Small Business Now
  Your site for small business success

Five Steps to Your Own TV Campaign

By Kim T. Gordon

    For years, television advertising was the bastion of big-business marketers. We learned not to "squeeze the Charmin," and that "things go better with Coke" from campaigns on the big three television networks that reached us without cable hookups or satellite dishes. But all that's changed since cable networks have lured audiences away with specialized programming. Let Ford and Anheuser-Busch spend close to $2.5 million to reach the masses by running a single Super Bowl ad. Savvy entrepreneurs are pinpointing their target audiences and reaching them locally, regionally or even nationally, for a tiny fraction of the cost. Now, local commercials are the mainstay of cable systems -- in some regions accounting for as many as 70 percent of their ads – and major cable companies even provide low-cost production.

    You can reach a wide, yet qualified audience by creating your own cable TV campaign. Just follow these five steps:

1. Define Your Audience

    There's cable programming to reach every target audience and suit any interest imaginable -- from home and garden shows and 24-hour news, to baseball. To make an effective buy, you’ll need to create a simple one or two-sentence target audience profile starting with basic demographics (gender, age, household income and any other important characteristics). If what you market is tied to a hobby or special interest, such as home improvement, be sure to include it. Next, consider geography. You can target prospects within a small radius, or on a city-wide, regional or national basis.

    Here's an example of a target audience profile: women, age 25-54, with household incomes $75,000 plus, who are homeowners, enjoy gardening and reside in XYZ areas.

2. Contact the Cable Systems

    Start by contacting the cable system provider in your market area, even if you plan to advertise in multiple markets, since many cable companies have extensive coverage areas. Comcast, for instance, works with small-business owners in markets from Los Angeles to Miami through its advertising sales division, Comcast Spotlight. In South Florida alone, there are 19 different Comcast "zones," and you can choose to advertise in one or many.

3. Identify the Right Programming

    A chief advantage of advertising on cable TV is that specialized programming successfully hooks audiences. Whether they're watching a hockey game or a fashion makeover, engaged viewers are more likely to see your spot and less likely to pay attention to other tasks. Once you provide your cable sales rep with your target audience profile, you can request a proposal based on research from Nielsen Media Research and Scarborough that shows the best-targeted programming to reach your prospects using between 40 and 60 different networks.

4. Make Your Buy

    It's a good rule of thumb to budget a minimum of $1500 per month for your spot buy. For best results, negotiate for a combination of "fixed position" spots, which are guaranteed to air within specific programs, and ROS (run-of-station) spots on the networks you choose. ROS spots cost less but may air at any time, such as after midnight when they'll reach the fewest number of viewers. So it's smart to specify the hours (or dayparts) during which your ROS spots may air.

5. Produce Your Spot

    Cable companies seeking small-business advertisers have jumped into the production business. Comcast Spotlight, for example, produces local spots from just under $500 to about $1200 depending on the market, including scripting, shooting, post-production and a professional voiceover. Even spots with actors and custom jingles can be created affordably. These spots have a more "local" look than big-budget ads from Nike and McDonald's, but you can count on them to successfully capture the attention of viewers for a whole lot less.