Whether you’re an agency buyer, a small business owner, or an in-house marketer at a large local business, investing in sports radio advertising can be a significant decision. While sports radio offers a unique and engaged audience, buyers often have common objections. How we approach those objections can vary. Here are three frequent objections to buying ads on a sports radio station and ways to address them.
Cost Concerns
Objection: “Advertising on sports radio is too expensive for our budget.”
Response:
– Compared to What?: Understand the buyer’s current investment in advertising. Sometimes, they might not have a clear picture of the required investment to make an impact.
– Flexible Scheduling: Offer various options from light schedules with off-peak placements to more intensive campaigns. Adjusting ad lengths and placements can help fit different budget constraints. Know whether to buy light or heavy schedules.
– Case Example ROI: Sports radio listeners are highly engaged and loyal, which can lead to higher ad response rates. Share case studies or examples of similar businesses that have seen significant returns from their investment.
Is It the Right Audience?
Objection: “Our target audience isn’t listening to sports radio.”
Response:
– Audience Data: Provide demographic data from the station to show the audience’s age groups, income levels, and interests. For example, many sports radio stations have a significant portion of their audience (e.g., 50% male listeners earning over $100k annually), which benefits sectors like financial services, luxury automotive, or jewelry sales.
– Tailored Messaging: Emphasize the ability to customize ad messages to resonate with specific audience segments. For example, a chain of drive-through coffee shops can advertise during morning drive time and offer discounts if the home team wins.
– Activations: Suggest leveraging the station’s live events with on-site activations. This can help reach a broader audience, including potential customers who might not be regular listeners but fit the advertiser’s target market.
Attribution
Objection: “It’s hard to measure the effectiveness of radio ads.”
Response:
– Tracking Tools: Use tools that track when a visitor lands on the website after hearing a radio ad. Software like Attribute from Veritone shows how many people visit your website within minutes of your ad airing and integrates with Google Analytics to measure overall impact.
– Incremental Metrics: Focus on metrics such as increased social media engagement, foot traffic to the business, or sales spikes during the campaign period. These indicators provide a more immediate sense of the ad’s impact.
Addressing these common objections can help clients confidently invest in sports radio ads and achieve significant returns. By understanding budget constraints, demonstrating audience relevance, and providing practical measurement tools, businesses can tap into a passionate listener base and drive growth through targeted and impactful advertising.
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.
