Should You Advertise on TV?

When people discover my background in advertising,
the questions flow. One of the most frequent
questions is "Should I advertise on TV?"

I can't answer that questions until I ask a
number of questions first.

Do you have an advertising plan?

Are you working on a firm budget?

What are you trying to accomplish with your
advertising?

Where are you spending your money now?

Usually by the 4th question the happy face becomes
one of disappointment.

Contractors don't build a building without a plan,
and you shouldn't advertise without a plan. The
first action is to determine what you want your
advertising to do. Most small and medium
businesses do not have the bucks for long term
image, so they focus on a call to action or
proclaiming benefits (not features).

Can TV do that? Probably. Can you afford it?
Probably not. Local TV ads even in the smallest of
television markets are expensive. You can buy
cheap ads, but the cost is factored to the number
of viewers. The cheaper the ads, the fewer the
viewers. How many folks do you know are glued to
the tube at 5:45 AM?

You can get on TV by using the Cable TV in your
market. With Cable, you can buy a package that's
spread over 15 or more cable channels. Beware the
number of viewers and the shoddy production. Get
my article "Cable Ads 5 Bucks" by sending a blank
eMail to MailTo:CableAds@BigIdeasGroup.com

Some people in business believe you haven't
"arrived" until your business is on TV or on a
billboard, or both. Funny, I know of hundreds of
businesses making big bucks that don't use either.