Plenty of small business owners in Marbella tell us the same thing: “I’d love to be on the radio, but it’s not for businesses my size.” Usually it is. The trick is to plan the campaign around your budget, not the other way round.
Here’s how we’d plan radio advertising on a small budget, step by step.
Start with one clear goal
Before you think about money, decide what the campaign is for. Is it to fill tables for a new menu? Get calls for a service? Make sure people know you’ve opened in San Pedro? Or simply to make your name familiar before the summer?
A small budget works best with one goal. Trying to promote everything at once spreads the money too thin, and listeners end up remembering nothing.
Pick the right shape: short and busy, or long and steady
With a fixed budget you can either play your ad a lot over a short time, or less often over a longer time.
Short and busy (one or two weeks) suits anything with a date on it: an opening, an event, a sale. Lots of plays close together, and then it’s over.
Long and steady (one month, three months or more) suits building a name. Fewer plays a day, but listeners hear you week after week until they know who you are.
What doesn’t work well is a tiny campaign that’s both short and light. A handful of plays over a few days is easy to miss. If the budget is tight, it’s usually better to run for longer with fewer plays than to cram a few into one week.
Keep some money for the ad itself
Making the ad, with script, voice, music and studio mix, is priced separately from the airtime. Don’t spend every euro on plays and leave nothing for a good ad. A clear ad heard 50 times will do far more than a muddled one heard 100 times.
The good news is that a well-made ad can run for months, or come back next season with a small change.
Write it to be remembered
On a small budget, every play has to count. So:
- say one thing, not a list
- say your business name at least twice
- give people one easy way to find you: a short web address, a town, or a landmark
- sound like yourself, not like a big brand
If you’re not sure what to say, that’s where our production team helps. For ideas on different styles, read our post on types of radio advertising.
Add something that lasts
An ad on air is heard and gone. If you want something people can find again, a Spotlight page on our website stays up long after a campaign ends and shows up when people search. For some businesses, a Spotlight with a short burst of spots is a good first step.
Find out if it’s working
The simplest way is also the best: ask. “How did you hear about us?” at the till, on the phone or in your booking form. You can also mention a special offer or a code word that only appears in the radio ad, and count how many people use it.
Give it time, though. Radio builds up. The calls in week four are often the result of plays in weeks one to three.
Ready to plan yours?
You don’t need a big number to get started. Tell us what you do and what you’d like to spend each month on our advertising page, and we’ll suggest a campaign that fits, with a quote. To understand what makes the price go up or down, read what decides the cost of radio advertising.
