Watch Crowd React Media’s Katie Miller walk through the guide above. 

In today’s competitive media landscape, radio is often seen as a powerful tool for building awareness. However, it’s so much more than that. Radio can play a critical role at every stage of the marketing funnel, helping advertisers reach their goals whether they’re building brand awareness, driving conversions, or fostering customer loyalty.

This guide is designed to help radio sales teams understand how to position radio as a versatile solution for clients, no matter where they are in the funnel. With the right strategies and insights, you can demonstrate the full range of what radio can achieve.

Top of the Funnel (TOFU): Awareness

At the top of the funnel, the goal is to introduce brands to a wide audience and build recognition. Radio excels here thanks to its unparalleled reach and emotional impact.

How Radio Fits:

• Mass Reach: According to our State of Media 2024 report, 80% of Americans listen to AM/FM Radio at least once per week, making it one of the most effective mediums for building awareness.
• Storytelling Power: Engaging audio spots capture attention and create memorable brand experiences.
• Frequency: Consistent exposure through repeated spots reinforces brand recall.

Example

A national clothing retailer runs a campaign featuring catchy jingles and lifestyle-focused messaging to introduce their new seasonal collection.

Sales Tip

Highlight radio’s ability to reach both broad and targeted demographics. Show how your station’s audience aligns with the advertiser’s ideal customer.

Middle of the Funnel (MOFU): Consideration

In the consideration stage, listeners are evaluating their options. Radio can nurture interest and keep brands top-of-mind.

How Radio Fits:

• Host Endorsements: DJs and hosts build trust with their audiences, making their recommendations highly credible.
• Educational Spots: Informative ads can highlight product features or address common customer pain points.
• Promotional CTAs: Ads encouraging listeners to visit a website or attend an event create engagement opportunities.

Example

A local auto dealership partners with a morning show host to talk about the benefits of leasing vs. buying, driving traffic to their website for more information.

Sales Tip

Emphasize the value of host-read endorsements and explain how educational messaging builds trust. Provide examples of past campaigns where radio influenced purchasing decisions.

Bottom of the Funnel (BOFU): Conversion

At the bottom of the funnel, it’s all about driving action. Radio’s immediacy and local focus make it a powerful tool for turning listeners into customers.

How Radio Fits:

• Promo Codes: Unique codes allow advertisers to track conversions directly from radio campaigns.
• Time-Sensitive Offers: Ads emphasizing limited-time deals create urgency and encourage immediate action.
• Localized Messaging: Tailored spots speak directly to local communities, driving foot traffic to nearby businesses.

Example

A restaurant runs lunchtime ads with a special discount code for radio listeners, leading to a measurable spike in lunchtime sales.

Sales Tip

Show clients how radio can deliver measurable ROI with promo codes and geotargeted campaigns. Share success stories from other advertisers.

Post-Purchase: Loyalty and Advocacy

Even after a purchase, radio can play a key role in keeping customers engaged and turning them into loyal advocates.

How Radio Fits:

• Customer Spotlights: Featuring listener testimonials or stories builds community and loyalty.
• Brand-Driven Content: Sponsored segments or contests keep the brand top-of-mind.
• Event Partnerships: Collaborating on live events or charity drives connects brands with local audiences.

Example

A fitness brand sponsors a weekly segment where listeners share their health journeys, reinforcing loyalty and positive associations.

Sales Tip

Position radio as a way to deepen customer relationships. Highlight your station’s ability to foster community connections.

Conclusion: Radio’s Full-Funnel Advantage

Radio is much more than an awareness tool. It’s a dynamic medium that can influence every stage of the customer journey. By showcasing radio’s versatility, you can position your station as an indispensable partner for advertisers looking to achieve their goals.

Remember, whether your client is looking to build awareness, nurture consideration, drive conversions, or foster loyalty, radio has the tools and strategies to deliver results. Equip your sales team with this knowledge, and you’ll unlock new opportunities to drive revenue and grow your advertiser base.

Want to share The Simple Guide to Radio’s Role in Full-Funnel Marketing with colleagues? Download the PDF-version here.

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Over my journey in the media business, I have found that true achievers are always learning and looking to the future. Yes, we can learn from looking back. However, we tend to do too much of that and not plan for what lies ahead.

I remember back in 1996 I was a Program Director for a sports radio station in Salt Lake City while also hosting an afternoon sports show with former NBA Coach Tom Nissalke. In addition to hosting the show I was responsible for running the control studio board. That was the last time we used tape cartridges for commercials and production elements. Technology was changing.  One of the interesting memories from that year, was one day we were all asked to gather in a meeting room. At that session, we were introduced to this new concept called e-mail. We were each given Hotmail Accounts.  My how things have changed since then.

2025 is quite different from 1996.  2030 will be different from 2025, which may seem hard to imagine. This all begs the question…. Are you ready for 2030? Seems like a long time away, but the reality is that it is right around the corner.

One of the most important lessons for me was during my time with ABC/ESPN in Dallas from 2001 to 2006.  This is where the value of long-term planning became particularly important to me.  All departments participated in the annual 5-year planning process.  The immediate focus was on the year ahead; however, we were required to look beyond and to anticipate expenses as well as strategies.

Fast forward to 2025, and the pace of change has accelerated dramatically. The reality is that things are NOT going to slow down anytime soon. The legacy media which includes newspapers, television, and my world of radio, must find ways to adapt to the new landscape.

With change there are opportunities….in radio (audio) there is the one constant….” It is all about the content!”  The consumer has more power than ever.  They are demanding in what they want to watch or listen to. Understanding your audience and what they want has never been more important as they have many sources to get what they want.  Just as critical is understanding how the listener consumes your content.  This includes the various platforms that are available as well as the way the programming is presented

Some of the key challenges/opportunities in front of us today include the following:

• Too many content providers are living in the past. “This is how we have always done things.”
• The rapid decline in attention spans. Nielsen recently changed the criteria for quarter-hour credit. It used to require a panelist to listen for 5 minutes inside a 15-minute quarter-hour. That has now moved to 3:00 as research shows 45% of those surveyed listen for less than 5 minutes.
• Streaming is only going to grow in importance to the consumer. They want their content when they want it and where they want it.
• With streaming comes more competition. Any organization or person can start their own production and generate an audience.
• Social media plays an outsized role in developing loyalty among audiences.
• Personalities that stand out will continue to drive audience engagement

With all this to consider, how can you think about even looking ahead 5 years? The smart leaders know that part of this is about anticipating how things will evolve. Look at the issues TV and Radio are facing.  The amount of cord cutting with cable continues to increase on a yearly basis.  The number of platforms where you can hear audio content is developing by the day. The average screen time for an iPhone owner is over 3 hours per day.

Makes sense more than ever to have regular conversations looking ahead. If we stay in the present, we are going to get passed by someone else that has a true vision for where things are going. Take time, when possible, to talk to your customers (content consumers and advertisers) about what they want and how they decide what to watch/listen. Schedule meetings at least twice per year to look to the future beyond the current 12 months.

The bottom line, change is constant. The status quo is no longer an option for sustained success, as those that are nimble, flexible, and adaptable will have the best chance to win in the long run.  Research whether done internally or externally should be a key component of long-term planning. Never assume things are going to stay the same in the future.

• Important to always be learning and looking to the future.

• Technology is changing all the time.

• Planning must be more than immediate – look ahead 5 years.

• 2030 will be much different than 2025.

• With change there are opportunities.

• Decline in attention spans is an important consideration.

• Streaming is only going to grow.

• Content saturation is real.

• Change will be constant.

The post Do you have a plan? appeared first on Crowd React Media.

Here are our predictions:

• Traditional Radio persists in the digital age
  • Our whitepapers serve to demonstrate the remarkable resilience of traditional radio in the age of streaming and social media. The localism and community inherent to radio, particularly with sports talk and Hispanic radio, give it a foothold in a turbulent period of legacy media upheaval.  Radio broadcasters are also not tech-shy.  Digital streams of local stations are musts for any broadcaster hoping to survive in this environment.  And the good news is, people are listening.  More than half the country regularly listens to traditional radio.  The trajectory of cable and radio in the streaming era couldn’t be starker.  An artist having a song in regular rotation on radio stations lends credibility to that artist in a way that streaming does not.  Among the first stops for any reputable publicity team are the station heads for new music formats.  Radio airplay simply confers credibility and will continue to do so.
• Cable is just streaming now
  • Cable will rise again, albeit in the form of streaming. Cable companies are in for a rough 2025 with continued cord-cutting into the latter half of the 2020s.  However, streaming will increasingly resemble broadcast cable, especially with regards to cost.  Investors will be pushing hard to recoup their initial investment into streaming, resulting in price-hikes, increased ad-visibility, tiered ad plans, and expensive pay-per view special event offerings.  The increasingly byzantine package-deals within pre-existing subscriptions to streaming platforms will have many customers feeling they traded out their cable boxes for a near-identical experience with streaming boxes and smartTVs.

• Podcasts are primarily a video-based medium, an on-demand version of Daytime TV
  • Whether it’s Joe Rogan, Call her Daddy, New Heights, or virtually any True Crime series, what you’re basically consuming is a newfangled version of The Ellen Show, The View, or Nancy Grace. There will be an audio component to podcasts, but that is for the audio ‘purists’. Parasocial relationships are the norm nowadays, and podcasts, especially video podcasts, offer a level of intimacy with the consumer that surpasses the limitations of broadcast daytime television.  Podcasts were originally thought principally to be a threat of talk radio.  Today and in the future, podcasts are a threat to roundtable television programs.
• Music streaming platforms will stagnate
  • When everyone and their mom has a Spotify or Apple Music account, what is the growth strategy for music streaming platforms? How do you make more money on a product as ubiquitous as music streaming?  Wall Street requires constant innovation and profit growth, and year-on-year stagnation of profits will not fly.  Expect a mild consumer backlash to music streaming and some worrying reports on flagging user growth for these platforms.
• Wherever Sports goes, the entire media industry will follow
  • The carrier disputes between Disney/ESPN and Charter Communications and Dish TV, essentially hastened cord-cutting. Being able to watch SEC football games outstripped any loyalty to cable carriers.  They switched to streaming alternatives like YouTubeTV…and stayed there.  Millions made the switch and fundamentally altered the trajectory of the broadcast industry.
  • Pat McAfee, a viral YouTube personality, effectively disrupted the nature of daytime sports programming, with his bespoke fusion of bonhomie, betting tips, irreverent banter, insider takes, and sophomoric charm. He is an influencer that cracked the mainstream and changed expectations for what sports programming looks and sounds like (YouTube, basically).
  • NIL’s implications will be more keenly felt in 2025, with College football stars climbing out of their Lamborghinis in Armani suits and Gucci shades with paparazzi in their face at the stadium on game day. The production, presentation, and audience reach will gradually resemble that of the professional leagues.
• Artificial Intelligence
  • Expect one thing about AI to really heat up in 2025: More think-pieces on AI.

We at Crowd React Media would like to thank all who downloaded our whitepaper reports and regularly read our weekly roundup.  We hope to hear from you in 2025!

Best,

Sean Bos

Co-founder at Crowd React Media

Vice President of Research at Harker Bos Group

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