Could Your Business Benefit?
While any business benefits from advertising, television commercials work best for businesses with a broad consumer range. That's why you see a lot of medical, restaurant and retail commercials-- everybody goes to the doctor, eats and shops. If a wide range of people can benefit from your product or service (as opposed to business to business) then yes, you should consider commercial advertising.
Determine Your Goal "Reach" (Where Your Target Audience Is)
Here's some background to help you understand media buying. There are 210 television markets in the United States. Each covers a very broad geographic area-- many even cross state lines! I live in the West Palm Beach market, which "Reaches" from Vero Beach to Boca Raton and all the way out to Okeechobee. Now, if I'm a cosmetic dentist and I want to advertise to prospective patients, I don't need to buy air time across that entire area-- it would be expensive and unnecessary. I don't need this much "Reach". This is where cable advertising's technology comes in. Comcast has a service called "Spotlight" which lets you buy commercial time town by town, and the rates are shockingly affordable. I recommend buying time in your town and a few surrounding ones as well.
Go for "Frequency"
Remember the AIDA model of consumer behavior: Awareness, Interest, Decision and Action. A prospect may need to see your ad several times just to become aware of your product or service. They'll need to see it a couple of more times to gain interest. You'll want each potential customer to view it at least five times for it to make an impression. That means you can't air a commercial one time and expect to gain business from it. You'll need to use a little strategy to get the most eyeballs on your spot: either buy fewer, expensive slots (in shows with higher ratings) or more, cheaper slots (in shows with lower ratings). A media buyer or air time sales person can help you determine the best course of action for you.
Don't Skimp on Production
We've all seen poorly made commercials and cringed. A sad sack of a commercial is not a good representation of your company, and as your business blossoms you'll likely shell out even more money to have it re-done. Spending a little more up front on a quality production will save you more money in the long run. I liken it to the difference between splurging on a great black dress that you can wear anywhere and never goes out of style, and the cheap trendy piece you'll regret next season. A well made commercial will simply serve you longer.
These are just a few of the factors that need to be considered when deciding on getting into the game of television advertising. Hopefully, I've demystified some of it for you. Contact me if you'd like more information about producing and airing a commercial for your business.
