Which Local Digital Tactics Will Radio Ad Buyers Spend More on in 2025?

Which Local Digital Tactics Will Radio Buyers Invest More in this Year?

The leading data point from this question is that 58% of radio buyers said they will increase spending on something. The digital tactics with the highest percentages were:

• Social media
• SEM (search engine marketing)
• Banner ads
• CTV/OTT
• Streaming audio

Local businesses that don’t buy from radio were much less likely to boost spending, at only 39%. Both groups are your targets, but it’s refreshing to know radio buyers are increasing ad dollars.

It’s also interesting that radio buyers are twice as likely to increase budgets for social media and banner ads. They are five times more likely to do so for CTV/OTT.

Strategies for Winning New Spending on Local Digital Tactics

This data story points to many opportunities. Critical to this is strategically selling multi-tactic digital campaigns. Don’t think about promoting these in a silo. Instead, reframe to see how many ad types can deliver the best performance.

You should keep radio as a core component of any media plan, amplifying it with the right digital campaigns. Here are some strategies for taking action on this information.

Increased Social Spending Needs Intention

With so many social media platforms, where local advertisers want to or should spend is up for discussion. It depends on their audience, industry and current social presence.

Ask questions about how active they are on sites and whom they want to reach (e.g., demographics, interests, etc.). With this information, you can make recommendations for Meta vs. Snapchat vs. LinkedIn, for example.

Local businesses also need to know that social media campaigns don’t work like programmatic ones. The model focuses on campaign objectives rather than impressions, so success has a lot to do with optimizing for the goal and targeting appropriately. Social media campaigns by themselves could create some clicks and engagement, but they work better as part of a multi-tactic plan.

Paid Search Works When Executed Well

SEM is a complicated digital tactic. It requires deep knowledge to ensure the campaign has the right keywords, copy that converts, and a relevant landing page. If all those things aren’t working in harmony, SEM can quickly become an expensive experiment.

Local companies depend on paid search to drive people to their virtual and physical locations. If a customer wants to increase spending, that’s great, but they need to be able to describe why. Do they have new products, audiences, locations, services or specials? Or do they need to raise bids to compete?

Investing in well-designed SEM campaigns can be lucrative. The problems come with execution and optimization. Many businesses just set it and forget it, which causes a lot of ad waste. As their resource, you can ensure conversion-based optimization, so all that new spending delivers results.

12-Month Banner Ad Buys Provide Always-On Advertising

Display ads are a staple of digital campaigns. With advanced targeting, it’s easy to build the right audience for your customers. A new angle on selling them is to discuss an annual buy. Here’s why:

• You can flight out the exact budget for each month.
• Creative scheduling means you can switch out creative as needed while the campaign is running.
• Adding new creative is also an option.

If they agree to a longer ad buy, you may also be able to give them a discount. Monthly reports showing which creative performed the best allow you to optimize going forward. Restaurants, retail and field service companies are prime targets for this approach.

Local CTV/OTT Keeps Growing, Claiming Dollars from Broadcast

The ability to provide local CTV/OTT advertising is paramount to meeting customer needs. What you’ll need to do is explain how it works programmatically. They aren’t buying ad spots by programming like legacy TV. Instead, the same targeting for banner ads applies.

For any of your customers still purchasing broadcast spots, introducing how CTV/OTT is different matters. Plus, unlike traditional TV, it’s measurable. Your advertisers can reach their desired audience on TV screens. When advertising is more relevant, people respond and want to know more.

Streaming Audio Places Ads in Ears

Audio advertising has a much different effect on the brain than visuals. It’s often easier to recall, and when our brains hear words, we often create images that go along with them, making them more memorable.

Streaming audio has many of the same benefits as radio but with the ability to target. Combining radio and streaming audio into a campaign gives your advertisers a great advantage. Radio gives businesses the greatest reach, while streaming audio targets specific audience types. It’s a win-win for you and your customers.