Radio Advertising vs. TV Advertising
Many new advertisers assume that they should start on radio and "move up" sometime later to TV. I find that the road is usually smoother when it is taken in the other direction. TV can usually produce more immediate calls and instant prospects than radio and that is what the new advertiser needs -- especially the new advertiser with a limited budget. Later, when TV has been producing new business for awhile, radio can be added to reach new prospects.
Television has one very important advantage over radio: every person watching television has immediate access to a phone, paper and pencil.
With TV, prospects can call while they still remember the message and the phone number. Or, they can write the number down and call later.
On the other hand radio can work very well for advertisers who are not completely dependent on phone calls coming in every time the ad runs. If they are running "image" commercials and can look at their advertising as more of a long-term investment then they can do fine with radio, over time. Obviously, some do -- or at least think they do -- or radio rates would not be so high.
Sometimes advertisers who have been using television for awhile will run on radio as a way to reach some brand new prospects. Radio can be valuable for advertisers for whom the television reach is too general. They advertise on specific radio programs that target specific audiences.
But, in general, assuming you have an offer that is appropriate for "immediate response" television advertising, you would probably have to wait longer for calls to come in from radio than you would using television.
Bottom line, radio works well for advertisers who want to become part of the landscape and can afford to be less concerned with getting immediate calls. But -- it usually takes more time, money and patience while you wait for results.
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