As radio stations mature their digital advertising sales, they need a third-party digital partner to keep revenue growing. The Borrell-RAB digital benchmarking report for radio concluded that digital revenue is now 21% for radio. You need more than technology to go beyond this and capture part of the $2.1 billion projected for 2024.

So, how do you choose the right partner? You should consider several criteria, including available tactics, ease of use, integrations, ad ops and more. Here are the key questions to ask.

What Digital Tactics Are Available?

To grow digital revenue, you have to offer tactics advertisers want that scale the entire sales funnel. It’s not just the tactics; it’s also the targeting capabilities, quality of the inventory where ads will run, optimization features and more.

A complete portfolio of options is necessary to capture a greater share of a customer’s digital budget. The RAB-Borrell report noted that the top tactics were: 

  • Email marketing
  • SEM (search engine marketing)
  • Social media ads
  • Streaming audio
  • OTT/CTV
  • Display ads
  • Mobile in-app ads

Local advertisers also revealed what they’d increase spending on in 2024: social media, SEM and display. 

So, these ad types are crucial to meet advertiser needs. If you can sell all these with a single third-party digital partner, you’ll gain efficiency and consistency.

How Does Ad Ops Work?

Ad ops (advertising operations) describes how you execute digital ad orders after sales. It applies to all tactics — display, geofencing, social media, OTT/CTV, SEM and video.

It involves systems and processes to support ad management and delivery. It starts with proposals through ad setup. Then, there’s execution and trafficking, followed by optimization, reporting and billing.

You want to know how it all comes together with your third-party digital partner. How do they help? Do they execute and traffic for you? Is there a lot of work required by sellers? Can they support you with creative and advice on targeting best practices? These are all critical follow-up questions.

You can learn more about ad ops by downloading our e-book, You’re Selling Digital Advertising — Now What?

What’s the Quality of the Inventory?

Another follow-up question related to tactics is about the quality of inventory, which includes websites where display ads run and if the content is premium for OTT/CTV ad buys. These things matter because low-quality sites and content can sink performance.

What Integration Options Are Available for Third-Party Digital?

Many third-party digital solutions have integration capabilities. However, they don’t typically align with radio needs. That’s because those platforms weren’t built for you. 

Ideally, you want to be able to integrate traffic with third-party digital. When this is possible, you can create digital and linear proposals, orders, reporting and billing. It’s a consolidated platform that makes the process of selling much easier.

What’s the Technology Learning Curve?

Many third-party digital platforms are overly complex and intimidating. It could take months for someone to feel comfortable using it, and your sellers don’t have time for that. For your team to adopt the technology and faithfully use it, it must be easy and intuitive. 

You can get a glimpse of this in demos. Request information on training and onboarding workflows to understand the time investment in learning the system.

What Else Do They Offer?

The software is only the foundation of what to seek out in a third-party digital partner. It needs a support system that helps with digital advertising upskilling. A true partner invests in your success with ongoing and on-demand training in selling digital. Providing access to resources like sales enablement content and white-labeled materials also helps. 

Strategic digital advisors are another priority. Sellers can tap these experts to assist with strategies on what to recommend in proposals based on goals, advanced targeting and more. 

Select a Third-Party Digital Partner That Knows Radio

One of the most important gauges for finding the right company is if they know radio. It’s a unique digital selling environment. It’s one that emphasizes radio + digital and focuses mainly on local companies. These are big differences compared to an agency, TV station or other media outlet. 

You’ll find the best success with a partner with the same advertising sales perspective. For more insights on generating more digital ad sales, read our guide, 5 Easy Ways to Grow Digital Advertising in 2024.

5 Easy Ways to Grow Digital