Advertise Your Thrift Store on the Radio! 888-449-2526

New Thrift Store Draws Tons of Business with Radio!

Advertising your thrift store on the radio can be a powerful way to reach new customers and promote your unique and specialized products. Radio advertising can reach a huge audience and has been proven effective time after time in targeting people who are driving or commuting to and from work.

In 2023, Nielsen dropped the blockbuster news that AM/FM radio’s total audience overtook television for the first time in history. Days short of the first anniversary of that study, Nielsen now reveals that three percent advantage has soared as TV gets left behind.

Radio now boasts a 12% larger average audience than TV among 18-49-year-olds. This growth reflects radio’s expanding influence, reaching 40% more individuals in this age group than TV. Daily engagement with both TV and radio is nearly identical, averaging just over an hour, as shown by the Cumulus Media/Westwood One Audio Active Group blog.

AM/FM radio presents a more balanced demographic distribution, with 40% aged 18-49. Despite common misconceptions, AM/FM radio listening extends beyond typical “drive times,” with 59% occurring outside these periods. Midday hours attract the most listeners, debunking the myth that drive times dominate radio engagement. Weekend listening also proves more substantial than many advertisers assume, equaling the reach of morning and afternoon drives.

To make the most of radio advertising, it’s important to have a message that is engaging, informative, memorable, and makes an emotional connection. We can help you create a compelling radio ad! Keep in mind that radio ads are usually brief, so you must be concise and focused.

Here are some basic suggestions:

Start by identifying your “target audience.” You might be surprised but it isn’t only “poor” people who love thrift store shopping. Many people looking to pay for good clothing for less than top dollar go to thrift stores. Also, many unique items can be found in thrift stores that cannot be located elsewhere. So your target audience is wider than you many have thought! Now you can write your advertising message to feature some of the specialty items you have and a few one-of-a kind-items, too.

If you are well known, a 30-second spot can do the trick. a 30-second spot is about 70-75 words. But if you are new to the area, you should seriously consider doing 60-second spots. 60-second spots use twice as many words and you can pitch your business name, address, phone number and list of services within that time frame.

Will you use a voice-over to deliver your message? If you, the owner, have a great voice, you can voice your own ad. Otherwise, we recommend a professional voice over talent. We can help with our voice over talent team. Think about what will be most effective in capturing the attention of your target audience and getting them interested in your services. Need help script writing? We can help with that, too! 888-449-2526.

Our media planners can help you to maximize the impact of your radio ad by educating you regarding the best times of the day when your target audience is likely to be listening. You may want to air your ad during the morning or afternoon drive time for those commuting to and from work. Airing your ad during midday or early evening hours can also be a good choice for people on their lunch breaks or at home.

It will help you to know the effectiveness of your ad or ads by tracking the results of your radio advertising campaign. Use tracking codes to record the response rate and adjust your advertising strategy appropriately.

Radio ad campaigns may include a few different ads to provide more information and/or for variety for your listeners. Repetition is important to make your name and location memorable.

We can always help you get the specific radio advertising rates for the station(s) in your area, as well as nationally. Also, depending on your ad campaign, you can save money by asking about remnant rates.

With careful planning and execution, advertising your thrift store on the radio can be a powerful tool for reaching new customers and growing your business. We’re here to help you step by step, with media planning, script writing, voice over talent and ad production. Call us at 888-449-2526.