It’s not 1955.
So why are businesses still advertising on radio and TV?
Back in the day, there was print, radio, and television as mediums for businesses to advertise their products or services.
Paying a hefty sum for a radio or TV commercial was the cutting edge way to promote your business. Nostalgic commercials linger in our memories, and the Super Bowl has a circus of advertising that often gets as much attention as the game.
You can attend lectures about increasing your revenue through TV and radio, as Marcus Sheridan did, but what the television and radio industry don’t want you to catch onto is their power as an advertising platform is fading.
And they totally know it.
So let’s look into some of the reasons why they might not be the best investment of your time and money.
The past vs. the present
Let’s look back to how TV and radio ads worked in the past and why they were so successful for decades.
The biggest reason why print, radio, and television were such popular mediums for advertisers was because there was nothing else.
Literally, the web didn’t exist and these three were it.
Radio was used as a way to stay caught up on the news. It was a method of listening to stories. Families would gather around the radio and listen intently, and hear the ads sprinkled in.
Television was similar. Having a television console was a family activity and there were only three channels. People’s undivided attention focused on the screen, where they watched news stations as well as TV shows where businesses would proudly state their sponsors.
For years it was the only way to build a brand. People tuned in regularly to watch their shows at certain times and companies knew their commercials were seen by a wide audience.
And then the Internet happened
The Internet changed how we view shows and made it easier for viewers to skip ads.
The fast access the web provides allows for streaming services and websites that cater to consumers particular tastes and preferences. This incredible burst in technology has made everything a few clicks away and made it difficult to have your prospects see your ad.
Research backs this shift as well. A study last year by Arris showed that 84% of respondents wanted to fast forward through the ads they watch, while 60% of them download or record shows so they can skip commercials. Even Super Bowl ads have lost some of their effectiveness according to a 2014 study that showed 80% of them do not increase sales for the companies running them (The Guardian).
The web is a formidable foe in the fight for effectiveness in advertising and marketing.
The future of advertising
The present age is one of the best times to build and market your business.
The web opens up opportunities for smaller businesses, like yours, to enter the fray of gaining name recognition especially when competing against large, multi-billion dollar competitors.
By most measurements, you can do a fair bit of marketing for less money via other avenues, such as Google Paid Ads or Facebook. And investing in a quality website while spending time and money on a company blog can give you a leg up.
In the same way, consumers will follow websites they love as you work to attract your ideal customer through stealthy SEO tactics, increasing the likelihood of a sale.
In many ways, businesses are no longer bound to forking over $5,000 dollars for a single TV or radio ad. Instead, you can cut out the middleman and the bigger agencies to control your marketing efforts.
The future of paid advertising includes tactics like Facebook, for example. According to Facebook, they found that 1.4 billion people use Facebook every day. With Facebook Ads, you choose the type of people you want to reach and deliver your ads to them. This makes your ads more relevant for the people who see them and brings you better results. (Facebook Business).
Many small businesses have utilized other mediums like Google Paid Ads or Facebook, or even Instagram to promote their businesses via social media or their company website.
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