What are the Key Benefits of Radio PR?
What Radio PR Can Do For You:
Awareness
Since 90% of the population listen to radio every week for more than 20 hours it's safe to say that radio is still one of the most significant mass media in the UK. Radio stations also need content, interesting stories, features and competitions. Radio Relations can help you communicate your message to millions of people by utilising our expertise, relationships, and creativity to ensure an interesting story that people will listen to. This is how we deliver the message you want to the people you want to hear it.
Brand Positioning
It was Al Ries and Jack Trout that coined the term positioning which has since become common parlance in the world of PR and Marketing. But what does it really mean?
Positioning is how your brand is perceived by the market in relation to your competitors. Essentially it's what your brand means to your customers or potential clients, how they think about your brand. Radio audiences won't know and often wont care what goes on behind the scenes of their radio show or newsroom. What they'll believe is that if you're on the radio in relation to a particular story it is because your brand is the most relevant and credible for that particular subject. The audience will think that their station has invited your brand to talk about a subject due to your expertise and relevance, which is what brand positioning is all about. |
Credibility
PR comes down to trust. Radio is one of the most trusted forms of media in the UK as a recent study shows. The way radio is consumed means that listeners build up relationships with the presenters and broadcast journalists that they listen to. By having a spokesperson on the radio discussing a particular story or by facilitating a presenter discussing your brand on air, it comes across as editorial third party endorsement. Also, the fact that radio is regulated by OfCom means that the editorial is under strict scrutiny. It's not possible to be overtly commercial on UK radio without flouting either OfCom guidelines or BBC editorial guidelines. This is why any editorial coverage on radio gives such credibility and also requires expert help in ensuring that the coverage is the right balance of editorial justification and subtle branding. We can provide that guidance, to ensure that your message is as credible as possible.
Cost Effective
PR is cheaper than advertising. For many this is what makes our service so attractive, and the reason we can offer our services at a fraction of the cost of radio advertising, promotions, or sponsorship is because we have an exclusive relationship with IMN that provide lifestyle and consumer content free of charge to the UK radio industry. This enables our team to bypass the people in the radio stations that sit within the sales and promotions departments as IMN has relationships specifically with radio presenters, producers, broadcast journalists and news editors. For the exact costs of a radio PR campaign please either call 020 7158 0000 or click here.
Thought Leadership & Industry Expertise
When a spokesperson is invited to speak on radio it is because they are considered credible to talk on the topic they are talking about. This means that the individual is often seen as a thought leader on the topic or even from within their industry. Over time the brand itself will be seen as knowledgeable, authoritative and an expert on their industry especially in relation to competitors that are unlikely to be featured on the radio at the same time.
Education
There are some subjects that many people don't have strong opinions or convictions about. There are many areas where the real problem can be attributed to ignorance rather than anything else. Many of our campaigns in the areas of finance and health for example are about dealing with issues of people not knowing information. You can educate the public on your field, providing a service that also shows you to be an expert. If a saver isn't aware of what an ISA is then how can they open one? If someone is not aware of the symptoms or medication available for an illness how will they know to visit a GP rather than just suffer in silence? Most of the time people just need to be told something in an honest, straightforward way. People respond to honesty. That's what PR does: tells the truth in a way that helps you.
Dispelling Myths and Misconceptions
Due to the nature of the media environment, especially the consumption of information through social media, there are often areas where there isn't necessarily ignorance but perhaps opinions that simply don't represent the real situation. Perhaps there are myths and misconceptions that the public have about your brand? Some of these can be serious if they relate to the fields of health or safety. The fastest, simplest way to address these types of issues is to undertake a nationwide broadcast PR campaign that will educate the public, and present you as a brand that wants to help.
Reacting to the News Agenda
There are news stories breaking every minute of every day. Many of them will simply end with that one story, but if it's big enough it will prompt journalists to evolve the story. Many stories lend themselves to analysis of trends or taking the story in a new direction. When a story breaks there is normally a window of between a few hours to a few days to find a suitable brand to be part of the news cycle. You can take advantage of that window to present yourself as a credible, knowledgeable source, which the public will respond to.
If a Broadcast PR Campaign is something you're interested in, contact us for a free consultation.