Interactive Marketing

The success of an advertising media depends on its reach among the audience. Whether it is the print media, electronic media or published media; their unparalleled demand among various sponsors and advertisers is due to the immense coverage they have among the mass. While newspapers, magazines and billboards continue to be an advertiser's favorite; the streaming media is by far considered the most effective advertising format.

Commercials on television and radio are the most popular forms of streaming media advertising; however the increased usage of the World Wide Web has made Internet talk radio advertising a great option. The Internet talk radio is a format that host shows on topical issues. These shows discuss a wide range of topics like business, finance, health, sports, education or anything else under the sky. Conversations related to specific topics are broadcasted over the media. A talk radio station encourages a high degree of audience interaction in the form of their queries and suggestions. The advertisements are generally streamed during the short breaks in between the segments of a talk show.

From the advertising perspective, an Internet based talk radio is a much better option than television or a non-internet based talk radio. Unlike a TV or a radio, most users listening to an Internet talk radio prefer to have their headphones on and are less likely to get distracted by external sounds or movements. Thus the clarity of the information communicated is much better in case of an Internet talk radio. Furthermore, it enables the users to work and listen simultaneously. A person, irrespective of where he she is, can interact on the Internet talk radio by just booting on the laptop - connecting to the Internet and logging into the radio station with their headphones on. While participating in the online talk show, the audience can easily gain access to the website of the product under discussion. They can even search the web for more details. Conversely a non-internet based TV or a radio does not offer similar accessibility. Thus the advertisers get a far better exposure of their products services through an Internet talk radio. Apart from that, low infrastructure and operational costs makes web based talk radio a lot more cost effective alternative than a non-internet based broadcasting media.

In the past two years a lot of good Internet talk radio stations have come up. They distribute advertisements live and on-demand. Advertisers are offered specific slots and the rates are charged according the number of impressions delivered. Apart from the audio coverage of the advertisements, banners and buttons are also used to increase the exposure of the advertiser's products services. To reach out to the target audience, advertising campaigns can also be geo-targeted to suit the preferences of different genres.