Let’s get this out of the way upfront…
Television commercials work!
There’s no question about it. They instantaneously give your business exposure to masses of local customers.
And that’s fantastic if your business caters to masses of locals! Restaurants, car dealerships, personal injury law firms… there’s a reason why you see these types of local businesses on TV all the time- because TV advertising works for them!
But…
…it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense for businesses who cater to a specific kind of customer or exist in niche markets. For them, web marketing is much better for locating and targeting their potential customers.
By all means, if your hobby shop has the extra money to spend on a TV campaign, then go for it! It’ll gain you exposure. But your money is probably better spent targeting hobby enthusiasts than expensively blasting your name to everyone in the county who may or may not care about model railroading and role playing games!
It’s a simple formula really- for each dollar spent, how many customers in your base are you reaching? If you’re Mary’s Children’s Furniture, your customers may be those that live nearby and have kids in their lives… if you’re Joe’s Occult Books, your customer base might be people all over the state who like ghost hunting and scary stories. Obviously “Mary’s” dollar, having a larger base in a more concentrated area will go a lot further on TV than “Joe’s”.
The general lowdown on TV costs this: You pay for production of your commercial, and you pay for airtime. The cable company will help you back into most budgets, but generally speaking it’ll cost about $3,000 to $5,000 per month to run a television commercial for your business in the local area. If you think the amount of customers you’ll attract on TV for $3k-$5k a month is worth it, then go for a television commercial! (But be careful about having the cable company produce it for you)
The general lowdown on Web video is this: You pay for production only. In a typical web package, you would end up with a series of web videos (approx. 10) that would be released weekly, as opposed to a single 30 second TV ad. Of course that means basic production costs are higher- but the product you receive can be used month after month for no extra cost. Comparatively to TV, you’d initially have 2-3 months of fresh content that can then be used forever, for the same cost as a single month’s worth of TV advertising!
There’s a catch though! With a TV commercial, you can sit back and let the spot do it’s job. But web videos are a tool in a larger web campaign, which takes some ongoing work on your part! The good thing is companies like Spear and Magic Helmet can help you strategize an effective and synergetic web campaign that doesn’t bog you down on Facebook and Twitter all day!
So who wins?? TV or Web?
Well I guess that’s up to your business, your customer base, and your means! One thing’s for sure- whether it’s TV, Web, or BOTH, your business would do itself well with some marketing! If you’d like to discuss what S&MHP thinks is right for your business, customers, and budget, give us a call! That’s what we’re here for!!!
