The Internet Factor: How Important Is It?

Those of us selling in radio go about selling 60 second audio advertising, many times giving a website.

How many go to those websites? Just how effective is it?

How many sell the radio 60 second spot and the coupon or visual ad on the station website where the listener is directed in the spot? Restaurant specials, happy hours, store percentage off coupons, etc.

From all my research, it seems most of the favored formats have high percentages of online users. The oldest demographics and most rural areas have the least on line percentages. Plainly put, there are some that just are not interest in going online. It seems the overwhelming majority are connected frequently.

Any research you've done and would you be willing to share general results. It just seems to me radio might not be maximizing their online presence with clients.

I think the decision on how to market to their potential client is up to the client ultimately but if I had the chance to inject my advice to them, I would suggest pushing an online site or even the station site if that is where the listener can see the details about the client. I see radio and internet offering a one-two punch.

If an older listener is not computer savvy, certainly they know someone who is. In rural settings it might have more to do with the internet offerings in the area,

My view on this is the web site won't be a serious factor in sales unless you have serious traffic. And for local radio, that's hard to do.

You need to base a price on something, and that something is traffic. The radio model for driving traffic is content. So the station first has to devote resources to content creation to drive traffic. Then you assess if you have something you can sell.

Let's be honest though.. Aren't most station website ad placements just throw-in's or 'bonuses' for contracts made for radio? Most music radio stations don't put forth much effort, mainly because of inadequate budgets, in generating unique content that will drive listeners to a website. Weather plug-in's, or promotional opt-in doesn't really move the needle as a website goes.

Kelly A said:

Let's be honest though.. Aren't most station website ad placements just throw-in's or 'bonuses' for contracts made for radio?

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Once again, it goes back to the amount of traffic that site generates. If you get thousands of page-views a day, you can charge for that traffic. What companies like IHeart and Townsquare do is combine the page-views of their sites to deliver a big number to advertisers.

In a small market. The terrestrial signal still rules. Clients find Facebook (and the newspaper) more exciting..websites are not exciting. It is,usually easy to overcome this platform when you breakdown the actual reach. We have never had anyone say: now about your website...

Yes much easier to sell as a station group.

When you think of what's on most radio stations' websites, you wonder why in-market listeners ever check it out. Profiles of DJs, links to a stream and to lists of songs recently played (OK, maybe playlist-depth geeks would check the latter out, but how many of those could there be?), local weather (plenty of other sources for that, on and offline), news headlines and tidbits about the musical performers the station plays (again, plenty of other places to go for all of that). But then, major consumer brands like Coke and Snickers have their own websites -- you see the URLs on every can/wrapper -- and, although I can't think of a single reason to visit them, people must do so; otherwise, the corporations wouldn't bother to maintain them.

You're right, Coke and Snickers have websites and I doubt more than a tiny percentage of actual Coke and Snickers buyers ever go to the website. I would suppose their thinking is those who don't visit don't matter, only those who do. The cost of the site is the same regardless. It seems advertising works the same way: the car dealer might have a $10,000 off on every car on the lot sale but they know almost all of those hearing of the sale won't walk on to their lot, but those folks don't matter, only those in the market for a new car today and getting the highest percentage of those that are in the market for a new vehicle. In fact, Coke and Snickers are in a better position because website or no website, you are still buying their product.

Coke and Snickers have never been so much about 'selling' as they are about top of mind awareness. The key is to be constantly popping up in people's lives so they are the one remembered first because that greatly sways buying decisions.

My Dad met this marketing guru (My Dad managed a bookstore and I think the guy had written a book and was there for a book signing). He said when he started out he got a job working for Wrigley Gum. On a flight he had the chance to talk to Mr. Wrigley and wanted to make an impression to further his career. He didn't. He pointed out in a particular magazine Wrigley had a full page ad for Juicy Fruit. The young marketing guru pointed out Juicy Fruit was the #1 selling chewing gum in the country and the magazine had no other ads for chewing gum. The marketing guru suggested stopping the ad. He claimed Mr. Wrigley looked at him and asked who was #1 in chewing gum sales in the country to which the marketing guy said Wrigley Gum. Mr. Wrigley said he was right and added 'that ad is why'. Wrigley knew the value of top of mind awareness.