Short radio commercials can play strong role in an advertisers overall radio campaign. While they too short to list numerous sales benefits and not designed to educate the listener on the finer points of a product or service, they can be powerful at getting a core message across. Short and Sweet.
Shorter commercials tend to be cheaper to write and produce. They can also be less expensive to run on air. However, the reason to utilize a 10 or 15 second radio commercial should be that they can work well to get your companies name on the mind of your target customer. This can be as a branding campaign or when promoting a specific sales message.
The basics to writing and producing an effective radio commercial are universal to any length. Here are some specifics on how to best to use the little time you’ve been given to promote your business in a 15 second radio commercial.
1. Know What You Want to Do.
Are you looking for awareness? Do you need to move last year’s car models? Want people to check out your website? You need to define your goal as clearly and simply as possible.
2. Chose a Significant Benefit.
Lowest prices? Dependable service? The greatest selection? Convenient location? Whenever possible, state a strong offer. Once you determine the biggest draw you wan to promote, stick to that as your main point. That is what you want people to know.
3. Decide on a Call to Action
By understanding what you want to accomplish, you also determine your call to action. For example, you want to increase sales by drawing people to your auto dealership to buy a car. Okay. Now, do you direct people to your website? Direct them to your location? Have them phone? Pick one—you do not have time for them all.
4. Rest the Urge to Overload Your Commercial
Remember, you have 15 seconds. Rushed reads and multiple messages get mangled in people’s minds. This includes the use of phone numbers. Decide what is essential to your message and what is not.
5. Trust Your Radio Copywriter and Producer.
We here at SpotWorks Radio Production have decades of experience creating effective radio commercials of various lengths. We know how to best utilize sound effects and voiceover talents to make your 15 seconds count. To show you how this all works together, let’s take those four points and see them in action in a 15 second car dealer radio commercial:
You want to clear out your current year car models (1). Your biggest benefit is a large volume, allowing you to offer the best selection and lowest prices (2). You decide to direct people to your website, which gives people any information that they need, including your physical location and pictures of the units you want to move (3 and 4). So here’s a script that works in 15 seconds:
MUSIC IN
Announcer: LOUD BOOMING VOICE: Biggest Selection! (SFX: ANVIL)
Announcer: LOWER QUIET VOICE: … smallest prices… (SFX: Applause)
Announcer: NORMAL VOLUME: … with payments from $89 dollars a month on select models. See your best deal now at JOE’S CAR DEALERSHIP dot COM. That’s JOE’S CAR DEALERSHIP dot COM. We have your new car!
Again, trust your copywriter and radio producer. SpotWorks is the radio production company with experience and has produced successful radio commercials of all lengths. From car dealers to telecommunication companies to banks and jewelry stores, let us show you how to make your time work, no matter how little you have to spare.
Use your Radio Production to Create a Television Commercial:
