Strategic marketing firm DMR Interactive has released a comprehensive analysis of the digital campaigns executed on behalf of its clients during the past five years. Results of the study were shared Friday at the RAIN Summit as part of The Conclave Learning Conference.

"Digital advertising is very effective and a great way for stations to engage their listeners. However, it is not a single solution. Like other marketing channels, we find it to be most effective when incorporated with other elements of a strategic marketing campaign," said Ed Schindler, study author and Digital Marketing and Project Manager at DMR Interactive.

DMR's research found that digital advertising provides a unique way to connect with the listeners who matter most. Across markets and formats, 80 percent of the respondents to digital ads are heavy radio users, listening at least one hour a day.

Especially of note for radio is that a well branded, major market CHR station prominently featured its station logo in digital ads. However when the performance was not generating the necessary activity, the creative was updated to feature images of listeners and core artists and the response increased over 250 percent.

Another element of the study is that keyword search ads have a stronger response rate than display ads. In general, search results generate 5 to 10x the response. One cautionary point about keywords, while examining search ads that featured the station slogan or names of secondary on-air talent in campaigns across top ten markets, these station centric ads generated zero clicks. 

The most effective marketing campaigns not only incorporate multiple touch points, but also multiple ad networks. Google, Facebook and Bing all have unique strengths and weaknesses. When used strategically and in combination, they deliver a strong ROI.  

Andrew Curran, COO of radio at DMR Interactive says, "You can’t just set up a digital campaign and let it run. You need to constantly be managing and adjusting your efforts. The fact that we integrate digital marketing into a larger listener engagement strategy and are constantly monitoring and adjusting to optimize performance, helps drive such strong results for stations."