You’re ready to open the doors for your grand opening celebration. Your employees are hired and trained, products are ready to go, and the “Opening Soon” sign is in the front window.
You’re excited beyond belief to launch your lifelong dream of being a small business owner. However, despite all you’ve prepared, you still feel like something is missing — you’re unsure how to advertise your business locally.
Allow us to assist. We’ve compiled a list of seven local advertising tactics to get the word out about your business.
Beyond Radio Commercials: Ways to Promote Your Grand Opening or Other Events
Whether you’re having a grand opening, special sale, or seasonal event at your business, your local radio station can help in these ways:
1. Organic Social Media
Creating an organic social media presence is one of the best ways to break onto the scene or promote an upcoming event, as it allows you to engage directly with the community on a platform they're already using. Businesses can generate buzz, attract followers, and encourage word-of-mouth promotion by consistently sharing updates, behind-the-scenes content, and event details.
For example, a newly opened restaurant can leverage platforms like Instagram and Facebook to showcase mouthwatering food photos, interact with customers through comments and messages, and even offer exclusive discounts to attendees.
2. Paid social media
Paid advertising offers an additional boost to promoting grand openings and events by reaching a wider audience and increasing visibility. Through targeted social media ads, businesses can precisely define their audience based on location, demographics, and interests, ensuring their message reaches the right people.
For instance, a local boutique planning a special sale event can run Facebook ads targeting fashion enthusiasts within a 10-mile radius of their store, enticing them with a limited-time discount code and encouraging them to visit the store during the event.
3. Display Advertising on Radio Station Websites
Radio stations drive listeners to their websites every day. Promoting your event message on-air and online offers a double dose of exposure. Most of our radio stations provide banner advertising on their websites, which is a great way to re-enforce your on-air event messages with coinciding online banners.
Imagine ads on the radio teasing your event, and then listeners go to that station’s website and see banners for the same event. Then, on the day of your live broadcast, the call-to-action on your website banners change to say, “Stop Out Today for Our Grand Opening Event!”
Ways to Promote Your Products
Here’s how radio can help get your products or services into the hands of consumers:
4. On-Air Contesting
Whether you have a physical product or a service like massages or tanning, the best way to get folks interested is to offer firsthand experience.
One way to do this is with on-air giveaways or prizes. People love free stuff, and people love listening to the radio. That’s why you’ll constantly hear radio stations giving away free stuff. Giveaways are a win/win for all parties involved — the radio station, the listener, and most importantly, your business.
5. Booths at Local Events
Our radio stations host events all year long. We have events from the Craft Beer Tour, the First Steps Baby Expo, and the Wine Knot to fit any business. It’s easy to purchase a booth at these events and provide opportunities to network, sample your wares, and get connected.
In most cases, we’ll handle the on-air promotion of the event to get people there. All you have to do is invest in a booth and show up. Start handing out your goods, and you’ll quickly have hundreds (if not thousands) of potential customers trying your products or services firsthand.
Ways to Spread brand awareness and Recognition
Sometimes, you need a little creativity when marketing your business. Here are some non-traditional radio tactics to consider:
6. Contest Sponsorships
Sponsoring an on-air contest or program is a great way to get your name out there. Not only will your business name be broadcasted outside of the commercial breaks, but the station’s on-air talent will also say your name as they talk about the contest or during the program. We have several examples from our radio stations.
Every year, KCLD does the “Party Plane to Paradise,” where they take listeners on vacation to Cancun, Mexico. Guess what? We partnered with local businesses to make that trip happen. Those businesses get mentioned whenever the on-air talent opens the mic about it on-air, or the station runs a promo to discuss the contest.
7. Event Sponsorships
Want to be involved with a local event on a larger scale than just setting up a booth? Ask about sponsorship opportunities. Many events will have a “title sponsor.” St. Cloud Cider Fest, for example, has been presented by Smith & Forge Hard Cider. Depending on the event size, your business can also sponsor various event activities, like a dunk tank, live music, and more.
More than Just Radio Ads
As you can see, radio offers so much more than 30 and 60-second ads during commercial breaks. Radio stations can provide your business with a complete marketing package to suit your needs and budget.
Whether you’ve got a grand opening, a product to sample, or want to get your name out there in more creative ways, radio can help. Our reps have experience being creative by customizing our services to make the best fit for their clients. Have an idea you’d like to try? We’d love to hear it!
