your audience. Instead, buy less ad time on a relevant station.

Trusting your salesperson to write the copy

Unless your salesperson has a deep marketing and journalism background with a track record of successful self-written ad campaigns, giving them complete control over your campaign will be a flop. You’re the one who knows your brand best: your selling points, target audience, and primary message you want to broadcast. Why would you trust someone else to convey your message to the public? Instead work hand in hand in a creative process with their team or your agency, combining your brand knowledge and their knowledge of marketing campaigns to create a successful ad together.

Not having a strong differentiation point

In today’s incredibly competitive market, vague, blanketing terms like “lowest price” or “great service” are white noise. To make people notice you, you need a bigger selling point. Get specifics about your brand, things like exact percentages of saving or impressive customer numbers. Another point of differentiation is found in how you present your company through your style of ads. Things like memorable characters in commercials and catchy jingles help set you apart and nail down your target audience.

Expecting your vision of “success” immediately

The radio highway is littered with businesses who dabbled in radio for a short period of time, expecting to see an immediate and unreasonably fast return on their investment. Radio is not a sprint, it is a marathon. True success is seen through repetition and consistency. To create a memorable presence in the world of radio marketing, you have to be just that, present. To reach consumers, they need to be exposed to your message multiple times for it to be effective. If you’re advertising in the right places to reach the consumers you want, just be patient and you’ll see steady growth.

Sprinkling a smaller budget across multiple advertising platforms

A common strategy that looks good on the surface - more platforms means a bigger reach, right? While this may be true, you’re using your budget for diversity instead of frequency. In other words, you’ll be reaching a wider consumer base, but leave no real impression. Instead, find a channel suited for your target demographic where your competition hasn’t bought a large number of spots, and own it. Find a station, key daypart, or sponsorship where you know your key audience is tuned in and keep hammering away there so your listeners get exposed to your message repeatedly.  OWN SOMETHING