Last week in southern Maine, according to Nielsen, 700,000 adult consumers tuned-in to their favorite Portland radio station. This is, by far, more people than who watched TV, read a newspaper, used a smartphone, or used an online app.

The reality that radio has the largest reach is not lost on thousands of Maine small business owners who depend on the medium to advertise their products and services. As we wrote in the article “The 3 Rs of Radio Advertising“, reach is the second most potent element of a successful ad campaign for driving sales. What is the most powerful component?

As you can see from the chart below, the creative content of an advertising campaign is the most effective driver of sales.

When it comes to the creative content of a commercial, Maine small business owners have 2 choices. The first option is to create a commercial that comprises a laundry list of features and facts about their products or service (e.g., store hours, address, phone, website, numbers of year in business, etc.). This is called the rationale approach and appeals to the consumer’s intellect.

The second choice, however, can be more successful. Appeal to the consumer’s heart.

A recent study by two of the most respected experts in advertising effectiveness, Les Binet, Head of Effectiveness at adam&eveDDB, and Peter Field, Marketing Consultant, indicates that the most successful advertising uses emotions not logic. These commercials swap stories for fact. They tell stories aimed at the heart, not the brain.

A recent article by Pierre Bouvard, Chief Insights Officer at Cumulus Westwood One, highlighted the key findings of these studies.

According to Mr. Bouvard, “The Binet and Fields analysis found that emotional campaigns build brands more strongly [than rational campaigns] regardless of the measure: awareness, commitment, trust, differentiation, fame, or image. Emotional campaigns are far more powerful at building brands. They create emotional bonds and associations.”

More importantly, according to Mr. Bouvard, “Binet and Fields found emotional-based advertising generates far stronger business results for these outcomes as well.

Scott Libby, owner of Royal River Heat Pumps in Falmouth, Maine, understands the power of storytelling in his ads. His radio commercials rely on anecdotes from his days growing up in southern Maine to establish his local origins.

Mr. Libby gives credit to his storytelling radio ads (and his catchy jingle) with doubling his sales. You can hear one of his ads using the link below.

 Here’s our best advice to Maine small business owners who advertise on Portland radio. 

Each word of your radio commercial is precious and you will pay around 60 cents for each one.It is important to make every word count. Science and history prove that storytelling is human’s most powerful form of communication. So in your next radio commercial, don’t spew facts…tell stories.

Lean more about creating awesome advertising successfully on the radio:

• Maine Small Business Owners Grab Qualified Job Candidates By The Ears
• How Maine Small Business Owners Can Get Stuck in People’s Heads
• Jingle on Portland Radio Doubles Sales For Maine Business Owner
• The Science of Making Your Maine Small Business Memorable
• Life Lesson For Maine Small Business Owners From The Obituaries
• Has Digital Demolished Portland Radio? Maine Business Owners Ask.

More Free Advice For Maine Small Business Owners