Hey Greg,
We have a campaign going at the moment ourselves but haven't had the response you have.
We did it primarily to brand. We had the same brand for the first 5-6 years and decided to rebrand.
It sets us back about $100/week.
I have targeted specific areas. In June last year, we introduced a number of 'specialist services' fringing around the main services of our company. Also earlier in that year we had got our website online properly and so I didn't put my phone number in the add. We just had our www addy there and it's way easier to remember than our ph number.
We budgeted a yearly target of $10k for the first year (only 10 months of that fiscal year remaining) for these services and we settled out at $11.5k so we're pretty happy.
Not that radio is solely responsible for that as I've done other marketing as well but it's a good start.
These services are all bringing in $100/hour plus tax and materials. That is around 2-3 jobs a week average. Over the next year, I'm hoping to almost double that if I can. This is without any TM/porty etc. At those rates, I'm just and only breaking even all things considered but if it continues to grow and build, then the odds can only get better. Also, it's driving traffic to my site which is also having a spin off effect in my main stream services.
When I get busy enough on the other end of my business, and generate enough in this area to warrant it, I'll separate these off into a small car with half a dozen large tool boxes and small pieces of equipment and get it running as it's own little profit centre.
I guess my opinion of radio is the same as Kevin Bunce based on my experience. I'm up for renewal in September so still have a few months to go and am yet to decide if it'll continue or not. If I could cut back by maybe $40/week, I'd run with it again.
John