With all of the buzz about social media, it’s easy to forget the tried and true advertising tactics like radio advertising. Radio can be a very cost-effective and action-inducing method of connecting to new customers and reconnecting to those who already love you.

Of course, there are radio spots, and then there are great radio spots. You want the latter. That takes some planning, some extra effort and a willingness to invest a little bit of time and money to do it right.

Make me feel something: We buy based on emotions. Everything. From toothpaste to our accountant.

Too many radio spots are heavy on facts and light on emotions. By the way, that doesn’t mean that every spot has to be funny. Humor is very memorable, but not every subject lends itself to a sidesplitting radio spot.

Remind me how it feels to fall in love, be afraid of the IRS or have everyone forget my birthday. Know your audience well enough to know what emotions they experience that you can either enhance (good emotions) or eliminate (bad emotions).

Slow down: Most radio spots are a little like trying to put five pounds of potatoes in a one-pound bag. Great radio takes its time. It allows the actors to create a character; it makes time for pregnant pauses and the smart use of silence.

A good rule of thumb is 150-165 words for a 60-second spot and about 75-80 words for a 30-second spot. Remember to leave room for disclaimers, taglines and company IDs.

Help me remember: This is one of my pet peeves when it comes to radio spots. Odds are, if someone is listening to the radio, they’re also doing something else. Fixing breakfast, getting the kids ready for the bus, driving home from work, working out or doing laundry. Radio is a wonderful companion for all kinds of tasks.

But when people are doing any of those things, they are not really in a position to write a bunch of stuff down. Don’t give me your phone number, street address, a coupon code or a laundry list of things to do to get the special offer.

If you want to give me a way to contact you, make it easy to remember. That might be a phone number like “222 and then four more twos.” Or a Web address like “cut my gas bills in half dot com.” But if you have a normal phone number, a company name that’s hard to spell or a Web address that isn’t intuitive, don’t waste your few words on them.

I won’t remember anyway. Give my brain some sort of handle to grab onto until I have time to follow up.

Don’t cheap out: Writing and producing radio spots is an art. Just because you listen to the radio doesn’t mean you’re ready to be an advertising copywriter. Invest in a copywriter and good voice talent. If you’re only spending 10-15 minutes in the studio recording your spot, you can rest assured that it’s not going to be the Mona Lisa of radio.

You’re spending a lot of money to buy the radio time. Shouldn’t you spend some to be sure you’re running something worthy of that investment?

Now that you’re in the know, go make some good radio. I’ll know which ones are yours. They’ll be the ones I actually stop and listen to.

Drew McLellan is Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group and blogs at www.drewsmarketingminute.com. He can be reached by email at Drew@MclellanMarketing.com. © 2011 Drew McLellan