(SOCIAL) 13 Ways to Use Imagery to Sell Radio Spots

by Mike Stiles

Much of the social content advice you?ll get as a radio station will be about attracting listeners or servicing existing listeners with new and engaging features that will deepen their relationships with your brand.  That?s all well and good.  In fact, it?s better than well and good?it?s critical.

However, even if you can effectively convince management such interactions will have positive subsequent effects on listening and ratings, the wheels in their heads will probably be furiously spinning around an entirely separate question: ?How is this going to help us sell more radio spots??

Apart from the conventional wisdom that higher PPM will help sell more radio spots, there are actually social elements that can be targeted to advertisers and potential advertisers.  And in a social media world where visual elements such as photos and videos consistently lead to more likely engagement, this ad-buyer-targeted content should be based around imagery that?s easily and rapidly consumed.  They?re busy just like you.

So below I present 13 ways to use imagery to attract station advertisers via social.

1. Help them see it.  Photoshop their logo into station event and promotion pictures.

    Sometimes you have to put the fantasy into their minds.  Show them how ?big time?

    they could be.
2. Charts, graphs, data, coverage area, etc. are images.  Yes, the info is numbers-based,

    but if you can break it down into a visual representation, it will be seen and

    understood.  Tell your success story this way.  And if you can use infographics, which

    people LOVE, then all the better.

3. Photos and brief info in the caption of all the people at your station they?d be working

    with as advertisers.  That includes jocks, managers, AE?s, even the Traffic Manager.

4. Pictures of any client appreciation parties/events/concerts.  Show them there are fun

    benefits to being associated with you, and use this to make them want to play.  If

    you?re not doing anything to make clients feel special, that?s a whole separate blog.

5. Pictures of the artists you play.  It?s sexy and it gives them a quick feel for the format.

    Far too many stations assume potential advertisers know the station and are avid

    listeners.  Assume the opposite.

6. Logos of other clients who advertise with you.  It?s a de-facto recommendation from

    those clients and hopefully will generate a little competitive envy.

7. Pictures of the station, especially if your station looks really cool.  We?re over it, but

    civilians still tend to be wowed by our lights and switches and microphones.

8. Photos of real listeners with one or two line testimonials in the captions.  Show them

    the faces of the people who love you.

9. Station photo albums.  These give a great comprehensive feel for your station?s history

    and identity.  And you should be compiling them already in anticipation of your

    Facebook Timeline anyway.

10. Pictures of prizes you?ve given away.  Show them you can create hype around them.

11. Cool photos illustrating any specific sponsor-worthy features such as news, traffic,

      entertainment report, etc.  Showcase what feature they could ?own.?

12. Pictures of the various ways listeners interact with your station.  Show advertisers that

      people are listening to you in the car, on their iPhone, on their Kindle Fire, streaming

      on their desktop or laptop at work, etc.  Illustrate your power and reach.

13. Do a mockup of a station Pinterest board or Facebook photo album where the

      advertiser?s products will be visually featured once they?ve partnered with you.

That?s not even getting into professionally produced videos of your sales presentation, this is all inexpensive still imagery.  I?m a big believer face-to-face personal relationships are still what wins in local ad sales.  But for practical considerations, using social and powerful images to lay out the bait and make those introductions can be a very efficient step 1.

Mike Stiles is a brand content specialist with the social marketing tech platform, Vitrue. Check out his monologue blog, The Stiles Files & follow him @mikestiles

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