Demystifying TV Advertising

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tv-advertising__120210230834TV advertising is a great way to get the message to the masses. Almost everyone owns a television, and even if they don’t have cable, your television ad will still be seen on an internet channel. The reality of TV advertising is that it can still be affordable—even when you’re a small business. Often a business may bypass TV advertising for print, radio, or internet. Those are still effective means of getting your message out, but TV advertising can be better. All it takes is some knowledge and expertise to demystify the process.

TV is not necessarily expensive, nor do you have to be a large national brand to advertise your spot. While TV may have been expensive a decade ago, with all the channel and cable TV competition, plus the internet, there are tons of spots waiting for your ad.

Is your business a local firm? If so, then you’re not going to need to advertise nationally. Cable TV is likely your best bet. Cable TV is done through your local TV station, rather than through broadcast TV, which is often done through a big advertising agency.

Now you know that TV advertising is a good avenue for your business, you’ll need to know how to target your ads, and how to buy them on a budget.

If you’re a local business, you’ll want to stick to local cable companies or local broadcast stations. Who are your core customers? These are the people who buy your product or services. A beauty salon may have more female customers, while a motorcycle shop may have more males. A pizza business may have college-age students as their best customers. However, you may not wish to necessarily make assumptions, as everyone does eat pizza, and men and women are both interested in a great hair styling or shiny motorcycles.

You may wish to examine seasonality. Does your store sell most of its product in the winter months? Or is it more of a summer business? Don’t be afraid of change either. If you think mums might be interested in picture framing, you could target Mother’s Day for your ads, to bring more interest in your types of services.

What’s the best way of getting a TV ad bargain? Paying up front, rather than using credit is often the best way. If you can commit to a multiple week schedule, your costs may decrease for each individual spot. The savings could be substantially half price or more. You may also be able to purchase remnant advertising. This is what’s left over after all the other businesses have chosen their spot. Rather than provide a freebie by rerunning one of those ads, the station would be happy to give you an ad for an extremely low cost, to fill up a space at the last minute. It may also be possible to buy a media mix of TV ad and website advertising.

Please contact Direct West Media Group to help you demystify the process of advertising on television.

Getting Started in Advertising

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If you’ve explored your advertising options and have decided that television advertising will nicely fit the marketing needs of your business, you may be wondering about the next few steps. There are still many more questions to be answered. How much should I dedicate to my television advertising budget, and how do I find the best media channel?

TV advertising costs on local small town channels will be more affordable than in larger cities such as LA or Chicago. If you consider that a full page color ad in a local magazine may run you around $6000, about $1000 a month for your commercial to run a few times on the local channel may seem like a bargain. A TV commercial is also going to gain you more exposure, so don’t be afraid to allot more cash to your budget.

You don’t need to use a professional television commercial production company to make your TV commercial. Many TV stations will actually make the ad up for you for free, provided that you sign up for a long term contract. The only caveat to this method is that your commercial will remain their property, whereas if you pay a pro to make it for you, you can send the video out to any TV station.

There are two main methods to buy TV advertising. One is through your local television station, and the other is through your cable system. Today, many people watch programs via network websites or other online channels. Your best bet is to buy them through the local TV stations. The additional benefit to broadcast is that you select the shows and times you wish your ads to run, whereas cable does it on a rotator basis. If you are only having your ad run a few times a month, it’s much better to choose when your ad is running, then chance it running in the middle of the night when no one is watching.

The cost of a TV ad is bound by numerous factors. How many people watch the show will increase the price proportionately. The specific demographics of the show may affect the price. If you’ve signed up for a long term contract with your local station, the price may be available at a discount. There are also seasonal factors, such as Mother’s and Father’s Day, and Christmas when advertising may be more lucrative. The final factor is how many other advertisers want their ads to run the same time as yours.
You’ll want to consider your demographic audience, then narrow your programs down to specific shows. You may wish to ask your customers which TV shows they like to watch.

Advertising is a fine art which can take a bit of expertise. You may wish to contact Direct West Media Group, who can navigate through the ins and outs of television advertising, and save you money. We can help you create the perfect video ad to get noticed by consumers who like to spend money.

TV Still Most Effective Way to Advertise

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watching-tvThere are dozens of ways to advertise your business, but television continues to generate more profit than any other type of advertising done today. The best ROI–Return On Investment–is through television advertising. Initially it may sound like it costs more, but there is no more effective method of advertising than directly targeting your local customers. Do you want your business to get lost in the Yellow Pages or Google, when you can have your TV ad shown to millions of viewers who are ready to call your business?

Other forms of advertising many include radio, print media, outdoor signage, and online advertising. Over the past seven years advertising has shifted its focus. Advertisers are seeing a major upheaval in traditional advertising methods, particularly during the downward spiral of the economy. On the other hand, many consumers are heavily consuming products and services. As advertising methods change, so does the need for advertisers to keep up-to-date on the latest trends.

Why is TV advertising holdings its own in the complex world of advertising? People are still watching television in droves. There are literally hundreds of television programs that can be watched throughout the course of a day. During television programs there are at least four to eight scheduled breaks. While some TV viewers may leave the room during a commercial, or switch to another channel, there are still millions of viewers who will actually watch these commercials.

TV advertising can be focussed on your local customers. For example, if you have a pizza delivery business you can invite viewers to take advantage of a pizza discount if they order immediately. You can also offer a special discount code that can be used within the next week. TV can give people instant gratification. All they have to do is pick up the phone.

TV ads are also great for other types of service-oriented businesses. Oil changes, beauty salons, shoe repair, plumbers, insurance, mortgage brokers, and more can benefit by having their products and services presented within a TV ad. Chances are your viewers need these types of services and will give you a call, or visit your business in the next week, as they remembered your television ad.

Print media and radio are still effective means of advertising, but they do tend to screen out some of your expected customers. Not everyone listens to the radio nowadays. Some people never pick up a newspaper. Many people immediately toss flyers into the recycling bin. But if someone owns a television, chances are that they also have cable service, and that they watch television on a regular basis.

You may not be able to afford an ad spot for the Fifa World Cup, or Game of Thrones or Walking Dead, but there are many local TV stations that have affordable advertising spots for you. The local news is a great spot where you can advertise your business, as it focusses on potential local customers.

As television grows, your business can grow with television advertising. Please contact Direct West Media Group to learn more about how TV advertising can help your business.