What Can You Do With A $500/Mo Ad Budget?

[DavidKaye]

What would be the opportunity cost in doing that campaign for a couple months?  What would you be sacrificing, using the $500 that way for those months?

I'm not exactly sure what you mean.  If you mean spreading out the $500 over 2 or 3 months that would lessen the impact because there'd be too much time between impressions.  Or if you mean what kind of discount could I get if I committed to multiple months, I'm not sure I'd get any, but the guy's going to get back to me next week on the campaign and maybe he'll be able to work out something. 

Wouldn't you know it: I got a service call today (for tomorrow) from someone who saw my ad in the Marin phone book.  It's been 2 years since I was in that book! 

I haven't gotten any response back from the other stations I've contacted.  Either the holiday is messing up people or they don't think someone like me is worth bothering with. 

[oaktree]

Radio sales 1-0-1 ...

It solely about REACH and FREQENCY.  The more listeners in a given demo cell (reach) the more they can be counted on with a certain amount of FREQENCY.

How much frequency:  There is a proven guarantee to making a spot campaign successful.  It is this ...

5x a day, 7x a week for a minimum of 13 weeks.  That's the "pre-result" phase.  The next phase is picking the best days: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Wednesday, Monday & Tuesday in that order.  Take the spots in the last two or maybe three days ... and move those spots to add to the first three days.  It sounds, then, like you're all over the radio for another 13 weeks.  Then, repeat from the 1st 13-week plan for the next quarter and the 2nd plan in the last quarter.

"I don't have that kind of money".  Guess what? Your "unrealstic expectation" of rampant success is not guaranteed.  You need the Gross Impressions as much as the CPM to figure out.

Also to figure out:  Are these ROS or dayparted times?   Are they feature content such as news only or in talk sements, music, AM, FM, what?

Except for Paul Harvey, one spot a day for Hardware Hank just doesn't work ... and there is no Paul Harvey anymore.  His spots ran between his weekday and weekend shows, giving clients up to three potential "landings" per day --morning, noon, or late afternoon.


And it worked ....with a huge audience, of course. 

What market are you looking at?  $500 a month can work in some small markets ... but where?  Good luck!

[DavidKaye]

5x a day, 7x a week for a minimum of 13 weeks.  That's the "pre-result" phase.  The next phase is picking the best days: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Wednesday, Monday & Tuesday in that order.  Take the spots in the last two or maybe three days ... and move those spots to add to the first three days.  It sounds, then, like you're all over the radio for another 13 weeks.  Then, repeat from the 1st 13-week plan for the next quarter and the 2nd plan in the last quarter.

Neither New Pane nor C Crane had 5 by 7 schedules and yet both are successful today.  Initially, New Pane was only twice a week and only on Bill Wattenburg's 10pm to 1am Saturday/Sunday show.  That was it.  I know this to be the case because the owner and I met one day and talked about how he began his campaign.  Turned out that he and Wattenburg had property near each other and had come to know each other. 

C Crane originally bought only non-rated times (11pm to 5am) on blowtorch AMs, and I believe KGO was the first.  Bob Crane and I talked about this at one time.  I think he next added KEX and then I think KFI. 

"I don't have that kind of money".  Guess what? Your "unrealstic expectation" of rampant success is not guaranteed.  You need the Gross Impressions as much as the CPM to figure out.

Unrealistic expectation of rampant success?  What are you smoking?  I laid it out clearly the pros and cons of my idea.  Obviously I'm not comfortable with is and am hashing it out here to clarify things for me one way or the other.  I have no expectation of "rampant success" at all, but just adding a few new clients and building on that. 

[SFStatic]

Oaktree is correct. $500 a month might work in some small markets. In larger ones or major markets, you might as well light the $500 on fire, it won't buy enough to move the needle even a little bit.

[DavidKaye]

Oaktree is correct. $500 a month might work in some small markets. In larger ones or major markets, you might as well light the $500 on fire, it won't buy enough to move the needle even a little bit.

What you're saying is that you're going to get more water if you dip a drinking glass into a small creek versus a river.  It's still the same amount of water if the size of the glass is the same. 

Why do you say that?  Have you actually bought radio advertising?  Or do you have some stats to back up what you say?  It really shouldn't matter whether I'm buying in a big market or a small one if the CPM is the same.  I'd still have X number of listeners. 

What it comes down to is whether it's possible to get radio advertising at less than $10 a spot and whether 48 of those spots will get me 20 customers over the month. 

[SFStatic]

David- I have actually bought radio advertiser as general manager of an auto dealership, and have sold it. I have managed the programming departments of 3 Bay Area radio stations. So, yes, I know what I'm talking about.

[DavidKaye]

David- I have actually bought radio advertiser as general manager of an auto dealership, and have sold it. I have managed the programming departments of 3 Bay Area radio stations. So, yes, I know what I'm talking about.

Okay, point taken. 

[rickityone]

A few thoughts from a guy who used to be a radio time buyer.

You mentioned it takes x number of ad plays before a person registers  your ad in their brain. It used to be called "conscious impressions" - who knows what it is called now. But, whatever it's called, repetition is the way to get recognition.

I think the idea is very worthwhile and I would give it three months at least to build recognition.

Instead of spreading them out over a month, I might concentrate them over a two week period of time, thus getting greater frequency for my money and shortening the time span before your listener recognizes your name. Furthermore, I might bunch my spots on say, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday - once again to focus the listener on your name.

Why buy thirties - that's a lot of time to fill? Maybe they would sell you 15's and you could get more mileage for your money. Your ad should tell your listener exactly what you do, who are and how to get in touch with you in order to fulfill whatever need they might have, in your case computer repair.

Consider if the station has a regular news show, or weather, or drive or sports segment. Consider something to the effect of "Radio X traffic on the 10 is brought to you by David's Computer repair, David specializes in fixing your sic Windows computer or Mac, call David when you're in computer trouble xxx-xxx-xxxx.

Bargain with the station for fixed time spots, even if they aren't prime time. If the station has some sort of restriction on the number of times your spot can air in an hour, suggest you'd like a spot at ten before the hour and ten after the hour.

Spots dribbled out through the day and night will be way less effective than spots that are bunched fairly close together so the listener will hear them and remember David is the guy to call when the computer is sick.

I would also suggest you listen to the station you advertise on, better yet even like it.

A computer show, by the way would be a natural to by air time in, either on the show, or on the news or top of the hour break, etc.

I think selling things on the radio is still a great way to, who's to say what medium is the best these days, audiences are fragmented, tv networks are sinking, print is pooped out, the internet ... well who knows.

It's your money, but I say, go for it. What have I got to lose?

rickity
www.gulchradio.com

[DavidKaye]

I think the idea is very worthwhile and I would give it three months at least to build recognition.

Good idea.

Instead of spreading them out over a month, I might concentrate them over a two week period of time, thus getting greater frequency for my money and shortening the time span before your listener recognizes your name. Furthermore, I might bunch my spots on say, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday - once again to focus the listener on your name.

EXCELLENT idea!  Silly me -- that's a DUH comment.  I should have thought about this from the very beginning.  Repetition in rapid succession makes WAY more sense. 

Why buy thirties - that's a lot of time to fill? Maybe they would sell you 15's and you could get more mileage for your money.

The salesguy offered me 30s, and I didn't inquire further just yet.  I guess I could do 15s, but the station runs syndication during the hours I specified, so they'd have to match it with a promo or something to make the hole into a 30, which they might not be willing to do.  I'll ask though.  It never hurts to ask. 

Consider if the station has a regular news show, or weather, or drive or sports segment. Consider something to the effect of "Radio X traffic on the 10 is brought to you by David's Computer repair, David specializes in fixing your sic Windows computer or Mac, call David when you're in computer trouble xxx-xxx-xxxx.

My only problem would be affordability in the daypart and I'm not sure if I'd get a rush of calls.  I like to be able to handle calls personally because I have a very high closing rate.  Voicemail not so much.  I'll give it some thought, though. 

Bargain with the station for fixed time spots, even if they aren't prime time. If the station has some sort of restriction on the number of times your spot can air in an hour, suggest you'd like a spot at ten before the hour and ten after the hour.

Oh?  Is there some reason for this? 

Spots dribbled out through the day and night will be way less effective than spots that are bunched fairly close together so the listener will hear them and remember David is the guy to call when the computer is sick.

Yes indeed.  This is why I posted here originally.  Being so close to a situation I'm aware that I could miss crucial things.  I'm well aware that close-bunched spots are more effective than those that are spread out but for the life of me I never thought to consider spacing them into 2-week campaigns and/or packing them into certain days of the week.  Sometimes you're so close to the billboard that you can't see what's on it. 

I would also suggest you listen to the station you advertise on, better yet even like it.

I do listen, though I'm more concerned about reaching the proper demographics than whether I personally like it or not. 

A computer show, by the way would be a natural to by air time in, either on the show, or on the news or top of the hour break, etc.

I'm not sure I agree with this, though.  Listening to people like Kim Komando and Leo Laporte it seems that most callers are techies who fix their own stuff.  Most of my customers are people who are expert in other fields such as publishing, investments, real estate, retired, etc., and don't want to mess with their computers.  They just want things done. 

It's your money, but I say, go for it. What have I got to lose?

My vote of confidence?  Well, I'm definitely going to rethink things more toward what you suggested.  I'm either finding a niche nobody else has explored (I've done that one before) or I'm wasting my money.  But then, heck, I'll know what not to do.

Thanks for the info and sharing your experience.