Hello everyone!
I have a RSC member who'd like your help:
She writes, "My station is a great station that made its debut last year; however, we are not Nielsen rated so I am always receiving that objection...how do I overcome that?"
If you have suggestions to share with her, they would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks in advance,
Rebecca
Most small market stations are in unrated markets. Ratings never were any guarantee of results anyway. Just ask members here how they feel about Arbitron's old County-by-County breakouts. If having listenership data is important to you, there are alternatives to Nielsen. (Eastlan comes to mind.) You can even hire local people to roll your own telephone survey, asking questions such as:
"What is your most-used radio station?"
"What radio stations have you listened to in the past 24/48/72 hours?"
"When do you listen to radio?"
May not be scientific but if done objectively with a reasonable statistical sample, could be all you need for your purposes.
Do you have local advertisers that have enjoyed success using your station? Get testimonial statements from them - video, audio, and in writing - and use them in your presentations.
Come up with ideas and good copy; talk about the advertiser's real objective. It isn't to buy the station with the highest ratings. It's to sell the most widgets, or to become the brand that people think of first and feel the best about when the need for their product or service arises. Then put your energy into creating a message that moves your listeners -- whoever they are, as many as there are -- to act. Because when you get down to it, a few dozen people who actually enter the store and buy from your client may be all it takes to satisfy him.
You need to find clients who don't care about ratings -- and there are plenty of them out there. Ignore the agencies, and go direct. My guess is that if you don't have local data, you can find something national that tells you who is listing to your format. Find businesses who want to talk to those kind of people.
What can you show them if you don't have ratings? Two things:
1. A great idea, developed after you've done a thorough needs analysis call with your prospect.
2. Success stories from others who have advertised on your station already. If you have a smartphone, you're a videographer -- go see a happy client and record them talking about how well your station works. You can't show that video to the client's competitors, but you can show it to everyone else you meet with.
Visit your local franchise. Find out who the regional manager of your location is. Discuss your station with them. Put together a killer presentation that will impress the agency or regional advertiser. It has taken us 18 months but we finally got our first regional buys. Persistence is the key. I have attached the media kit we send to prospective clients.
