Before joining the great team of passionate pros here at The Radio Agency, I most recently worked in local radio sales. It was a very forward-looking organization with a formidable roster of stations. In fact, I maintain they were the top radio brands in their market. A very good job had been done over the years of crafting the stations’ formats to fit the socio-cultural tastes of the listeners. They also commanded and collected the highest rates in the market as well.

How did they do it? I think what they worked so diligently on was also what hundreds and hundreds of other local radio stations across the country have done and continue to do.

Local radio lives and breathes daily within the market that it serves.

Around the clock, there is a constant hum of activity between programming, sales and production that keep the station alive and cements its relationship with listeners. Sure, it is a business. No pretense about that. The stations exist to make money and fight dearly for as much of it as they can earn.

So let’s now turn the focus to you, the advertiser. You have a product or service that needs to be introduced to a market or maybe perform stronger than it has been in certain markets. You want – and most certainly need – maximum ROI. You expect the opportunity to really make your mark in these markets.

Dollar for dollar, there is no better medium to deliver back results than local radio. For it to thrive and not just survive, local radio needs to create that very strong bond with its listeners. You as an advertiser have the opportunity to become a part of that bond through your partnership with the right mix of stations. You have to pay for it, that’s for sure. But it is an investment that when given the time and the right messaging and execution, will deliver very positive results.

Just imagine becoming as important to local listeners as the radio station where those listeners heard your ad. Many, many great stations have already done the work to become name brands within their markets. The Radio Agency can help you partner with those stations to take full advantage of their brand equity to build your own brand equity in any and every market you desire.

Joe Palumbo is an Account Executive at The Radio Agency. Please follow The Radio Agency’s Blog“Sounding Board” by subscribing to the email or RSS links above.Visit our website TheRadioAgency.com