Many key local advertisers increasingly turn to radio on-air personality endorsement ads to enhance brand visibility and attract potential customers. It has been termed the ‘superpower’ of advertising. Securing the right radio endorser can significantly boost an advertiser’s credibility and reach among listeners. However, selecting the proper radio personality requires careful consideration and strategic planning. Here are some specific steps a local car dealership, for example, could take to hire a radio endorser and some insights on their effectiveness.
Step 1: Goals and Targets
Before hiring, define your marketing objectives and identify your target audience. Decide whether you want increased brand awareness, showroom visits, or website hits. Don’t expect all of it. Lift sales now or build them for tomorrow? Understanding this will help select a radio endorser and identify what the endorser should be talking about in their spots. Try short-term sales lift ads at the end of the month and brand-building the rest of it.
Step 2: Research Local Radio Personalities
Start by researching radio personalities in your market with a strong presence and influence among your target demographics. Listen to different radio stations and shows to familiarize yourself with the hosts’ styles, tones, and audience engagement. Consider factors such as ratings, time slots, and formats. AM/PM drive time hosts on news and sports stations often reach upscale males who are hard to reach other ways.
Step 3: Evaluate Credibility and Audience Connection
Judge the credibility and rapport of potential endorsers with their audience. Look for personalities who have built trust and reputation through their on-air presence. Ask around. Do the on-air personality and your values align with your dealership’s brand image and messaging?
Step 4: Consider Audience
Make sure the station’s demographics align with the dealership’s target market.
Step 5: Establish Contact
Reach out to express the dealership’s interest in collaboration. Provide details about your marketing goals. State precisely what you are looking for and what you want to sell. Selling luxury cars at a sports station is always a hit. Schedule a meeting or phone call to discuss potential partnership opportunities and gauge the endorser’s interest.
Step 6: Negotiate and Collaborate
Finalize the partnership agreement with the radio endorser. Ensure compensation, contract duration, endorsement frequency, and exclusivity agreements are in place. Ensure that both parties have a clear understanding of expectations and deliverables. Consider including a vehicle for part of the compensation.
Step 7: Create Engaging Radio Scripts
Work with the radio endorser and their team to create engaging and memorable radio scripts that effectively promote the dealership and your offers. Lay out several ideas so the endorser has plenty of direction. Provide key messaging points, brand guidelines, and any specific creative elements to be included in the ads. Keep it fresh and ensure the endorser is authentic, not just reading a script.
Step 8: Stick With It and Monitor Performance
Track the performance of the radio endorsements by monitoring the feedback you receive personally, website traffic, and sales. Ensure your sales staff knows the relationship and invite the endorser to sales meetings. Make it a 12-month program and be patient.
Hiring a radio endorser can be a potent strategy for local car dealerships aiming to amp their brand and connect with their target audience. Radio endorsers can be your ‘superpower’ in achieving your marketing goals.
Jeff Caves is a sales columnist for BSM working in radio and digital sales for Cumulus Media in Dallas, Texas and Boise, Idaho. He is credited with helping launch, build, and develop Sports Radio The Ticket in Boise, into the market’s top sports radio station. During his 26 year stay at KTIK, Caves hosted drive time, programmed the station, and excelled as a top seller. You can reach him by email at jeffcaves54@gmail.com or find him on LinkedIn.
