2. Advertising on television usually means running a
TV commercial, typically between 15 and 60
seconds in length, but TV advertising can also
include sponsorships and product placement within
television shows
3.
Though user habits are rapidly changing, television
advertising has long been considered the most effective
mass-market advertising format. The introduction of
digital video recorders such as TiVo, which allows viewers
to skip advertisements, as well as the popularity of
commercial-free cable channels, have begun to diminish
the reach and effectiveness of TV advertising.
Television advertising's crowning moment is the Super
Bowl, where companies debut their very best television
commercials, effectively putting them in competition with
all of the other television commercials. With the cost of a
single 30-second TV spot during the Super Bowl running
into the millions, most companies opt instead for running
their TV advertising in time slots that best match their
advertising budget.
4.
The cost of advertising on television is twofold: first, the cost of
producing the commercial, then, the cost of airing it. The
average cost of producing a national, 30-second TV commercial
is well over $300,000 but commercials designed to air in local
markets can be produced for much less. Most advertising
agencies are experienced with producing TV commercials based
on a wide variety of budgets and can help you design and
produce a commercial that will satisfy your needs and your
budget.
Television advertising rates vary greatly based on the market
they run in and the time the spots are aired. Small- to mediumsized businesses will find that local advertising fits better with
their budgets and marketing goals. A 30-second time slot in a
medium-sized market can be purchased for as little as $5 per
1,000 viewers, meaning that you could pay less than $100 per
commercial slot. Cheaper rates will also be available for off-hour
programming.
5.
There are alternatives for television marketing
that don't include TV commercials. Your product
or business can now appear, for a fee, within a
television show, via product placements and
sponsorships. More opportunities to advertise as
part of a television show are developing every
day. There are also opportunities to air
commercials on the Internet as banners or
streaming media. If these kinds of opportunities
are of interest to you, be sure to make it part of
your initial evaluation conversation when you
contact an agency through All Advertising
Agencies.
6.
The Internet may grab all of the attention these days, but
TV is still the media king. According to one recent
study, the average American spends more than four and a
half hours a day in front of the tube -- and 99 percent of
all U.S. households have at least one TV.
Those numbers make one thing crystal clear: television
advertising is still the most pervasive and powerful tool for
reaching
U.S.
consumers.
For
small
businesses, however, the barriers to using TV ads can be
daunting; airtime can be very expensive, and good
commercials are difficult and costly to create.
Given both the costs and benefits, is TV advertising the
right approach for your small business? In the following
slideshow we'll run down both the pros and cons, and help
you to decide whether television advertising is a good
choice.
7.
No matter how wonderful your
company's product or service is, if
you don't advertise, nobody will
know about it. The goal of any
advertising program should be to
cost-effectively reach the largest
audience possible and attract new
customers.
If
done
correctly,
advertising can be a wonderful
investment for your small business;
if done poorly, advertising can
become a huge money sink.
Despite what you see on "Mad Men,"
advertising can be a tricky game. We
present 10 important tips to help
you plan, execute, and monitor your
advertising program.
8.
An advertising campaign
should be geared toward
your niche market. It is a
common
mistake
to
create generic ads that
do
not
speak
the
language or grab the
attention
of
your
potential customers.
Ask yourself what kind of
customers you want to
attract, and make sure
your ads speak to them
on a personal level.
9.
One of the keys to all
advertising
is
to
highlight the pros of
your company -- those
factors that give you
your competitive edge.
Too many ads are
clever but fail to sell
the specific benefits of
the featured product or
service. Unless you
highlight
these
benefits,
your
ad
delivers no value to
potential customers.
10.
There are plenty of
products
that
you
recognize
by
their
packaging or logo.
Image counts when it
comes to advertising and
promoting your business.
Too many advertisers do
not work to build a
consistent image, and
they're
missing
the
chance to make an
impression
on
prospective customers
11.
There are ways to save
money, but advertising
is typically not the
place to cut corners.
Doing so will affect
sales, and that affects
the
bottom
line.
Successful advertising
may
cost
some
money, but that is
because it works.
12.
Your
favorite
magazine,
radio
station,
or
even
television program might
not be a favorite of your
audience.
Do
some
research
about
your
target
market
to
understand who they are
and determine what they
read, watch, and listen
to. Then advertise in the
appropriate media to
ensure that you reach
your target market.
13.
If your budget $5,000 per
month
for
advertising, you've made it
very
easy
from
a
bookkeeping
perspective.
However, if like most
businesses
you
have
seasonal
highs
and
lows, you are spending too
much money advertising
during down times and not
enough when you want to
attract
customers.
Too
many entrepreneurs do not
budget according to their
seasonal advertising needs.
14.
It is all too common for
business
owners
to
choose the best place to
advertise based on price
and potential rate of
returns, and then stop.
As is the case with
investing, you do not
want to put all of your
eggs in one basket.
Spread your advertising
dollars
around
by
choosing a variety of
suitable media for your
audience and budget.
15.
No product or service will
appeal to everyone. Many
business
owners,
including
corporate
executives, try to come
up with ways to reach
every market. Typically,
this does not work. It can
spell disaster for small
businesses, who cannot
afford
to
spread
themselves
too
thin.
Therefore,
find
your
market and be everything
you can be to that
audience
16.
If you have the time or
money to invest in focus
groups, you should test
your ads on other people.
Do they understand and
accept the message you are
trying to convey? If not, get
insight into how you could
more
effectively
communicate
your
message.
There are other lessexpensive ways to test your
ads
as
well
-questionnaires, for example
17.
It is very easy to ask new
customers
or
clients
where they heard about
you. As simple as this
is, many entrepreneurs
do not bother to do so. It
is
advantageous
to
understand
which
elements of your ads are
most effective and which
media offer the most
profitable
advertising
opportunities for your
company.
