Having been in radio for about 20 years in a former life, I'd offer the following suggestions:
1. Look at talk radio first. Talk radio listeners are far more conditioned to actually listen than are music radio listeners, who often use the station as background noise.
2. Arbitron ratings for your market are easy to find online. Just Google "Arbitron" and your city's name, and the info will be right there for you. Find the two highest-rated talk radio stations in your area and meet with their reps. And be sure to play them against each other!
3. Don't let the rep control the conversation, or the days & times your ads play. Go into the meetings with specific goals in mind. Such as:
4. Being part of the news is much better than being in the middle of a commercial break, when people often tune out. Since you'd be buying ads, you have a little influence. Tell them you'd want to be their main go-to guy for all stories having to do with insurance. Fortunately, insurance is at the top of the news right now, so reporters should contact you for interviews. Make sure they know your professional credentials and/or expertise.
5. Better yet, have the rep arrange with the station's morning drive or afternoon drive show to give you a regular (weekly) spot on the show to discuss the latest developments in the insurance and/or health industries. You'd be a part of the show, and listeners would get to know you.
(6) It's sometimes more cost-effective to sponsor segments. "Now it's time for sports, brought to you by WSands Insurance"-type ads are usually far cheaper, which allows you to purchase more ads. Frequency, the number of times a listener hears your message, is absolutely critical in broadcast advertising. And this connection with the station still allows you to be their go-to guy for stories.
Leverage the fact that you're buying ads to become a part of the radio staff! You can't usually get away with that if you're not buying the ads. This gives you (1) instant credibility with the station's listenership, (2) the authority with the station staff to contact you for stories and features, (3) the ability to include "as heard on KWWW radio" on other ads and marketing pieces, and (4) much, much, much more value for your advertising dollar. A true win-win.
The media needs "stuff", material for their programming. Give them "stuff"!!
1. Look at talk radio first. Talk radio listeners are far more conditioned to actually listen than are music radio listeners, who often use the station as background noise.
2. Arbitron ratings for your market are easy to find online. Just Google "Arbitron" and your city's name, and the info will be right there for you. Find the two highest-rated talk radio stations in your area and meet with their reps. And be sure to play them against each other!
3. Don't let the rep control the conversation, or the days & times your ads play. Go into the meetings with specific goals in mind. Such as:
4. Being part of the news is much better than being in the middle of a commercial break, when people often tune out. Since you'd be buying ads, you have a little influence. Tell them you'd want to be their main go-to guy for all stories having to do with insurance. Fortunately, insurance is at the top of the news right now, so reporters should contact you for interviews. Make sure they know your professional credentials and/or expertise.
5. Better yet, have the rep arrange with the station's morning drive or afternoon drive show to give you a regular (weekly) spot on the show to discuss the latest developments in the insurance and/or health industries. You'd be a part of the show, and listeners would get to know you.
(6) It's sometimes more cost-effective to sponsor segments. "Now it's time for sports, brought to you by WSands Insurance"-type ads are usually far cheaper, which allows you to purchase more ads. Frequency, the number of times a listener hears your message, is absolutely critical in broadcast advertising. And this connection with the station still allows you to be their go-to guy for stories.
Leverage the fact that you're buying ads to become a part of the radio staff! You can't usually get away with that if you're not buying the ads. This gives you (1) instant credibility with the station's listenership, (2) the authority with the station staff to contact you for stories and features, (3) the ability to include "as heard on KWWW radio" on other ads and marketing pieces, and (4) much, much, much more value for your advertising dollar. A true win-win.
The media needs "stuff", material for their programming. Give them "stuff"!!
