Radio is more than "spots and dots"

If you've bought radio in the past, you've probably heard the term, "spots and dots."  This overused term is thrown around to describe the on-air commercials that are part of a radio schedule.  Many agencies, large and small, will routinely place orders for their business clients that are made up of "spots and dots" and little more.

You might be wondering, "So what?  Isn't that what radio is all about - the on-air commercials?"

The answer is a resounding and deafening, "NO!"  Any agency, business, or marketer who buys radio and receives an on-air schedule ONLY is doing themselves and their clients a huge disservice.

Here are just some of the other ways to use radio beyond "spots and dots:"
 - DJ endorsements
 - On-site station/DJ appearances
 - Station websites
 - Station media collateral
 - Station programming (inside programming, not inside commercial break clutter)
 - Live broadcast from a location
 - Third-party tie-ins with other station partners

And there are many more...

So what is the best way to utilize these services?  Do you have to come up with a promotion and pitch it to the station?  Do you have to know exactly what you want and ask the station for the specific services you are looking for?

Well, you CAN...but you don't have to.  In reality, the easiest way to find out what options are available to you is to meet with individual advertising executives from the different stations that you believe fit your target demographic (more on your target demographic and choosing your stations).  Just as you would interview someone for a position within your company, use these meetings to get to know who you're working with...and then give each representative an assignment.

In the first meeting with each rep, tell them your objectives, your goals, and your expectations and ask them to bring you promotions that fit those metrics.  Tell them you will look at anything.  Tell them that you are talking to multiple stations.  Tell them you want as much promotional help as is possible.

And then when they come back, be open minded.  Listen to what they have to say.  Use them as you would any of your other employees when looking for new ideas.

By the time you have this second meeting with each of the reps, you will know who truly understands your objectives, who is working in your best interests, and who is working hard to earn your business.

A few tips on these meetings:

• Try not to schedule more than two per day.  These meetings should have your full attention and will require at least an hour of your time.  You don't want to burn out by the third or fourth meeting of the day - that's not fair to you or the advertising representative. 
• Have a budget range in mind.  If your budget is $3,000 per month, you don't want a rep to bring you a proposal for $10,000 per month.  Be up front right from the beginning.
• Everything is negotiable.  Once you find an executive (or two) and some programs you like, know that most promotions are customizable to a certain extent and that price can be negotiated.  Most likely, a marketing rep will bring you something priced a bit higher than your budget anyway and you can kindly remind them what you were looking to spend - the price may come down without the program changing much.
• Be realistic.  If your budget is $3,000 per month, you are not going to "own" a station that serves hundreds of thousands of listeners.  And if your budget is $500 per month, you shouldn't be using mass media.