Thousands of Maine small business owners depend on Portland radio to attract new customers. Radio advertising works so well that even TV networks benefit from it.  A recent study demonstrates just how well.

First of all, radio reaches more adults each week than any other medium. More than TV. More than smartphones. More than newspapers. More than anything. Last week, for instance, almost 700,000 consumers living in southern Maine tuned into a Portland radio station.

So, when a national TV network wanted to compel viewers to tune-in to a recent mini-series, it advertised the show on the radio. To determine if the advertising paid off, Nielsen, a media research company, partnered with Cumulus Westwood One, a radio broadcasting company, to measure the results. Let’s just say the results were spectacular.

By analyzing the behavior of 80,000 consumers utilizing a “Portable People Meter”, Nielsen was able to determine how many of the listeners exposed to a commercial promoting the mini-series actually watched it. Here is what the analysis revealed.

According to Westwood One, “Among persons 18+, those who were exposed to the AM/FM radio campaign were 44% more likely to tune in to the program than those who were not exposed. Among persons 25-54, there was a 27% viewing lift among those exposed. AM/FM radio successfully grew interest in the program and directly influenced tuning behavior.”

 

Just like Maine business owners, TV networks are always struggling to find new customers. The Nielsen study shows that the radio campaign for the mini-series did just that.

“AM/FM radio was particularly successful in driving tuning behavior beyond the network’s core viewers,” according to Westwood One. “Nearly 9 out of 10 (88%) of the viewers delivered by the AM/FM radio campaign were non-viewers or light viewers of the network within the previous month. AM/FM radio drove viewership from those who had previously spent little time with the network, converting them into fans.”

 

Many Maine small business already know what the TV network discovered when it turned to radio advertising to drive results. Marc Greenberg, owner of Marc Motors in Sanford, Maine and a long-time radio advertiser, was asked why he continues to invest in radio advertising, Mr. Greenberg simply says, “Because it works.”

More great advice for Maine small business owners:

• A Tip For Maine Small Business Owners From Top Marketing Companies
• What’s Your Story? Tell it on Portland Radio
• Satellite Radio: What Maine Small Business Owners Need To Know
• Maine Small Business Owners Grab Qualified Job Candidates By The Ears
• How Maine Small Business Owners Can Get Stuck in People’s Heads

 Thank you to Cumulus Westwood One for providing permission to use their graphics and data.