With the roses long since wilted in their Valentine’s vases and the last few unpopular pieces of chocolate eaten (was that a macadamia?), it is time, hopeful and ready advertiser, to place your spring radio advertising!
Keep this one important thought in mind: the early bird not only gets the worm but gets to mix it up with other early birds. For your business, these other early birds are consumers who have stepped out into the marketplace ready to do business.
When do your customers spend? When should you then spend to reach them? Realize that even in warmer clime markets, people are coming out of a winter “hibernation” as it relates to their consumer behaviors. Approach them with a plan that warms them up to your offerings or reawakens the reason why they need you.
Most advertisers, as a rule, spend lighter earlier in the season than ramp up heavier towards the end. Consider taking more of a leadership role this spring, which could mean reallocating your March – May budget. It could be a subtle adjustment of dollars or creative message, or it could mean a much stronger shift of weight and emphasis in early spring vs. later.
Your strategy may also differ according to the markets you target. Late March in Burlington is quite different than late March in Tucson. Is spring your off-season? Don’t stay completely dark. Maintain a presence so that when your next busy season arrives, you are not starting cold. A spring off-season can be a good time to test a new message and generate early leads for when you want to close business.
For example, I worked with a wood stove and fireplace installer who ran spring and summer ads reminding people how cold it would be later in the year, and asked people to just “humor” him by joining his mailing list so that when people were caught off guard by the change in seasons, he’d be there to remind them he had their back. Stacked their database like logs on a fireplace.
Welcome in spring by leading the way, not following the pack. Tax Season. Spring Break. Allergy season. Home refinancing. House projects. Graduation. St. Pat’s. Easter. March Madness. Mother’s Day. Just…Spring “things.”
We’re here to help you. Radio is live and local every day, and is arguably the best early bird advertising choice around. Don’t believe it? Just tune in right now and listen. Somebody’s already decided to get a jump.