TV Advertising Essentials

TV Advertising is big business – far too big to be within reach of small business owners, you’d think.

But don’t be too sure or too hasty to make that judgement because local TV advertising can be surprisingly affordable and surprisingly effective IF you do it the right way.

And doing it the right way means NOT copying the kind of advertising you see other companies doing on the TV – that’s usually just a quick way to spend lots of money for little or no return.

The kind of TV advertising you see, especially at peak viewing times, is placed by big businesses with deep pockets and marketing departments which are not accountable for the results their advertising and marketing produces – assuming they produce results at all.

There are two reasons for this: first, most advertising executives in these big companies don’t actually understand marketing. Sounds crazy, but it’s true. The second reason is the kind of advertising they do isn’t measurable, so even if the will was there to do it, the tools simply aren’t available using the model of advertising they’ve chosen.

But even armed with the knowledge of how to make a successful TV ad, the perceived high cost of TV advertising puts many business owners off. After all, it does require more investment to hire a film crew and go through the production process and then pay for the TV slot than it does to get a stack of postcards printed and mailed.

Although, while this is true, it exposes a misconception about the cost of marketing. Marketing, done right, is never a cost.. Because if a marketing campaign or an ad is making you a profit, as reliably as interest on money in a bank account, why would you limit your investment?

The answer is… you wouldn’t.

So the perceived “cost” of TV advertising is really an emotional hook that catches business owners and stops them from experimenting with this often very effective and profitable advertising medium. Because it is, of course, all about your Return on Investment. If your TV advertising costs you £10,000 a week, but is responsible for a measurable £30,000 in sales, then it’s not costing you a penny. Yes, you want to drive your outlay down as far as you can, because that increases your profits, but it’s important not to become emotionally attached to the idea that advertising is “expensive”.

Remember: ROI is all that matters.

So on this site, I give you a few quick tips and strategies to help you navigate the minefield of TV advertising for small businesses.