Radio Advertising

[Holden]

I've just had a call from one of the marketing people at one of my local radio stations for two things, he wants a massage for himself and he wants to know if I would be interested in advertising on the radio with them.This is not something I had thought about, or indeed ever heard of anyone else using this media for advertising their massage / complementary health clinic through.What are your thoughts on it?I have pretty much spent my desired marketing budget for a while now (bus cards, leaflets, posters, google ads, yellow pages online priority listing) so don't have the money to spend. He is coming round for a meeting this week to fact find and find out if my business is suitable for advertising on the radio, i suspect he probably will. I'm going to be very up front and say i don't have the money at the moment, but if he gets enough staff from the radio station to come for a treatment to cover the cost of the advert i'll do it as a trial.ThanksMat xx

 

[Danny G]

Radio Advertising

I did that. And ended up advertising with my local radio station i time. Didn't get not one response from it. And won't do it again. It was a waste of time. And yes the ad ran for 2 weeks 6 times a day at the prime times.

 

[martinhea13]

I did some radio ads about three years ago.  I traded with a client who was manager at a large biz-Clear Channel- and got about 7 months of ads on several local stations that ran several times per day.  The outcome was interesting.  Most of my friends heard the ads and said they heard them, nothing more. I think I got two or three one day gigs for chair massage-subject of the ad-from a couple of offices with no repeats. I think it was a poor ad method. It cost me only 4 hours of my time but I wouldn't recommend it.  By the way, after the ads started I realized that I was advertising on a country western, R&B, and a hard rock station.  The first phone call was from a man asking if i had girls working for me. Word of mouth seems the best.rubmyster

 

[Sam Fisher]

Radio Advertising

I agree, Word Word Word. That's what it is really all about.

 

[Hesham]

Radio Advertising

 By the way, after the ads started I realized that I was advertising on a country western, R&B, and a hard rock station.  The first phone call was from a man asking if i had girls working for me.

i've suspected that result. thanks for confirming.

i have wondered if there would be any success with ads on smooth jazz or classical stations.

but of course, in my small town, there is no jazz station...

 

[Riddle]

Radio Advertising

Thanks for the replies guys, kind of confirmed my thoughts on the matter. Massage isn't something for the airwaves to advertise - its something for our clients to advertise for us.I've the the appointment tomorrow evening and i'm going to honour it, no harm in knowing a bit more about Radio advertising. And he may want a massage too or someone else at the station and he could suggest me.ThanksMat xx

 

[Starjumper the R&S Cow]

just wanted to chime in wiht my recent radio advertisement experience.

i've been advertising on a local am station - women's talk radio. totally my target market. not one call.

they switched me over to the fm station, with a 2000$ trade. i literally had to ask them to take the commercial off the air b/c we couldn't handle all of the calls. (commercial was about the infrared body wrap) and that was only after $400 of the trade. these are r&b and gospel stations.

so since the wrap business is out of this world right now, but the massage/reflexology has fallen off, we've chosen to do a new commercial, focusing on relaxation and pain management, that is spread over the r&b, gospel and country stations.

hopefully we'll have the same result, i have two therapists whose books need to be filled. am anxious to see how it goes.

 

[Ryde-On]

Radio is a waste of money. Most mass media are, unless you are a day spa that can hope to sell products and services.

People who want a massage, look for a massage provider. They don't want to have to sort through the tire ads in the Sports section to find you.

A few years back we had the #1 FM drive time show in Washington DC talk about us for 3 mins straight -- we had a therapist doing chair massage in the studio for their "audience" (they have 15 folks come down for free food, coffee and other treats every Friday), plus we gave the DJs wife a massage for her birthday the week prior.

This was three weeks before Christmas.

We sold a grand total of 10 Gift Certificates from the exposure.

You can imagine what we would have gotten for 6 1 min. spots a day, spread throughout and paying $2000 for the pleasure. NOT.

 

[jacovkss2]

i literally had to ask them to take the commercial off the air b/c we couldn't handle all of the calls.

That's awesome. I know a couple of massage studios that have had great success with late-night radio spots.

 

[sminthian1980]

Radio is a waste of money. Most mass media are, unless you are a day spa that can hope to sell products and services.

wow.. sorry you had such a bad experience with it.

i can honestly say that it depends on who you're marketing to. there are several stations in town that i wouldn't spend my money on b/c i know it wouldnt work.

it is possible that avenues work for some people that don't for others. this one has worked for us quite well. plus, it opened us up to a different community who didn't know about us at all. it's given us the opportunity to meet new, wonderful clients who have been very loyal.

our experience has been great. we've thought outside the box, worked with the station on what they think their listeners are interested in and had their #1 dj record the commercial.

 

[Bexalicious]

Radio is a waste of money.

I just don't find such a generalization to be all that useful.. I'm glad to have successful radio experiences posted in this thread. It would be more accurate to say "We've evaluated radio to be a waste of money for us at this time."

I'm learning that there just aren't any rules in marketing. We can't *really* tell you what your experience with radio will be like. Take others' experiences (good and bad) with a grain of salt, go with your gut, learn from it, and maybe share that here

 

[TM Zombie]

Radio Advertising

I am considering an offer from a local radio station. They want to have a three month give away, an hour per weekday. Plus two 30 second commercials and 2 15 second mentions of the promo throughout the day. Part of the payment would be cash over three months and some would be trades for the station employees.

The station is the biggest one in our local area and has an eclectic blend of music from the 70s, 80s, and 90s plus some local news programing, and a little bit of talk in the morning.

Any tips on what should or shouldn't be in the commercial? A special offer for new clients? Price point? Gift certificates?Website? Catchy catch phrase?

The radio guy keeps telling me branding branding branding.

 

[Lisa D]

Radio Advertising

I was just at a business marketing workshops co-sponsored by the local SBA (small business administration, U.S. gov), and the speaker mentioned radio advertisements were really taking off in success for some folks. She explained that while reader numbers are way down for print papers there are still all of those folks sitting in traffic with their radios on. She also stressed that you should negotiate, negotiate, negotiate in this economy on a budget - ask for simultaneous web mention if they have their news spots in article form on their website.

 

[MaDaM]

Radio Advertising

Here is what I have for a commercial so far:

Hi, this is Susie from ABC Massage Place.

Are you tired of your friends always telling you how wonderful massage makes them feel? Then it’s time to find out for yourself what you’ve been missing. Massage reduces stress, loosens tight muscles, and produces mood boosting endorphins, a natural pain reliever.

ABC Massage Place - Making the world a better place one massage at a time. Help us help the world. Phone 555-1234 or book your appointment online today, mymassagewebsite.com

----------------------------------

I can switch the middle part if I want to change the messages on a monthly basis.

 

[Beverly Anne N]

Radio Advertising

Are you tired of your friends always telling you how wonderful massage makes them feel?

Hmm, this part did not land well with me. The rest I really like. What about something more upbeat, like "Have you noticed how popular therapeutic massage has become as a way to reduce stress and alleviate pain?"

 

[nestprop]

Radio Advertising

How about this one? I revamped it:

Hi, I'm Susie from ABC Massage Place.

It’s time to find out for yourself how a massage at ABC Massage Place can help you live a better life. Massage reduces stress, alleviates back pain, lessens depression and anxiety, and reduces spasms and cramping. Plus, we include hot stones and a hot towel in our customized massage sessions at no additional charge.

ABC Massage Place in downtown Whoville - Making the world a better place one massage at a time. Call 555-1234 or book your appointment online today at ABCMassagePlace.com


And this is a second one:

Hi, I'm Susie from ABC Massage Place.

Does your job take a toll on your body? Are you hunched over a computer all day? Do your shoulders, neck, and upper back burn with pain? Regular massage from ABC Massage Place is just what you need. Put yourself in our hands for one hour and feel the difference. Plus, we included hot stones and a hot towel in our customized massage sessions at no additional charge.

ABC Massage Place in downtown Whoville - Making the world a better place one massage at a time. Call 555-1234 or book your appointment online today at ABCMassagePlace.com