They are listening to the radio and doing something else. When listening to the radio, the listener may be driving a car, doing dishes or talking to friends. Often radio is not the primary focus of their attention. This makes communicating information like a phone number very difficult.
To reach the entire audience of a radio station requires more spots than television. Television is sometimes called appointment viewing. Viewers generally have the intention of watching an entire show from beginning to end. On the other hand, radio listeners can tune in and out at different intervals. For example, two people that listen to the same show while driving to work, may never listen at the same time. Thus, a small business advertiser will have to advertise more often to reach everyone listening.
Not everything lends itself to radio advertising. The biggest issue is whether the product or service is so abstract that it absolutely requires a visual component for people to understand it. Products that are so new or cutting edge that consumers can’t picture how it works, or products that people will buy solely on how they look, such as clothing, aren’t easy to pitch in a 60-second radio spot.
That said, some of the most successful categories for direct response radio include:
- Financial services, such as debt consolidation and mortgages
- Intellectual property or informational products, such as proprietary business systems or wealth-building offers
- Beauty products, including skin care
- Health and fitness, including weight-loss products
- Nutritional supplements
- Hard goods
- Retail promotions to drive customers to stores or ecommerce sites
Even if you’re worried that the audience needs to see how something works before buying, you can still use direct response radio as one step in a multichannel marketing campaign. Someone marketing a new type of home fitness equipment, for example, can use radio to offer a free demonstration video. “Every time we say something won’t work, someone comes in with new approach,” Astor says.