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For a local advertiser, every impression needs to work close to home.

A restaurant wants to reach people who can walk through the door. A retailer needs shoppers within reach of its stores. A local service business needs calls and leads from consumers it can actually serve.

That makes the central question simple: How can local audio advertising reach the right customers in the right place and at the right time?

Audio offers several ways to approach it.

What Are the Main Local Audio Advertising Targeting Options?

Four considerations can help marketers shape a local audio plan: location, station format, time of day and audience. They can work independently or together, depending on the campaign objective.

Target by location
For a business serving a particular community or market, geography is a natural starting point.

Local broadcast radio enables advertisers to concentrate campaigns in the markets where they do business. Measurement should follow that same local logic, and performance should be measured in the same geography where a campaign ran.

For businesses focused on bringing customers into physical locations, that geographic connection is especially important. Place visitation lift can connect advertising exposure with incremental retail foot traffic. 

Target by station format
Station selection adds another layer of relevance.

Listeners choose stations around music, conversation, personalities, interests and routines. That gives advertisers an opportunity to align their message with an environment that fits the people they want to reach.

There is a human dimension to that decision, too. 80% of listeners trust their favorite station's host to “speak for me and my community,” and 78% trust their favorite radio host’s product recommendations.

For a local advertiser, the surrounding voice and community can matter alongside audience delivery.

Target by time of day
Sometimes the most valuable moment is the one closest to action.

A restaurant may want to reach people as they decide what to eat. A retailer may want to connect with consumers while they are out shopping. A service business seeking calls may benefit from reaching potential customers when they can respond.

That opportunity is particularly clear for restaurants. 90% of consumers say they make dining decisions while driving at least some of the time, while 74% say hearing a fast-food ad while driving makes them more likely to consider that restaurant.

Understanding when customers are making decisions can help a local brand determine when its message has the greatest relevance.

Target by audience
Local advertisers can also begin with the customer rather than the station.

AudioGraph is ����������Ƶ’s ID-based solution for broadcast radio. It combines audience intelligence and predictive listening models to support audience-based planning. Advertisers define the audiences relevant to their goals, including custom ID-based segments that can incorporate first-party client data and identity-based audience intelligence. Predictive models then identify the stations and dayparts where those consumers are most likely to be listening. 

That brings another approach to broadcast planning. Instead of beginning only with the average listener of a station, marketers can start with the audience they want to reach and use that audience definition to inform station and daypart selection. 

Learn more: AudioGraph Is Bringing Broadcast Radio into the Modern Media Ecosystem.

Which Targeting Approach Fits Your Local Advertising Goal?

The business objective should lead the plan.

If you want more store visits: Consider geography alongside audience targeting, then reach those consumers at relevant moments. Place visitation lift can help connect exposure to incremental retail foot traffic. 

If you want more calls or leads: Focus on reaching relevant audiences when they have an opportunity to respond. Local audio measurement can evaluate outcomes including call lift, web lift and online leads or conversion lift. 

If you want greater local awareness: Reach and frequency become important considerations. iHeart's planning guidance recommends using radio for reach and frequency, while trusted hosts can help connect messages to communities and consumer passions.

The choices do not have to be mutually exclusive. AudioGraph, for example, can use an audience definition to help identify both the stations and dayparts most likely to reach those consumers.

What Does Audience-Based Radio Targeting Look Like in Practice?

A recent AudioGraph test provides a real-world example.

A major retailer wanted to reach homeowners. Using audience-based broadcast planning, the campaign delivered 27% greater precision in reaching its intended audience and 49% stronger store visitation outcomes than traditional demographic planning. 

Across a broader set of tests, AudioGraph's ID-based broadcast planning was 34% more precise at reaching target audiences than traditional approaches and delivered 75% stronger KPI outcomes. In first-party data matching scenarios, it reached 14% more known customers than traditional planning methods. 

For marketers, those results show why the targeting conversation is evolving. Broadcast radio can combine broad reach with increasingly audience-specific planning and measurement.

How Does Local Radio Advertising Differ From National Radio Advertising?

The difference starts with the scope of the objective.

Local businesses often need results tied to a particular market and tend to prioritize actions such as phone calls, website visits, leads and store traffic. National advertisers may evaluate broader outcomes including awareness, consideration, purchase intent, sales lift, incremental reach and return on ad spend. 

Both can use audio across the funnel. The targeting question simply changes with the business need.

A local retailer may need homeowners near stores. A restaurant may care about reaching people around a decision moment. A larger marketer may need a defined audience across multiple markets.

For a deeper look at how the measurement strategies differ, take a look at Local vs. National Audio Measurement: What Marketers Need to Know.

Why Does Human Connection Matter Alongside Targeting?

Better targeting helps determine who should hear a message. The experience surrounding that message also matters.

iHeart’s Guaranteed Human approach is built around real voices and relationships at scale. 80% of listeners consider iHeart hosts their friends, while 78% trust product recommendations from their favorite radio hosts.

That creates an important combination for advertisers. Data can help identify audiences and listening moments. Live, trusted voices provide the human connection that has always been central to radio.

For local businesses in particular, community matters. Audio can put a brand into the daily routines, conversations and moments already meaningful to the people it wants to serve.

FAQs

Can local businesses target specific audiences with radio advertising?
Yes. AudioGraph supports audience-based broadcast planning. It uses audience intelligence and predictive listening models to identify the stations and dayparts where defined audiences are most likely to be listening. 

Can a business use its own customer data for audio targeting?
AudioGraph custom ID-based audience segments can incorporate first-party client data alongside identity-based audience intelligence. 

What targeting option is best for driving local store visits?
There is no single option for every campaign. Geography, audience and timing can all be relevant when store traffic is the objective. Place visitation lift can then help measure incremental retail foot traffic associated with advertising exposure. 

How is AudioGraph different from traditional radio targeting?
Traditional radio planning often focuses on demographics and station composition. AudioGraph begins with the desired audience and uses identity-based intelligence and predictive listening models to identify where those consumers are listening. 

Can local audio advertising be measured?
Yes. ����������Ƶ offers measurement approaches for local business outcomes including web lift, call lift, place visitation lift and online leads/conversion lift.

Reach the Right People in the Moments That Matter

Local advertising works harder when the audience, place, moment and business goal line up.

Audio gives marketers several ways to create that relevance, from market and station selection to dayparts and audience-based planning. With AudioGraph, advertisers can add greater audience precision while keeping the scale, trusted voices and human connection that make broadcast radio part of people’s daily lives. 

Ready to reach local customers through precise targeting and Guaranteed Human connection? Connect with the ����������Ƶ team today.