How to Test a Radio Commercial

I often hear the following words from new clients who have never advertised on the radio before “I just want to test radio… And I don’t want to spend much… What can we do?”. I completely understand where they are coming from. If one does not know how the medium works at attracting customers the “test” radio campaign will cause many to walk away without ever giving it a fair chance to produce positive results.

Let me ask you this. Would you “test drive” a car for 400 miles and only put ¼ of a tank of gas in it?

When the car broke down, would you blame the car for not performing to your expectations?

Of course not! If you want to drive the car 400 miles you will fill it up with sufficient gas to do so. The same is true for radio or any form of marketing. If you want to “test” a medium of advertising – You need to give it sufficient fuel to see what the realistic results can be. Just a quick squeeze of the pump will likely not get you any sort of measureable results when driving the car. Dedicating 1/4^th of the funds you otherwise could put towards a marketing campaign and expecting to see any sort of measureable results is simply foolish thinking. Results are measured at the end of a journey, not with-in the first quarter of it.

So what should you do to “test” a radio commercial. Think realistically. That is the best advice I can give. Give it a shot for 3-4 weeks with the budget you would feel comfortable spending as if it was not just a “test”. This is where you will see realistic results.

Just because you say “If this test works I will come back and spend lots more”… Will not magically enable you to get some sort of crazy “test rate”. Radio, TV, Print, Web – They all only have so much space for prime advertising, and guess what… someone is going to buy it at a fair rate. The key here being a fair rate, no gouging, just the going price. There is room for negotiation on all mediums. Just don’t go into radio advertising expecting to get it for next to nothing as a “test” when the person right behind you is ready and willing to pay a fair rate for the same time space you want to “test” something. Instead, go into it prepared to see what the realistic results would be on a budget you are comfortable spending for the time you want to be on the air.

The media wants you to come back and spend more and will very likely give you as much as they realistically can for your budget to get you to come back and be a repeat buyer. There is that word again… realistic. Keep expectations in this realm. If you run a realistic campaign put together by an experienced professional agency like Best Radio Commercails.com – you will likely see realistic results.

An effective marketing plan starts with an experienced marketing team. If you have any questions about TV Advertising or Radio Advertising call me anytime - (231)468-9972 or email us here. Or visit http://www.bestradiocommercials.com .  My company has been one of the most trusted names in Television Advertising and Radio Advertising for years.