Have you noticed some definite trends in the impact of radio on society? Radio has been changed forever with all of the music streaming services and digital radio apps. If you want to compete with the big guns and pull in your share of the target market, you’re going to need to advertise your products or services where your target audience spends their time.

Eventually, FM radio will be completely phased out. That’s not happening yet, but it is easy to see that progression over the next few years. Why is FM radio no longer the best place to advertise?

• Most people use streaming services when at home or work. 
• Most vehicles built after 2010 come with Bluetooth capability, which means they have all the same digital radio options as your smartphone. Why listen to the car radio?
• One of the biggest draws to listen to traditional radio is the ability to get exclusive interviews and win concert tickets, but the pandemic has shut down in-person concerts and people have less reason to listen.

However, that doesn’t mean advertising on digital radio is the answer either. Many people who use streaming services in multiple locations are likely to have a paid premium subscription. Usually, that subscription means that the listener isn’t receiving ads at all.

That means that the audience you are reaching with your streaming service advertising are either financially savvy people who like to stick to a budget, picking and choosing their subscriptions or individuals with low income who cannot afford subscription services.

Does your target market fit into either of these categories? If not, digital radio might not be the place to market your product or service.

On the other hand, you have one other opportunity for advertising effectively on internet radio. Spotify and other streaming services are now buying up podcasts. Podcasts are like the original talk radio, but there are now talk shows for every topic and interest under the sun. Premier podcasts usually still have ads even if you have a paid subscription to the service.

With all of this in mind, is radio really the right place to advertise your business at all? Well, that depends. If you really want to know where you should be advertising your business, contact us for a consultation.