The radio commercial is often overlooked by businesses trying to sell their products or services, both locally and globally. The reason: a radio commercial is thought to be expensive and difficult to produce. This is simply not true. Dollar for dollar radio advertising has to be one of the greatest advertising bargains available today. In fact, advertising on the radio can cost less than it does to place print ads in newspapers and magazines. And unlike print ads, which can take months to get to the production stage, a radio commercial can be made in less than a day, and be on the air immediately. In addition radio advertising gives you a stunning opportunity to reach thousands of potential customers. And allows you to let your creativity run wild.

Consider the following:

• Your commercial can be set in any time period; the past, future or present


• You can set the scene in Africa, the Arctic, Russia or the deserts of Saudi Arabia


• You can drop your listeners on a
  desert island, the mountains of Switzerland, in the supermarket or take them on a wild and dangerous adventure.

Many radio commercials are made by the radio stations, but if you want to keep your costs down, and have some fun into the bargain, there’s no reason why you can’t write and even produce your own. All you need is about one hour of studio time, two or three out-of-work actors, a producer, and some pre-recorded sound effects.

But before you get carried away remember that like any other advertising medium radio advertising has three jobs to do: get the listener’s attention, create a desire, and encourage him or her to act.

1. The informational commercial. There are times when it makes sense to use a factual commercial. For example, if there’s an event you want to promote. In this instance, the commercial should deal with facts; what the event is, where it is, and when. That doesn’t mean to say you have to create a list of facts and read it out on air. You can still weave a story or plot around the facts to make the commercial more interesting. But beware: there’s a tendency for radio commercial producers to browbeat their audience by hiring over-enthusiastic local celebrities or radio presenters to provide voice-overs. For general audiences, cajoling them gently works much better. Try adding another voice and a plot to make your commercial stand out from the rest.

2. The dialogue commercial. A dialogue commercial revolves around a conversation between two or more people. Either (a) the announcer and others, or (b) two or more characters without an announcer. The dialogue commercial can cause problems for the inexperienced producer, especially if you decide to use company employees rather than professional actors. And, even if you do employ professional actors your commercial can still lack credibility. Let’s face it, how many times a day do you spend 60 seconds discussing a product or service with someone else? There are ways round this but generally speaking, it may be better to leave the dialogue commercial to the experts.

3. The dramatized commercial. Out of all the different types of radio commercials, the dramatized commercial is the most popular. Consisting of a short play or playlet, with the product as the hero, they provide a solution to a problem and let people ‘create an image in their mind.’ If you fancy producing a dramatized commercial you’ll definitely have to hire a professional cast otherwise it will sound phony. But, the extra cost can be worth it because this type of commercial can be very effective.

4. The humorous commercial. Humor is an extremely dangerous weapon, especially if placed in the wrong hands. It’s elusive and subjective. No two people will think the same things are funny. And, something that may have been amusing the first time around can be downright irritating on the 20th hearing. If you must use humor in your radio commercial, consider the following:

• Humor should form only part of your commercial. The rest should be used for information.


• Don’t use slapstick. To appreciate it, you’ve got to see it, not hear it.


• Don’t preach. Sermons are the death of humor.


• Keep it simple. The funniest things are the things that everyone does in their daily lives: sleeping, eating, money, family life.

A word about jingles

Some radio commercials can be improved if they have a jingle. Simple jingles lull the listener into a sense of well being, create a mood, and can become synonymous with a particular product. But, there’s a danger that while the jingle will make people want to tap their feet and hum to the music, it won’t motivate them to buy. For that reason you should think carefully before deciding to use a jingle in your commercial. And, don’t be charmed by the jingles catchy lyrics, up-beat tempo or foot tapping beat. Ask yourself: “Will it sell my product?” If you’re not convinced, leave it out.

Where to get help

There are a number of places you can go to get help with your commercial, especially if you’re advertising locally. Here’s a couple to get you started:

1. Your local radio station will have a whole library full of sound effects and music you can tap into. However most stations don’t volunteer this information so you’ll have to do a bit of legwork.
2. Consider hiring the services of a ‘jingle house’ — a company that can whip up music and lyrics to order. Make sure you supply them with information about what you want the commercial to achieve so they come up with a jingle that will appeal to your target audience.

 Podcasting Trend
Dear Friend,Podcasting has all the ingredients to become a major technology trend. Podcasting has started with little fanfare but has the potential to become a giant wave due to a number of factors going for it. The word Podcast might have been roughly derived from iPod and broadcast (it sure sounds like that to me so don't hit me if I am wrong! ). The process works pretty much like radio except that the broadcast is done via mobile devices and the power of content delivery via the internet.....

 The World Is A Global Village
In an era where the Internet or the World Wide Web has become the predominant access point for international communications and a gateway to an unlimited database of information, the world is gradually evolving into a global village. Considered as one of the most influential thinkers in the 1960s, Mcluhan predicted world connectivity that would be made possible through a series of electronic circuitry. Even in the early days, man has always....

 Top 10 Reasons WHY “RSS Autoresponders” Are Becoming A Permission Email Marketers BEST Friend
IS Permission email marketing Is In Trouble?With the rising concern of Spam Filters/Blockers, Blacklisting, Bounce Backs and CAN-SPAM Act laws, email is sadly becoming a VERY unrealible vehicle to deliver your marketing messages to your customers, Therefore, resulting in "Time Wasted" and "Loss Of Profits".IS there a solution to this never ending concern for Permission Email Marketers?You bet there is.There called... "rSS autoresponders".You read right, RSS autoresponders.They've now taken the newest technology (RSS - Rich Site Summary or Real Simple Syndication) that hit the net and turned it into a permission email....

 Creating Landing Pages For Google AdWords
In creating a Google AdWords campaign, advertisers often spend most of their time creating their ads and researching their keywords. There is often little or no thought to where the surfer will be sent when the ad does its job and generates a click. Often advertisers send the surfer to the home page of their website, hoping the website will do the rest of the work. These advertisers are neglecting a very important part of their AdWords campaign: the landing page. A good landing page is just as important as a good ad, good keywords and strategic bidding. By creating....

 Affiliate Programs… Whos Really Making The Money?
There will be a million and one affiliates out there who will tell you that the affiliate program they promote is going to be the best one for you. But have you considered who is really making the money and who gains the most out of affiliate programs. Let's take a step back and look at the AFFILIATE. What exactly is the role of the affilate? * The sole purpose of the affiliate is to PROMOTE the product and/or service What are the benefits of being an affiliate? * Get paid a minimal commission that is regulated by the owner of the product/service In short, As an....

 Increase Your Response On eBay, Starting Right Now!
Your auction is up and running. You've got bidders seeing your auction and looking things over. Now you just need to push them over the edge. This article will cover various ways to increase your bids from prospective buyers First off, make sure that your display picture is of the highest quality. You might have the best written description in the world, but if your picture doesn't mirror your description that will turn bidders off. Use a digital camera if possible. Create a clean, unobtrusive picture. Take care in the background and lighting of the picture and....

 Networking : Video Tutorial
Networking technologies are some tools which make it available to conduct business through modern communications such as the Internet. Networking technologies have been rapidly developed for the last few decades. Their rapid speed of development can be considered as the great phenomenon of the twenty first century. We have new opportunities to connect themselves with the whole world every day. Some days ago we did not have webcams whereas almost everyone knows how they work and can afford their costs in order to install them and see people from the other side of our planet. A few years ago just a....

 Be Your Own Website Copywriter- Is Pixelvision Killing Your Copy?
Product knowledge can be an entrepreneur's best friend - or worst enemy. You love your product and know it so well – maybe too well. As a result your perspective can actually get in the way of website copy that sells. Are you so close to your fine product that you can't see what really matters to your customers? Try this. Put your nose right on your computer screen. Now look at what's on your screen. How's the view? Can you see the big picture or are you getting lost in the pixels? You just experienced pixelvision. In this exercise pixelvision....

 Use Streaming Video To Rejuvenate Products : Video Tutorial
Using streaming video is one of the hottest trends in internet marketing today. If you are a forward thinking internet marketing strategist sooner or later you are going to run into the problem that many product creators face; that is what to do when your product either isn't selling very well or needs to be updated. Usually only a couple of choices have been available. One, sell the product or the rights to it to someone else. Two, basically duplicate the entire product creation process by researching and updating your product. Three, reduce the....

 Why Do I Need Video and/or Audio On My Website? : Video Tutorial
Bottom Line: If your website and emails are silent, you're leaving money on the table! Its that simple. More and more online marketers and business owners are seeing the light and recognizing the tremendous benefits of incorporating multimedia into their online marketing strategy. It's a proven fact that multimedia more easily and effectively captivates your audience and grab's the attention of your prospects, visitors, subscribers and customers. Time and time again research has shown that using multimedia in the form of video and/or audio advertisements increases conversation rates, buy rates as well as subscription rates for a product or service. If....

 How you can profit from autoresponder series 1 of 3
One of the basic tools in internet business is autoresponder. You just cannot miss this because it is so vital to your business that it will increase at least 20-30% of your sales. Notice this, average people who visit your website will not buy the first time. What you want to do is using autoresponder to capture their email address. This way, you could follow up with them with your sales. Other than opt-in list, you could also using autoresponder to promote your affiliate program, you product, or anything you would like to promote. For you who don¡¦t understand what....

 Advertise Your Way…. All The Way To The Bank
Marketing something? The answer is in the advertising;the collective word given to attract public attention toa product, item or service for sale. Advertising can bedone via many different mediums. You can advertiseon radio, in magazines and on television. You can evenadvertise on the World Wide Web. There is no limitwith advertising! Advertising can be seen on everything from telephonepoles to billboards to taxis. With so many advertisingoptions available to you, it pays to research theappropriate type of advertising plans before youstart promoting your item, product or serviceespecially if the....

 Can I Make Money Online With The Adsense Program?
Sure you can. If you will learn how many other people make money online with Adsense, I mean really study how and ask a lot of questions on marketing forums, there is no reason in the world you cannot make money with the Adsense program. Before starting to develop this opportunity to make money online you need to understand some basic things about Adsense. I will outline some benefits and disadvantages about Adsense here. Let's start with the Adsense benefits: You don't have to pay a fee to use this program.....

 What’s The Story With VoIP?
Unless you've been residing in a cave for the last few years, you've probably at least heard the word "VoIP" even if you didn't understand what all the excitement is about. VoIP stands for "Voice over Internet Protocol" and it's going to change the way you think about making long distance phone calls. Basically, VoIP technology turns analog audio signals (like the sounds you hear when talking on your regular telephone) into a digital signal (which is then transmitted over the Internet.) And so why is VoIP revolutionizing the industry? Because it means that by acquiring your hands on some....

 Website not selling? Twelve questions you should ask yourself
So your website is getting visitors, but not enough are buying. A common online problem, unfortunately. Here are twelve common faults found with websites that don't sell. If you answer no to any of them, you need to take action. 1)Does your text focus on emphasizing the benefits and the results the customer will get from purchasing and using it? Sales copy needs to be focused on the benefits to the end user, not on the features of the product. List the features, and then translate them into benefits the customer will get. Move....

Trackback URL for this post:
http://www.problogtips.com/want-to-broadcast-the-benefits-of-your-product-or-service-to-the-world/1755/trackback/

Posted by Jaron in the catagory of... General Interest