When advertising is used effectively, it can be a good investment that will help your business increase your bottom line. If it is not used effectively, it can be an expensive waste of money. Although radio can be one of the most successful and cost effective forms of advertising, many businesses do not get the results they desire because they do not present their message to their audience effectively. While it is the job of the radio station to make sure that advertising copy is written effectively, radio stations can sometimes ignore this important aspect of the overall marketing strategy. Here are some things to remember if you are writing your own ad copy, or deciding whether or not to approve copy the station has provided for you.

Phone Numbers

Generally speaking, it is best not to include phone numbers in your commercials. That seems counterintuitive, but it is true. Phone numbers take up lots of time that you could use to talk about your products or services and few people will be able to remember them or write them down before the commercial is over. Much of your radio audience at any given time will be in the cars and they will not be able to write down a phone number. If you insist on having a phone number, make sure it is repeated at least twice. Otherwise, you are just wasting time.

Business Name

Obviously, you want to mention the name of your business, but you do not just want to mention it once, you should mention it at least three times. That sounds like a lot, but it is quite easy to do. Say it in the first sentence and in the second sentence and at the end of the commercial. Your audience needs to have no doubt about who the commercial was for by the time it finishes.

Location

Do you want people to come to your office or business? Then you have to tell them where you are! Furthermore, you have to tell them at least twice, preferably three times. People generally remember locations better than they do phone numbers because they can associate a location with their knowledge of the city. Do not just give the audience your street address, however. That is OK, but it is better to relate it to something else. For example, if your business is located at the intersection of two major streets, saw that in your commercial. Your listeners will be far more likely to remember an important intersection than they would the numbers of a street address. Do not be afraid to relate your location to another business. If their is a popular store that is not a direct competitor across the street from you, mention it. There is no harm in it.

Memorable

You have to make your commercials memorable if you want the audience to remember them. That does not mean, however, that they necessarily have to be funny. Humor often works very well, but there are other ways of making a commercial memorable. The easiest way is to use the same song for all of your commercials. When you begin an advertising campaign pick a song you would like as an intro to all of your commercials and then stick to it. Even when you change your commercial, keep the song or jingle from the original. Loyal listeners will remember the song and will instantly associate it with your business, even before you say anything.

If you can manage to remember these few simply guidelines, you should see a dramatic increase in the effectiveness of your advertising. Perhaps your lackluster success with radio in the past is the result of failure in one of these areas. If you suspect that it the case, try a new radio campaign. You literally have nothing to lose since advertising costs are tax deductible.

Learn more about this author, Andrew Murphy.
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