Recently I wrote about a radio station commercial that included the client’s website in a particularly wasteful manner.
Lots of people contributed thoughtful, intelligent comments. But only one person asked the right question.
Adam asked, “Should it be the tag?”
Answer: Usually, no.
The only time you give the advertiser’s website in a radio advertisement is if the most common way customers (or prospects, whichever the campaign is designed to attract) contact that business is online.
Giving listeners a choice of response mechanisms (online, telephone, “come on down”) reduces the overall total response to your Call To Action.
“Why not just mention the website quickly? Can’t hurt…” sounds logical, but it’s false.
Taddrick said:
“I would have changed the verbiage to ‘Join us online at WEBSITE DOT COM.'”
For the purpose of alerting the audience to the fact that you’re about to give a URL, that structure works. But….
Nick advised:
“Whenever possible use ‘search (client’s name)’ in your copy.”
If your spot has succeeded in making the targeted consumer want what the advertiser offers and that person wants to find that business online, that person already thinks, “Maybe I’ll do a quick search for them.”
If they need to be told to search for it online, they’re not Web savvy enough to convert to a customer via a website…even if somehow they manage to figure out “what this ‘search’ stuff is all about.'”
Even if It’s Your Single Call to Action, It’s Not Enough Just to Give the URL.
Rob said:
“I simply say visit blahblah.co.uk.”
That, of course, is the way most advertisers do it. And it’s wrong.
If the goal of your ad is to drive targeted traffic to a website, you must give people a reason to go there.
Don’t just tell them to “visit” you. Tell them to go to the website to take a specific action.
“Find our your credit score right now at advertiserswebsite.com.”
“To reserve your tickets before they’re all gone, go to advertiserswebsite.com.”
Geri suggested:
“Look for us on the web at ‘Please don’t kill my mother.com.'”
That, too, succeeds in warning the listener that a URL is about to given.
But just as no one is interested in “visiting you online” or “joining you online,” nobody has a desire to “look for you on the Web.”
Here’s how easy it is to change that into a “reason why”:
“To keep your mom from being killed, go to PleaseDontKillMyMother.com.”
(To anyone who is offended by that example: It’s that darn Geri’s idea. I’m just fixing the words a bit.)
“But Dan, What if the Advertiser Doesn’t Have a Good Reason for People to Go to Their Website?”
Then don’t waste any of their valuable radio advertising time talking about the website.
Here’s one valuable resource for using one corner of the Internet for your radio station.
Comments on this entry are closed.
I would never put an e-mail address in the ad copy unless it is truly needed, and is a professional domain. Addresses that are Hotmail, Yahoo, or Gmail make the company sound shady, and scammy. (if that’s a word).