Tax Prep Service Sees Positive Returns With Radio

Inside Radio reports that top tax prep services racked up more than 88,000 radio spots in the last week of March, with names like Jackson Hewitt and TurboTax landing in the top 20 radio advertisers by spot count. Tax prep services invest in radio because they are confident it works for them. They take advantage of radio's strengths - mass reach, diverse formats, local influence, and unique creative executions to resonate with tax payers and increase engagement. One success story from last tax season highlights how radio maximized returns for a brand by leaning into creative.

RADIO DRIVES ONLINE ENGAGEMENT WITH IMPACTFUL CREATIVE EXECUTIONS

A national Tax Prep Service turned to radio to grow web traffic and online engagement in a crowded category. They partnered with Katz Radio Group for a 14-week campaign running in over 70 markets, on more than 100 stations across ownership groups. Katz Analytics, powered by LeadsRx, provided campaign feedback, matching over 40,000 radio spot occurrences with the brand's web traffic to gain a holistic view of radio's impact on web engagement.

The study found that Katz's radio campaign resulted in more than 870,000 web sessions, driving an incremental +11% lift in web traffic to the Tax Prep Service site. The Tax Prep Service utilized diverse creative approaches throughout the campaign, including a mix of :90 features, :30 brand spots, and :15s. All spots contributed to the lift, delivering an average 21 web sessions per radio spot airing. 

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Two creative strategies, beyond traditional :30 brand spots, that paid off for the Tax Prep Service were the use of long and short duration units. 

• :90 spots featured expert tax tips and involved local DJ participation. These spots resonated well with listeners and proved to be highly engaging, driving the most web sessions per spot airing (34), +64% above the campaign average.
• :15 spots were effective calls to action, driving the highest volume of web sessions, and overperformed based on their share of radio ads. The :15s contributed more than half of all radio-attributed visits (57%) while making up only 46% of all radio spots.

The study provided the Tax Prep Service with evidence that radio was effective at driving online engagement with their brand. By utilizing a mix of long and short duration units, incorporating relevant content and local personalities, the brand broke through with their messaging and generated measurable results.