It's become increasingly common to hear radio commercials end with "follow us on Facebook," replacing — and sometimes augmenting — the equally weak entreaty, "Visit us online at…"

Originally, business owners were told, "Always mention your website everywhere.So they followed those instructions — even when there was absolutely no reason for anyone to visit their website. The result is the gaggle of radio spots that make lots of noise, brag about the advertiser and then end with, "Visit us online at…"

The problem: Nobody cares about your business. Nobody cares about your website.

This morning, not a single person awakened and thought, "Golly, if only someone would tell me about a good website I could visit. I have so much free time…"

People care only about how your product or service can add to the quality of their lives. If your website doesn't promise to improve their quality of life, they're not going to bother to go there.

These days everyone tells them to be sure to mention their Facebook fan page whenever possible." Or, "Always ask listeners to follow you on Twitter."

Using mass media — especially radio advertising — to drive traffic to your Facebook fan page is a good idea…if you know how to do it.

Unfortunately, too many business owners don't understand that in order to get someone to "follow us on Facebook," they have to give that person a reason.

Radio has proven to be the single most effective mass medium for driving targeted Web traffic (whether it's a website, Facebook page, or Twitter account). But it's effective only when:

1. The entire radio commercial is constructed specifically to get the targeted listener to follow you on Facebook (or go to your website, or follow you on Twitter.). That doesn't happen when you spend the entire commercial talking about yourself and they tell listeners to go to your online page.

2. The commercial's single call to action is to visit your online presence. In a radio commercial, you don't want to give the listener a choice of response. To succeed, a radio commercial needs to give a single Call To Action.

3. You give the targeted listener a compelling REASON to take that action. "Follow us on Facebook" is worthless, because it doesn't promise to solve a consumer's problem or in some way enhance the consumer's life.

Will the listener benefit in some way by following your Facebook fan page or by following you on Twitter or by going to your website?

Yes? Yes? Then whatever that "something" is — use your commercial to sell it..

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