There are many schools of thought when it comes to marketing a small business.
In the past, it was thought that the more people saw your advertising message the better. Now, the quality of who is seeing your message is more important. “Sight, sound and motion” is a phrase used years ago in the advertising world to reference television. It was also to express the potential and power of this advertising vehicle to deliver an audience because it appeals to all of our human senses.
If we were to apply that approach today, it would take on a much broader meaning that is inclusive of computers (the Internet) and mobile devices (cell phones). You may be asking yourself, “How do you know which ‘sight, sound, and motion’ to purchase?”
A lot depends upon who are your customers, where your customers acquire their advertising information and how much money you have budgeted for advertising.
Here are a few essentials about vehicles that allow your message to have “motion.” These points should be kept top-of-mind when under consideration for advertising your business:
o Television is a “broad reach” advertising vehicle. You will reach the masses with it. The only way to narrow how many people and the type of people you are reaching is to be selective on the program and/or cable network. Depending on where your business trading area is located—it could prove to be expensive. Plus, don’t forget to factor in the cost to produce the advertising message. In some cases, the television station may agree to produce your spot for a nominal fee. Remember that many television stations have Web sites that generate high traffic. It could prove beneficial to look at extending your television purchase to their website as well.
o Computers (with Internet access) allow you to target your customers in a number of ways, such as geographically. Typically, a specific geographic area is very important for small business owners. It allows you to maximize the money you have available by reaching customers with less waste. Advertising message with motion takes the form of videos. Costs will depends greatly upon what is purchased. Remember that computers have become very mobile with the creation of laptops. All it takes to see the impact of the mobility of this device is to be stuck at an airport.
o Mobile devices such as a cell phone would offer a smaller universe (subscribers to a given service). However, it is viable for reaching an on-the-go customer and hard to reach customers such as the 18-34 year old male segment, construction workers, and other mobile workers. Since this is a smaller device, any video should be geared to fit within a smaller space. With this vehicle, costs can vary to produce an advertising message. Plus, if you decide to use a third party to assist you, this cost must be factored into your overall budget too.
As you can see, there is so much more to “sight, sound, and motion” today. It demonstrates that an ad doesn’t have to be motionless. It has been proven that consumers are more receptive to ads with motion. At the end of the day, you want this potential customer to remember your ad and act upon your message.
Technology has given birth to a proliferation of choices and enhanced your ability to manage how videos (or rich media) are placed to reach your potential customers. And remember, there is nothing wrong with doing a test to see if it works before you bet the whole farm.
Adele Lassere is a marketing/advertising consultant with 20+ years experience, freelance writer and soon to be published author of “Elements of Buying: An Advertising Reference Guide for Business Owners”. Contact: lassere@bellsouth.net.
