3 Tips for Growing Your Business with Chicago Radio

With 272 million Americans listening to the radio every week, radio advertising’s benefits are hard to ignore. Radio ads can catch consumers when they are the most susceptible to marketing information. They target specific demographics and audience segments, allowing companies to create highly optimized ad campaigns.

Radio is a solid addition to multichannel advertising due to its ability to reach consumers behind the wheel when they don’t have access to other channels. Radio ads are flexible, cost-effective, and time-efficient. They provide various opportunities for companies regardless of their niches, goals, and budgets.

Let’s discuss three key tips for getting the most out of your partnership with Chicago radio stations.

1. Use Radio Personality Endorsements

By advertising on Chicago radio, you don’t just get access to specific segments of your target audience. You can collaborate with popular radio personalities.

Almost 50% of consumers rely on influencer recommendations when making purchase decisions. Meanwhile, according to a recent survey conducted by Engagement Labs, 77% of radio listeners trust the information they receive from their favorite radio personalities. By securing radio personality endorsements, it’s possible to tremendously increase the ROI (Return on Investment) of your marketing campaign.

To get the most out of the radio personality endorsements, consider the following:

• Choose a radio personality who appeals to the segment of the target audience you aim at converting. It’s imperative to choose the right channel first.
• Make sure the person you plan to work with believes in the products and services you are offering. Otherwise, the promotional effort will lack authenticity and may turn the audience away.
• Educate the radio personality about your brand to make sure they share correct information with the listeners.

Working with a radio personality is a safe way to promote your products or services. When you choose the right radio channel and persona, you don’t need to worry about them doing something to put the audience off. These hosts are already big favorites. Almost everything they do on the radio is likely to appeals to the followers.

2. Mention Chicago

Radio ads are an excellent channel for local marketing. You can be sure the message reaches your local audience. Meanwhile, your radio ads can contain Chicago-specific copy that relates to local listeners.

Making the ad or script specific to Chicago shows your understanding of the local nuances, which makes your products and services more appealing to the target audience. This can boost your brand awareness efforts and help customers identify with your company.

When your audience is exposed to Chicago-specific advertising on the radio, it uses imagination to create supporting imagery that can be far superior to whatever you can come up with for paid search ads online.

Here are a few simple ways you can make your radio ads specific to Chicago:

• Differentiate between Chicago neighborhoods.
• Talk about the weather (windy Chicago winters is something any audience segment can relate to).
• Reference to well-known Chicago personalities.
• Mention recent city-related news.
• Include references to sports teams (White Sox, Cubs, Bears, Bulls, etc.). Avoid talking about competitors.
• Mention classic Chicago foods (e.g. Chicago-style barbecue, deep-dish pizza, Jibarito sandwich).
• Appeal to Chicago pride

Chicago is well-known for its high density of young population with a median age of 32 years. If this demographic segment is a part of your target audience, you can explore many advertising possibilities.

Your media partner can use its experience and audience knowledge to help you develop Chicago-specific content to make sure your ads are highly appealing to the target listeners.

3. Sponsor Radio-Covered Events

Radio-covered events are a perfect opportunity to get your name out there. They offer endless possibilities for brand awareness.

Local events are often covered or hosted by radio stations. By becoming a sponsor, you can secure a mention of your brand during the coverage and beyond.

Besides getting a valuable opportunity to appear on Chicago radio stations, local event sponsorship comes with numerous benefits:

• If your target audience cares about the local event, sponsoring it generates positive emotions associated with your brand.
• Depending on the event, you can have an opportunity to promote your products directly to the target audience.
• By showing your willingness to support a cause people care about, you boost word-of-mouth marketing. Event attendees turn into your brand ambassadors.
• Generate new leads by showing your credibility to people who attend the sponsored event.
• You can meet your existing clients at a sponsored event and receive valuable feedback in a positive setting.
• You can mention your sponsorship efforts in radio ad copy and implement it into other marketing content.

Local event sponsorship can help your business boost its credibility, increase brand awareness, and build prestige. Coupled with positive publicity generated by radio mentions, this marketing effort can have an impressive ROI.

As a bonus, sponsoring a radio-covered event could get you an organic radio personality mentions.

Start Growing Your Business with Chicago Radio

Radio is one of the most efficient marketing channels in Chicago. By taking advantage of its advertising options, you can reach your target audience.

Working with popular radio personalities, mentioning Chicago-specific trends, and sponsoring radio-covered events can help you promote your brand without breaking the marketing budget.