Brands should not forget about the ability of radio station presenters and DJs to help them connect with customers and drive interest in their products and services among consumers, states Charlie Wannell, Head of Marketing at Mediamark.
Here are some reasons why activations that tap into the influence of radio personalities work so well:
Radio presenters have listeners’ trust
The term ‘influencer’ may be a product of the digital age, but radio presenters have been influencing their listeners for many decades. They are well-loved and trusted among loyal listeners because of the emotional connection they create with their voices and personalities.
The key to their influence is that they are with people day in and day out on their daily commutes, at work and more. Many listeners come to think of their favourite radio presenter as a friend – someone who always has a good joke, a useful piece of advice, or insight into the world that they can rely on.
In a world of clutter, this is a great opportunity for brands to cut through with high-quality engagements. Radio influencers will often have time to chat in a way that feels natural to audiences and they’ll spend several minutes on-air discussing a promo or competition, sometimes going off-script with anecdotes and details.
Reach spans from online to the airwaves
Radio stations and radio presenters today have an excellent online presence through websites and social media. This presents multiple opportunities for increasing reach and frequency by interacting with people at different touchpoints – from broadcast radio to streamed audio to social media.
Radio is great for inspiring the listener’s interest and imagination through audio, while social and digital adds a visual element to the campaign. Social media is a boon for driving engagement – presenters can ask people to follow their social accounts, enter an online competition, or simply to share their opinions and stories.
Plus, followers can share social media content, extending reach to people who are not regular listeners of a presenter’s show. This can help multiply the results of a radio activation with a small increase in budget.
Keep it integrated
The key to making the most of the opportunities of a radio influencer-driven campaign is to make use of both the presenters’ radio show and their social presence. This enables brands to reach consumers with the medium or channel they prefer – driving better uplift and response rates.
Coordinating planning, executions and measurement across different disciplines such as social, digital and radio will help ensure that the work done at each touchpoint is complementary. This, in turn, will drive higher return on investment from the campaign.
