Radio listeners more responsive than ever to ads, via text
Its possible that television may be going the way of the radio, but based on recent reports, radio may still be a very healthy mode of advertising, according to research by Marketing Architects who found that text codes are becoming the new 800 number.
In other words, with traditional direct response marketing, the 1-800 number is used as a means of engagement. But, in the changing landscape, improved telephony infrastructure can elevate SMS texting campaigns to a whole new level. As a result, the MA survey notes that people are four times more likely to respond to a radio ad via text than call an 800 number.
With roughly 90 per cent of cell phone owners carrying their phone with them wherever they go, when they hear or see a spot on the radio and have a text keyword provided, they just have to reach to their phone and text a response. Finding the right keyword for a marketing campaign is important but when it comes to radio spots, it should be a quick hit like "subscribe" or "more info."
Additionally, a call to action can include additional motivation to take action. For example, if a spot asked listeners to text WATER to 5555 now to learn more about water filters and get 20 per cent off the first purchase, that is a call to action if the ad is about water purification or water purity.
In addition to building out the technology platform to provide this capability, the agency acquired a war chest of exclusive premium short codes, proven to drive better results than standard codes. Texting not only provides a more powerful means for a consumer to interact with a business, but it’s also providing concrete analytics on just how many customers are coming to a site and ultimately buying from radio.
“Analytics from a text response are extremely powerful. From location proximity to phone type, the value of text compounds the value of the radio channel,” said Chuck Hengel, founder and CEO of Marketing Architects. “Additionally, the responder can be prompted to ‘click to call,’ visit a website and interact in real-time with an agent – turning the text response directly into revenue for marketers.”