No doubt you’ve heard this famous quote on selling before, but do you realise just how critical it is to your next radio advertising campaign?

TV ads show you what the wrapper looks like but radio is a brilliant, made for medium to sell the “sizzle”. The mind is magical. Make your audience taste, feel and touch your product through the power of their imagination. Communicate your message this way to get customers banging down your door.

Small business owners aren’t necessarily professional marketers and are hesitant to take place their first radio ad.

Don’t be. Follow a few simple steps and you could be benefiting from the power of radio this weekend.

As with any marketing campaign you must first decide who your target market is, otherwise you’ll lose money. Have a plan of attack and monitor your results, closely.

Do something different. Don’t copy an ad promoting a product similar to yours. Certain death awaits radio ads that copy an existing format. Find an angle. Offer something different. Can you discount if customers buy in bulk or order before a certain date.

Enter everyone who buys after hearing your commercial into a free competition. Stand out, be creative.

Repeat, repeat, repeat. Radio advertisements benefit from being repeated, building response rates over the life of your campaign. It’s important to work out a long term deal when it comes to negotiating a contract with your local radio station.

Be ready for the response.Make sure your business is ready to handle the increased demands resulting from your successful ad campaign. Ensure your website is up to date and has sufficient bandwidth to cope with the extra demand.

Call to action. Your radio advertising campaign will not be a success unless each ad includes something to make people act. Your message has to grab and keep the listeners attention,long enough for them to make the call or enter your website’s url.

You could deal direct with your local radio stations who’ll be happy to help you or you could talk to your local pr/marketing connection and ask them to do the research and campaign planning. Chose the right station, the right campaign and you get the most out of your radio advertising budget.

However, there is another way to get your message out on the airwaves.