Strategies for Success

Everyone remembers AOL CDs, and everyone had different uses for them. Only a small percentage of people actually signed up as customers. Some people used them for making shims for home carpentry projects. Of course this was a total waste of money. AOL didn't target their direct market. Most of these CDs ended up in the trash, but some of them ended up as works of art. In any case, AOL spent quite a bit of money. As a small business you can't afford to spend money marketing to customers that don't fit your demographic. When I receive a request for creating a commercial for a small business I always ask "What is your target demographic", and at least 50% of the time the answer is "well...everyone." This is actually never the case. A good advertising agency will help you define your correct demographic, and this is completely necessary when working with a less then ideal budget - which, right now is just about every small business in the United states.

Whether you are advertising on the internet or on television it is important to define your demographic. This will define how your advertisement will look. Your demographic will dictate the publications that Tonangi Media will choose to advertise your products and services on. It is never necessary to advertise to all people. Targeting your advertising will save you money, increase your conversion rate, and lower your customer acquisition cost. Defining your target demographic is one of the most important elements that a small business can work on even before you start your advertising campaign.

With television advertising, Tonangi Media has access to hundreds of networks, however we will choose only the networks that meet your specific target demographic requirements. The same will happen if you choose to advertise on the internet. For example if you are trying to sell a book targeted to business minded adults it would make no sense to advertise on children's stations like Nickelodeon or the Cartoon Network, yet this is exactly what many advertising agencies do. Many agencies simply want to attract customers with the amount of spots that they can provide, but if these spots are not targeted directly to your potential customers then you are not 'getting a deal', but you are instead simply wasting your hard earned marketing and advertising dollars.

Don't make this mistake. Work with advertising agencies that can help you define your target demographic and will give you quotes based on reaching your potential customers. It's very easy to see hundreds of spots and get excited, but the details of when and where these spots play are extremely important.

For more information on how Tonangi Media can help you advertise on television or the internet please visit www.tonangi.com

 Vinod Tonangi | www.tonangi.com | toll free: 877.817.MEDIA | fax: 619.566.4043

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When customers immerse themselves with a product (or service) advertising seems much more pleasurable, then an annoyance. Companies that try to instill some type of emotion generally find that it is more successful because it sticks with consumers on an emotional level.

Here are a few examples:

If you ask most iPhone users about their phone many of them will say that having an iPhone doesn't just mean that you are using a portable multi-function device. The would say that it's a lifestyle. iPhones users have an emotional attachment to their phone. So much so that there are blogs and podcasts [iTunes Link] dedicated to this single mobile device. Usually it is a brand (as opposed to a single product) that gets this type of attention. You can see this with luxury companies like Mercedes or Louis Vutton, but this is not limited to just expensive brands. Verizon Wireless has a huge following of customers that are willing to sacrifice the type of devices that they can use on the Verizon network to get the best service in the country. Verizon took wireless service, which is typically considered a commodity, and created a highly successful campaign around a simple phrase, "Can you hear me now?" This was based purely on one emotion: comedy, yet it reinforced Verizon's reliability. It was so successful that numerous amount of parodies started showing up on the net, which reinforced the original ad and continued to increase Verizon's exposure.

Most small businesses do not consider what they offer as an 'emotional' product. You may happen to own a pizza place or a used car dealership, but don't feel left out in the cold. A good ad agency will be able to take your product or service and create an ad that evokes emotion in people. Depending on your target demographic and your product you may want a feeling of 'coolness', empathy, comedy, excitement, or even fear to help attach an emotion to your product. Simply stating the facts is not memorable enough for the majority of consumers.

Unfortunately, when small businesses make their first attempt to advertise on television they usually talk to local cable companies who pressure them into entering a long term agreement. This requires a large minimum fee, and in return these cable companies produce the ad either very cheap, or for free. These ads always come off as 'cheesy', or irrelevant and can actually damage your brand. Potential customers can easily be 'turned off'. How many times have you seen a local television commercial and thought "How is this even on TV ?" This is not the impression you want to give to your potential customers.  After such a poor experience, and very little return on their advertising investment, small businesses begin to reject the idea that television advertising can work for them. 

This is why it is important to realize that the content of your advertisement is just as (if not more) important then the publisher that is distributing your advertisement. An ad can not simply state the obvious with text and logos fading in and out on the screen. A good ad agency can develop a concept that is right for your target demographic, and can also make sure that you don't waste your advertising dollars on ads and air time that won't generate positive results.

For more information on how Tonangi Media can help you advertise on television visit www.tonangi.com

 Vinod Tonangi | www.tonangi.com | toll free: 877.817.MEDIA | fax: 619.566.4043

<< Back to www.tonangi.com