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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"I don't have a lot of money, but I need customers..."

This is a statement that I hear almost on a daily basis. Almost every company is struggling financially right now. So, unless you are one of the lucky ones that received a huge government bailout (ahem!) your business most likely doesn't have the advertising budget that it used to have. Without advertising you can't bring in customers, and without customers you obviously can't exist. So, what's the solution?

Some businesses have been trying to save money on their advertising campaigns by utilizing methods like radio and newspaper advertising because rates for these mediums have dropped considerably. However, they are finding out that they are not able to save money. They usually end up wasting money. I've said this before, and I'll say it again: Television advertising works. Television advertising doesn't need to cost you a fortune. Broadcast television advertising is very costly, and a 30 second commercial can cost you between $70,000 and $200,000 during prime time. Virtually no small business can afford this method of television advertising, however local cable television advertising can be extremely cost effective. Even large business have started to see the power of cable television advertising as opposed to broadcast television advertising. As advertising revenue for broadcast television slips, cable television advertising continues to grow - even during this recession. With an average budget of $5,000 - $7,000 thousand dollars a month you can reach millions of viewers on cable channels that meet your specific demographic.

Many people confuse "local advertising" to mean that they can only advertise in one area, but this is not true. You can advertise in virtually any region in the United States. Instead of advertising as a corporate sponsor on a television program, Tonangi Media has the ability of purchasing media time in any locality on virtually any cable network. This means that you can run a local cable television advertising campaign in many different cities at the same time. This allows you to target only your specific demographic and allows you to only spend money where you will get the most return. For example, if you know that most of your customers live in metropolitan areas, why would you want to advertise in the entire state of New York, when you could simply advertise in Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan. This is why local cable television advertising is so effective. Your advertising budget can be dramatically lower then a national campaign yet be even more effective and attract millions of customers.

If you add internet advertising in addition to your television advertising campaign your message will become even more ingrained in the brains of the individuals that watch your advertisements. Small businesses can no longer waste money on mediums that don't have viewers or listeners. Every penny must be properly spent. Just because radio or newspaper advertising is slightly cheaper then television advertising does not mean it is more cost effective. In fact, it's the opposite. While the audience for radio stations and newspapers diminishes on a daily basis, the audience for television and internet keeps increasing. Americans dedicate 35 hours a week to watching television, and 32 hours a week on the internet.

Every business is struggling right now, but can you afford NOT to advertise? If you need to attract customers to your business then the answer is a resounding "no".

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

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Once a small business realizes that television advertising can dramatically improve their sales, they usually begin by calling up their local station and inquiring about production and ad time packages. As I've mentioned in earlier blog posts, local stations have a tendency to ask for a long term commitment and will usually produce the commercial for you - either for very cheap, or even for free. Unfortunately, these types of ads usually look something like these:

Both of these commercials tried to invoke an emotion. The pizza ad tried to be humorous, while the sleep ad tried to instill fear. Both of these commercials failed at their attempts because of the execution. Although being bizarre and humorous can often help people remember advertisements -  people should recall the commercial positively. If people associate your brand with incompetence then you will find it hard to attract customers to your business. Local television ads do not have to look like they were made by a 3rd grader (no offense to the 3rd graders that are reading this blog). Low budget TV ads can be produced professionally. At Tonangi Media one of most popular video production packages is our Bronze media package, simply because of the cost. For only $1,000 a small business can have a professional TV commercial that will be targeted to the appropriate demographic. Any good advertising agency will review your competitor's marketing strategy. By understanding your competitors, your target customer, and your product, a highly customized television ad with a professional voice over can be produced for a relatively low cost.

Or, you could take your chances with an unreliable advertising agency and hope your ad doesn't turn out like these:

A television commercial is not only used to get your name out to the public - it is also used to have people associate your commercial with your brand. When people associate a poorly produced commercial with a brand they typically stay away from the company. Just having your brand name out there for the public to see is not enough. A message with an emotion must be conveyed to your audience. It is not enough for the commercial to be compelling to watch, it also has to convince people to purchase from you rather then your competitors. Even if your commercial states that you are cheaper, more convenient, or trustworthy no one will believe you if your commercial does not reveal some sense of professionalism. When it comes to television advertising just remember you definitely get what you pay for. Don't fall for the free production that many local stations will try to persuade you with. They know their productions are not good enough for your needs, which is why they offer them for free. Of course, you will usually have to commit to a year of advertising - something that is not necessary with advertising agencies, like Tonangi Media.

 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

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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

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