Google Audio Ads Look To Make Some Noise

Have you ever considered a radio campaign as a method to increase awareness of your organization’s online presence? Recently, Google announced that its Audio Ads are available through the AdWords account interface. Not only could this present a viable marketing opportunity to reach consumers both online and offline, but radio advertising can also be a cost effective way to generate a direct action response. Potentially, a radio campaign also offers a unique alternative to build brand awareness beyond just search engine marketing. Here are a few things merchants should know about Google’s Audio Ads:

• This is not Internet radio advertising — it’s regular AM and FM radio.
• A merchant can get started for as low as $500/week, plus cost of developing a radio ad (I would highly recommend allocating at least $1,000/week for at least four weeks in order to obtain meaningful results).
• If a company is shooting for a lower budget ($1,000 – $2,000 for the entire campaign) — figure out a target demographic, and think smaller, local markets.
• Radio ads (simple voiceovers) can be created through Google’s Ad Creation Marketplace, starting at $250.
• English or Spanish speakers can be targeted.
• Listeners can be targeted by location, gender, age and station format.
• Ads can be run during specific days and times of the week.
• There are two CPM (cost per thousand listeners) based bids pricing options: Reserve ad plays — reserve and purchase a preferred number of spots during specific times. Bidding for ad plays, which is a cheaper option, involves placing a bid on a target demographic.
• Impression estimate is available during campaign set up, which is calculated through [Arbitron data] (http://arbitron.com/home/content.stm). Additionally, a merchant only pays for target impressions — not gross impressions. Demographic information is based on Arbitron’s data as well.
• Free call tracking is available using custom 800 numbers, which redirects all phone calls to a local number.

More information on Google Audio Ads is available here