Digital $ On The Rise — RAB + Borrell

• Research just released by the Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) and ad-tracking firm Borrell Associates Inc. shows that 85% of radio advertisers are also buying some form of digital advertising, and that three-quarters of them are buying digital and radio together. The report also shows that digital ad revenue now accounts for 7.5% of the average station’s ad revenues, up from 6.3% last year.

These findings are included in the 6th annual RAB-Borrell report, “Benchmarking Local Radio Stations’ Online Revenues,” which analyzed online ad revenue from over 10,000 radio stations and survey responses from over 1,300 local businesses that buy radio advertising.

Among the findings: 1) Digital revenue grew 13.4% in 2017, to a total of $700 million, and the forecast for 2018 is even higher. 2) Over the past two years, the number of stations selling high-demand digital services such as SEO, website development and social media management has doubled. 3) Advertisers’ top marketing goal is to acquire new business, and they rank Social Media and Radio as the Top 2 methods to achieve those goals. 4) Radio’s confidence in their digital strategy is improving.

“Digital has been integrated into all facets of broadcast radio’s offering both in programming and sales, and the results are definitely paying off,” said Erica Farber, President & CEO of RAB. “As radio continues to provide integrated marketing solutions to its advertisers we expect to see continued growth. The RAB is focused on providing digital training and continued knowledge building for our members so they can better serve their clients.” The full report is available to RAB members at RAB.com.

Register now for live webinars on Feb. 13 and 15 featuring the survey results is available free to RAB members and survey participants.