Once you have mastered the art of disability consulting and are established in your community, it's time for you to consider radio and or television advertising.

Many young entrepreneurs fear the radio and television advertising approaches because these media are believed to be the domain of big business. Nothing could be further from the truth! Properly used, both radio and television advertising can greatly enhance your company's image and appeal. Any new disability advocate who plans to utilize the full financial potential available in the disability consulting industry, must at some point consider advertising on radio or television.

In this chapter we will discuss some of the important marketing considerations encountered in radio advertising. Radio is a unique advertising medium with enormous marketing potential for disability advocates.

In the United States alone there are more than a quarter of a billion radios tuned into a variety of airwaves and formats. The radio is a simple instrument of musical delights that is still a primary source of news and information in the US. Radio is the third largest news source in America, surpassed only by newspapers and television. With millions of individuals utilizing radio, the value of this medium to your consulting service should not be underestimated.

Creating Demand:

Radio has a number of characteristics that greatly increase its value beyond the simple fact that people are listening. Radio is one of the few media sources that enables an advertiser to evoke the imagination of his audience with nothing more than the spoken word. This inexpensive stimulus to the imagination gives you the advertiser the power to create demand for your service using a variety of verbal techniques.

Disability consulting is a new concept in many marketplaces. As with any new concept, the ability to create demand by stimulating the imagination of a potential customer is critical to your success. Customer imagination and interest is stimulated by asking yourself that all important marketing question, what is the customer after! Once you have identified the customer's needs, your task is to create a presentation that goes directly to the heart of that need.

The act of offering your service as a means to a customer's end is a creative process indeed. Your primary goal requires that you use your creativity in order to stimulate desire in others.

A commercial offer by radio must also be presented in plain and simple language. You should approach your ad with the assumption that your audience knows nothing about your product or service. Approaching an ad with the above assumption is the secret to creating highly effective radio advertising. Do not make the mistake of thinking that people understand your service. Only you have a true grasp of the full potential of disability consulting and it is your task to share that knowledge with the public as the basis of your marketing strategy.

In creating a radio advertisement, you should attempt to create common experience imagery in the minds of your listeners. Try to use a theme that the listener can relate to! If you can formulate a bond of experience between yourself and the potential customer, he is much more likely to become a paying customer. Creating a bond of experience should not be difficult if you are aware of some of the events experienced by individuals who have applied for SSA disability benefits.

Writing ad copy:

No one understands disability consulting like you do! No radio station copywriter can ever really understand what it is you wish to portray with your ad. Therefore, we suggest that you write your own advertising copy with the assistance of the radio staff. In other words, don't just hand the task of writing your ad over to the station. Get involved and make suggestion where appropriate.

The rules for creating effective radio advertising copy are basically the same as those for print advertising. You must:

1. Get the attention of your audience.

2. Deliver an interesting message.

3. Show the benefits of your service.

4. Build credibility by showing knowledge.

5. Deliver a call to action. Usually a phone number to call for additional information.

All of the above must be done in simple straight-forward language.

The Rule of One:

An additional consideration in radio advertising is the "rule of one". The "rule of one" simply means that you must present only one theme or one concept to your audience at a time to avoid confusing your audience.

In a short radio advertisement, it is easy to lose your audience by mixing concepts. Pick an advertising theme and stick with it throughout the entire ad. Below, you will find a list of sample conceptual approaches that can be used in a disability consultant radio advertisement:

1. Everyone knows someone is suffering from a serious medical disorder. That person may have applied for SSA disability benefits and was denied. Take full advantage of this phenomenon in your marketing.

2. The government makes you pay for disability benefits, then makes it difficult for you to collect that which you have paid for.

3. If you are suffering from a disability and are unable to work, you may be entitled to cash benefits from Social Security.

As you can see, the above three concepts are all reasonable approaches to use as a theme in a disability consultant ad. Note that all three of the above themes represent an experience common to most applicants for SSA disability benefits. The potential customer can relate to these themes because he may have experienced one or all of the above events.

It should also be understood that by mixing the above three concepts, you could cause great confusion among your potential audience, reducing your rate of response. Use of the "rule of one" is mandatory. Under no circumstance should you deviate from this principle. Again, stick to one theme per advertisement!

Recognition:

Recognition of your firm's name is extremely important. You must seek to make your company name synonymous with the service you are offering. Basically, you must mention your firm's name and phone number as soon as possible in a radio advertisement. Early mention of identifying information is another basic premise of effective radio advertising. You should also seek to mention your firm's name and phone number as many times as possible without destroying the theme of the ad itself.

Always end your radio ad with the name and phone number of your agency. You can also instruct listeners to call the station you are advertising on for further information if the station agrees with this arrangement.

You may also direct your listeners to look up your firm in the yellow pages if you have purchased a yellow page advertisement. Referring a customer to a yellow page ad is effective because the customer need only to remember two things, your firm's name and the fact that you are in the yellow pages. Hammering home your business purpose and phone number repeatedly will also improve response. Repeat your phone number at least three times at or toward the end of your ad and at least twice during the body of your ad if possible.

Capitalize on Events:

Over the years, there have been a number of news stories concerning Social Security. There is an ever growing concern among Americans that they will not be able to collect Social Security benefits because of the way Congress is using SSA funds to pay other Government debts. As a consultant advertiser, you must learn to capitalize on news events and twist these events into news bulletins or propaganda that serves to boost the credibility of your firm.

For example:  Despite all of the proposed changes to Social programs, the SSA disability program will probable change the least. If it does change, it will only become more difficult for the common applicant to go it alone. With a little imagination, I bet you can use the above statement to stimulate business for your firm.

It is not unheard of for an aggressive consultant to incorporate an audio or videotape segment of a news story about Social Security into their radio or T.V. ads. This approach can dramatically increase the credibility of your advertisement, greatly strengthening results. Be sure to give credit to the source to avoid copyright infringement problems.

I recently taped a congressional hearing on SSA from C-SPAN. The plan is to create a very effective television advertisement using some of the speaker's comments. If you plan to use the excerpt approach, be sure to ask permission of the station. Some will say that this approach is opportunist. We say that if the news story is true, it can be used for the purpose of growing your business.

Best time for radio ads:

The best time for a radio ad is when a potential customer is listening. Of course, this could be any time. We have found that from 2 P.M. to 5 P.M. and after 8 P.M. is a highly effective time to advertise disability consulting services. Most listeners during the above time periods are of two types. This can vary from station to station.

The two to five p.m. listener is usually an employed person who knows someone who needs the services of a disability consultant. The after eight p.m. and early a.m. folks are usually the disabled persons themselves who happened upon your ad. In either case, you will pull customers during these time periods and simultaneously save money. Despite the fact that commuters are good listeners, avoid the expensive driving time period of five to seven p.m. unless you can afford it. Once you have achieved a solid customer base, consider the more expensive prime time radio slots.

Ad Presentation:

You have basically two choices when it comes to ad presentation. You can save money by reading the ad yourself or you can have your ad read by a radio personality. It appears that ads read by personalities usually do better. It appears that a radio personality can bring credibility and familiarity to the presentation which in turn increases the response to your ad.

Ad Frequency:

Unfortunately, ad frequency is controlled more by budget than by desire. We suggest that you run your ad at least four times a day over a period of one month. If you do not get an acceptable response within a month, you either have a poor ad or the wrong type of station. Research a station before you place an ad. Know the type of audience the station directs its format to. The radio station will be happy to supply this information to you at no cost. Talk shows seem to do well with promotional ads. If possible, center your ads around talk shows that disabled persons might be tuned into.

Religious stations:

Religious radio stations are growing like wildfire in every area of the country. These stations have proven to be outstanding sources of effective radio advertising. Do not overlook them! You may also discover that their rates are lower despite solid audience numbers that may equal that of the entertainment stations.

Proofing an Ad:

Never proof a radio ad by reading the lines. You will not have a true feel for the effectiveness the ad unless you hear it. Instruct the station to allow you to listen to the finished demo tape before it is released to the public. If you feel it is not right, fix it before it goes public. It is better to pay a little more to get what you want, than to waste money on an ineffective advertisement.

Cost Factors:

Those factors that most effect the cost of a radio advertisement are as follows:

1.  Length of Ad. (30 sec, 60 sec, etc.,.)

2.  Time period ad is presented to public.

3.  Frequency of ad plays. (Four times daily or eight times daily).

4.  Use of radio personality's voice.

5.  Know your station demographics. (Number of listeners, etc.,).

SUMMATION

Radio advertising is a relatively inexpensive and highly effective means of advertising a disability consultant service. The most important elements for a successful radio advertising campaign are:

1. Good radio copy.

2. Sticking to one theme per advertisement.

3. Emphasizing business name and service recognition.

4. The ability to capitalize on events.

5. Advertising frequency.

6. The use of radio advertising personalities.

7. Controlling cost.

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