Air Essentials Marketing Your Nightclub on the Radio
Luckily
for us, our customers are trained to consider their favorite radio
station as a good source of entertainment information. And why
shouldn’t they? Radio is free and easy to listen to and is less hassle
than opening a newspaper or logging onto the Internet.
Advertising on the radio also allows you to promote your
nightclub’s events in a forum where the message relies on the
listener’s imagination to fill in the blanks about the event. Radio is
relatively inexpensive, and it’s timely and easily adaptable. For these
reasons, even with text, e-mail and other forms of marketing proving to
be effective, radio advertising arguably is the most viable option for
mass-marketing many nightclubs.
Ad Content
Your commercial has to effectively convey a single message that is
well produced and repeated many times within the spot. This is achieved
using a two-fold approach, exceptional production and a great schedule
of air time.
First, make your commercial easy on the ears and simple to recall.
When writing the commercial’s script, a common mistake is to cram a
week’s worth of specials and promotions into an itty-bitty radio spot.
This auditory overload will have a listener either tuning out the
commercial or not retaining any of the information.
Instead, convey one central message. Focus on one special, one
event, one day of the week. Determine your main message and then
figure out how to say it in as few words as possible — then reverse the
process and convey your core message over and over within your spot.
One definite thing to stay away from is humor. Jokes may be funny
the first time around, but if your commercial is in heavy rotation,
witty one-liners get old fast.
Production
Don’t be tempted to let the radio station produce your commercial
free of charge. This may seem like a cost-effective and hassle-free
option, but the cookie cutter approach will have your message sounding
like every other commercial that the station has produced for the rest
of its clients.
A professionally produced 60-second commercial will cost you
$200-$500 — a small investment relative to your purchase of air time.
In order to make the most of the airtime, keep these pointers in mind: Make your message sound different by using two voices; the second voice can be used to repeat what the main voice says. This echo effect keeps the commercial from sounding boring, even though you are repeating your core message. Also consider a 5- to 7-second insertion space about two-thirds of the way through your commercial where you only have an instrumental background. Then have your local radio station DJ read a short script that reiterates your core message again. This tactic will make your commercial flexible to allow for last-minute special events to be promoted and adds credibility by making the listener associate the promotion at your venue with the radio station.
Choosing a Station
Keep in mind that radio advertising works best promoting to your current clientele as reinforcement or to remind them you are still throwing a party every weekend. Your radio sales reps will talk to you about choosing their station based on many different factors such as market share, demographics, average quarter hour listeners (AQH) or cumulative audience (cume). But the two best factors to consider, active listenership and parallel lifestyle, aren’t based on numbers.
Consider that a radio station may have a huge number of listeners, but it can mean nothing to you if its listeners are not actively participating at station events. In other words, are its listeners couch potatoes or do they get out and spend money on entertainment? Also consider the lifestyle of the radio station’s core listener when choosing a radio partner. Do its core listeners include nightlife into their favorite activities? Don’t choose a station just because they play a format to what you play at your nightclub.
Air Time
Typically, 60-second spots are the best value and give you the most impact with the listeners. You can buy a radio schedule horizontally or vertically.
A horizontal buy would be every day at a specific time, such as sponsoring the “Retro Lunch.” A vertical buy is focused on the day before and the day of your promotion, whereby you book your spot to run every hour during a block of time. Most of your customers start to think about their evening plans after they’ve had lunch, so that’s where you want to start.
If your budget allows, buy one spot every hour from 1-8 p.m. If that isn’t an option, buy afternoon drive time from 4-7 p.m., when your customers are in their cars. This repeatedly reinforces your message during peak hours.
In addition to commercials, radio marketing may include appearances by the station’s on-air personalities. There are typically three types of appearances, each based on how much money you spend on advertising. The least expensive is a simple 2-hour appearance by a radio personality hosting a contest or giveaway concert tickets. The next step up is an appearance with call-ins to the station during the event describing the party or promotion. The most expensive type of appearance is a live broadcast where the music being played on the station is coming from your DJ booth.
Keep in mind, as a nightclub owner, that appearances alone don’t matter as much as the on-air mentions and plugs throughout the day leading up to the event. NCB
Garry P. Smyth owns and operates two Chicago locations of The Bamboo Room, a high-energy mainstream dance concept with annual gross sales of more than $7 million. Visit The Bamboo Room at www.bamboochicago.com. Contact Garry at
