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Radio may be old, but it's certainly not feeble.

According to the Radio Advertising Bureau, the average American listens to radio more than 19 hours a week. So why don't more direct response advertisers use this medium? After all, many direc

According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product

t marketers find that their radio response converts up to 25-50% better than their television response.

Although radio has some limitations, it has terrific potential for many types of offers. If you want to make the most of your direct resp

; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.

Examples of combination products may in

nse radio advertising, consider the following strategies for success:

Lead generation offers are best for response

It's challenging to get people to order and pay for a product or service right after they hear a ra

lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.

io ad, unless you offer them something for free or at no risk in the commercial. Structure your radio offer so that listeners call for a free information kit, free trial offer, free appointment, free sample, etc. Your product mu

here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe

t have a reasonable advertising margin built in for a two-step conversion process. If a two-step is uneconomical and you need to close the sale in the initial call, you will still need a free trial offer or a no-risk offer. Get the conversion

d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.

Combination pro

you need by making sure you use an inbound telemarketing provider that knows how to sell, upsell and close the sale!

Think twice about visually dependent products

The "one-step close" selling model will not work on

ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc

radio if a visual orientation or demonstration is critical to your success. The only exception might be if you already have significant brand awareness from TV, print or online advertising. If you have a visually-oriented product, you'll have

easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi

a better chance of converting inquiries into customers if you structure your radio offer around a free video, brochure, website demo or other visual support.

Make the most of listeners' relationships with their stations
nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically
ng>

Radio is a personal, one-on-one medium. Everyone has one or more favorite radio stations that they listen to each week. Take advantage of those qualities to sell your product or service and you'll see better results. Consider making a "s
and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ
ecial offer for WXYZ listeners." Ask the radio stations to read your ad live or record it using their own personalities. This technique provides endorsement value that you can't get from a pre-produced spot. Plus, your ad will sound more like
ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi
the individual radio station that's airing it. It's amazing how different the same copy can sound on a news station compared to a country station.

That being said, there are many "produced" approaches that work well too. Testimonials can be
ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.

Following aspects would a
extremely effective. Or if you have a particular voice or celebrity associated with your brand, it may be best to stick with them, particularly if you can localize the copy. It's certainly worth testing different concepts to see which ones ge
dd to the challenges in developing combination products:

Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod
erate more calls.

Pick an enemy!

The "problem-solution" approach is a proven method of grabbing the attention of qualified prospects and presenting your product or service. To set up the problem, you need to single
cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin
out the most dramatic "enemy" and then tell how your product will overcome that enemy. Be emotional and benefit-oriented! Keep the copy focused and easy to understand. And repeat your best points. Listeners may not catch them the first time.
tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen
Be informative, not entertaining

Many general radio commercials are intended to be humorous. However, humor is a risky approach for direct response radio because it doesn't make the phone ring.

Creating a jingle ma
t?

As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel
seem like a good idea, but unless it's a key identifier to your brand, it usually takes away valuable time and attention from selling. Just present your strongest benefits in a compelling, straightforward way and you'll have the best chance
ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.

Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust
or success.

Keep in mind that radio is a "companion" medium, meaning that listeners are usually doing something else while they're listening. If you cram too much copy into your 60-second or 30-second spot, listeners will get lost. Keep your
y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products
copy focused, and written for speaking, not reading. Mention your phone number (or URL) and your brand at least three or more times. End the commercial by repeating your phone number and you'll increase your opportunity to generate response.
.

As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de
Radio can be a great addition to your multichannel plan when you have the right approach and expectations. For many direct response campaigns, radio won't represent more than about ten percent of your overall marketing budget. But its synergi
elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.

Companies that provide selfless information through particip
tic ability can double its value. Radio has the ability to lift the results of your other media sources, generate high quality responses and improve your bottom line-and with the right execution, make you a believer in its underutilized power

tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products

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Digg It - Adding Radio Advertising to Your Direct Marketing Mix

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