Converting Obstacles to Opportunities: “We are too limited in what we can say…”
As a public radio station, our mission is to educate and inform the public. We see our concise and direct sponsorship messages as an expression of this mission.
But sometimes those guidelines can feel restrictive: no calls to action, no qualitative comparisons, no subjective language – it can really seem like a lot of NO.
Full list of copy requirements
We’ll let you in on a secret – when it comes to sponsorship, less is more.
Our listeners respect the clear subtlety with which our sponsors present themselves– you can get your message across without the promotional language and repletion you hear on commercial stations. We call this value “The Halo Effect”.
The Halo Effect is is defined as “the positive sentiment that listeners have towards companies that support the community service of NPR and public radio stations”. This powerful benefit provides clear benefits to our sponsors including perceptions of increased quality, credibility and communication connection. To maintain the Halo Effect, we uphold a set of best practices that enhance consideration of public radio, many of which we previously mentioned.
On Michigan Radio, sponsorship messages stand out. Corporate sponsors support a public service and our success isn’t rooted in revenue. Our listeners see the value in that.
Industry Spotlight: Elective Healthcare
According to the National Institute of Health, middle aged women are the most likely to take advantage of alternative and complementary medicine.
Because 45% of our listener base is made up of women with a median age of 49, your message will directly reach your target audience.
Also, with our audience being 156% more likely than the average American to have an individual income of over $100,000 and 199% more likely to have earned a Master’s Degree, you will also reach an educated, affluent community to promote your business!
Contact us to find out more about how a Michigan Radio Corporate Sponsorship can help you grow your health services business!
Branding with Michigan Radio: What IS Branding?
You’ve heard about branding and how important it is for the success of your business. You have put time and energy toward making your logo recognizable and becoming a ‘household name’ in your industry. You’ve had meetings, both internal and external, about the best way to differentiate your business from the steady stream of competitors out there.
Are you still feeling like you don’t really have your arms around this “whole branding thing”? Great news! Michigan Radio can help with that!
Most people think “name brands” when they think of branding: “Kleenex”, “Coca Cola”, “Microsoft”, “Ford”.
They are right. Kind of.
So what is branding, precisely? Isn’t it the same thing as marketing?
Branding is strategically building your name, planning to make yourself recognizable and managing what your customer base thinks of when they see your logo or hear your business name.
Marketing is carrying out your branding plan: creating your logo, placing your ads, writing your copy. Marketing is the tactical part of your branding plan.
Now that you know what branding is, learn more about managing what your customer base thinks of when they think of in the next post of the series.
See all the posts in the ‘Branding with Michigan Radio’ category here or go to the next post here.
Converting Obstacles to Opportunities: “Michigan Radio listeners aren’t really the people we want to reach…”
As a marketer, your primary goal is to reach your target audience.
Are you a Michigan Radio listener? If you aren’t, you may not have an idea of who our audience is.
The Michigan Radio audience covers the entire political spectrum:
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23% of listeners identify as conservative
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19% of listeners identify as liberal
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21% of listeners sit in the middle of the road politically
The Michigan Radio audience spans a great spectrum of ages:
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53% are 25 – 54
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46% are 18 – 49
Michigan Radio listeners have a wide range of interests:
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74% have attended a movie in the last 6 months and 35% prefer action movies
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58% participate in some kind of regular exercise and are twice as likely to try kayaking, sailing, and downhill skiing
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41% more likely than the average U.S population to have gone camping the past year
Michigan Radio listeners are engaged:
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68% vote regularly
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25% have fundraised
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93% particiated in public activities
Michigan Radio listeners ARE the audience you’re trying to reach! Contact us for more details!
Mixing It Up with our West Michigan Sponsors
We had an amazing time with some of our dedicated sponsors from West Michigan on Thursday, October 30th, 2014 at the Grand Rapids Downtown Market.
It was a great opportunity for them to meet our General Manager and Director of Operations, Stephen Schram and our Program Director, Tamar Charney, as well as some of our reporters and producers.
We had great conversations about the amazing work our sponsors are doing in West Michigan and the new initiatives we’re implementing at Michigan Radio.
Our sponsors listened to a presentation about Michigan Radio and our upcoming initiatives.
If you’re interested in becoming a corporate sponsor, sign up for our e-newsletter or contact us!
Industry Spotlight: Natural & Organic
Michigan Radio’s audience is intelligent, affluent and engaged…and they are interested in what you have to offer!
By putting your message directly in front of your target audience, you will be able to showcase your product and build brand awareness with a broader scope of consumers.
Contact us to find out more about how a Michigan Radio Corporate Sponsorship can help you grow your natural or organic business!
Industry Spotlight: Coffee Roasters
Michigan Radio’s audience is intelligent, affluent and engaged…and they are interested in what you have to offer!
By putting your message directly in front of your target audience, you will be able to showcase your product and build brand awareness with a broader scope of consumers.
