| |
| |
|
Advertising Information |
|
|
|
Cable Ads 5 Bucks!
Cable has grown from 13 houses connected togetherin 1948 to coverage of nearly 70% of allhouseholds in the U.S. With dozens, even hundredsof channels, Cable is now a major player for localadvertising dollars, some for less than 5 bucks. On the Mary Tyler Moore Show in the 1960's, mostof the people shortened her name from "Mary" to"Mare". We, as a group, have a tendency to findthe short cut, giving nick name to names thatcould stand on their own. Mary didn't need to beany shorter, but it was cute to cut it down. ManyMargarets are called Peggy, figure that one out.And many if not most John's are called Jack. It is little surprise that Cable became theshortened name for Community Antenna Television,CATV. In the days of CATV, local commercialinserts were not available. Community Antenna Television, CATV originated as aservice to those who lived in an area where TV wasimpossible to see. I visited the home of afriend's mother in the mountains of North Carolinaseveral decades ago. With a tall antenna andbooster amplifiers, the best she could do was afuzzy picture on ONE channel. Legends abound aboutwho had the first community antenna. Most researchsays the first official CATV company begancharging a fee to hook up in 1948. In those daysCATV was no more than one big antenna tower on ahigh hill (or mountain) with a Cable running downthe side and two or more homes connected. In 1972, Charles Dolan and Gerald Levin ofSterling Manhattan Cable launched the nation'sfirst payTV network, Home Box Office (HBO).Cable became more than an antenna for localstations. Cable became a major player. Today, most Cable companies have the ability toINSERT your commercial into many of the Cablenetworks. The networks don't stop the show with ablack screen for local commercials, instead theyfill the space with ads that sell something(exercise machines, fancy knives, or somethingfrom Ron Popeil). "..order now and we'll make the4th payment for you!" Local Cable commercial insertions are available 15(or more) major networks and the list grows everymonth. Local advertisers can no longer afford toignore the marketing potential, and lost cost,available through the use of Cable advertising. Most offer a package that will put your commercialinto a mix of Cable network programs at all hoursof the day for as little as $5 per commercial.Yup, $5 for a commercial on ESPN, CNN HeadlineNews or the Discovery Channel. The premiumchannels (those that cost extra above the standardcable package, HBO, Showtime etc.) do not allowcommercials to be inserted The Cable people sell very large packages withhundreds of commercials, splattered over all thenetworks allowing insertions. You have no controlover where, when, or what channel your ad willappear. As a result, you get hundreds for a lowprice. You can see why this is so by working the math.Ask the Cable TV salesman how many channels he hason his system, and how many homes are connected.Then ask how many channels will have yourcommercials. If there are 10,000 homes connected and the systemhas 25 channels and your ads will be inserted into5 channels you will need a lot of ads to reacheven a small percentage of the people. Ads areinserted into news and sports channels andentertainment and super station channels.Computers do it automatically, so the Cablecompany doesn't have to have people on the job 24hours a day to run your commercial. Cablecompanies can insert one or one thousandcommercials with a few keystrokes and withthousands of slots every day, they have no problemselling you a bunch for little money. The major drawback of advertising on Cable is theamateurish way most Cable commercials areproduced. Because of the low price for the ads,Cable companies often produce commercials with atech school graduate and a mini cam. Don't expect award winning commercials for fivebucks. Some charge extra to produce yourcommercial, someoffer it as a part of the package. Take a look atwhat they have done for others. Ask to see a demoreel. If you don't like what you see, considerhiring your own crew to do it your way. One way or another you will have to pay some extrato get a good commercial. Make one that will lastfor some time. After all it will take a long timefor it to show up in all the prime slots on allthe insert networks. Professionally produced commercials can cost over$5,000 for 30 seconds and may take as long as aweek for initial taping, longer for final editing. This cost can be reduced if you perform thecreative function and write your own commercialsas well as furnishing talent for the ads. Somefrugal advertisers have been able to holdproduction costs to as little as $200 per ad. As with all commercials, make sure your name andwhat you do is at the beginning, at least in themiddle and at the end. Phone number is not asimportant as name. You don't watch TV with a padand pencil to write down phone numbers and neitherdoes anyone else. Get them to remember yourcompany. Cook up a slogan. Avoid the trap of being talked into standing infront of store and doing the ad yourself. MostCable sales reps will trot this out first thing.Ego sells! Your friends may mention it, but itwill not sell as well as a commercial featuringwhat you can do for those viewing at home.Remember, advertising is not about YOU, it's aboutTHEM. Value and benefits, value and benefits, not,"look at me and my kids". Cable can be an effective part of your localadvertising mix at a very reasonable price. For more about advertising get my article"What the Newspaper Won't Tell You"MailTo:NewspaperAds@BigIdeasGroup.com ©2005 BIG Mike McDaniel All Rights ReservedMike@BIGIdeasGroup.comBIG Mike is a Professional Speaker and SmallBusiness Consultant with over 30 years experience,http://BIGIdeasGroup.com Subscribe to "BIG Mike's BIG Ideas" NewsletterMailTo:subscribe-956603364@ezinedirector.net
MORE RESOURCES:
Advertising - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
10 Tips to Use Giveaways Effectively Walk around any trade or consumer show and you will be able to collect a bag full of advertising specialties, or giveaway items all designed to promote. But look a little more closely. Not Another Calendar! - Choose Advertising Specialties That Sell As I was searching through a kitchen drawer the other day, I found dozens of pens, pencils, letter openers, sticky-note pads, oversized paper clips, rulers, dental floss, calendars, magnets, whatsits and thing-a-ma-bobs, each with the name of a business on the front. In looking through my "collection" I discovered some things I love and use and others that I can't imagine why I picked them up. Scrolling LED signs Scrolling LED signs is type of LED signs that displays Scrolling text and can be used as outdoor and/or indoor outlet. Wide variety of businesses uses this equipment to spread news and other information quickly and efficiently. Advertising: 10 Powerful Secrets To Help You Sell Your Ad Space Like Crazy If you want to sell more ad spaces, you must read and use the secrets I am revealing here:1. Give your customers a discount when they spendover a certain dollar amount for ad space. Avoid The Big Advertising Mistakes Is your advertising copy getting the results you want? If not, look at your current marketing to see if you're making one of the major copywriting mistakes:Selling features instead of benefits. Telling your customer that your "fabulous new ALF-400 comes complete with AeroScan and BandControl technologies!" doesn't actually tell them anything. The Skinny on Billboards Several years back the billboard people put a bigpicture of "Sharlene Wells, Miss America" onbillboards all over town. She was everywhere. See How to Advertise and Gain More Money to Blast Another Project We have a Great News that we think that may interest you as a Business owner. It is about a Advertising Agency that are preparing to launch and incredible system to help business to earn constant cashflow. Offline Advertising Tips Since most of us are always online and our business is online, we often forget the importance of advertising our business offline. Print advertising can be one of the best forms of advertising for your buck. Can I Write and Print My Own Business Brochures and Business Cards? If you have a computer and a printer, preferably one that can print in color, then you can make your own brochures and business cards that are very professional-looking! Be sure to use good quality paper (that is available at any office supplies store like Office Depot or Staples) for anything that you are going to hand out or send to potential customers and clients.Writing Text for Your Brochure and Business CardThe very best thing to do is to get a few examples of business brochures and business cards, preferably from the same type of business as the business you are starting. Super Secret Tip For Using PPC Search Engine Advertising Successfully It's not about traffic; it's about generating leads.That's right. Business Plan Appeal - Five Rules For Writing Attention Grabbing Headlines The success of a business plan stands or falls on its ability to get potential investors to take a moment to read it. Nothing works better for doing this than well-written headlines designed to interrupt and engage investors. Prove It! - Give Your Marketing and Advertising More Credibility Your marketing and advertising won't be effective if your potential customers don't believe the claims you make. So how can you prove your that you can do what you say you can?Tone it down. LED video Displays LED video displays give you the power to communicate, to motivate, and to entertain. Led video displays are seen to be sited for outdoor advertising, in casinos, for events like sporting events in stadium and arena, for staging and mobile display etc. Design Your Own Newspaper Ads Many people in business lay-out (design) their ownads. That old adage "If It Is To Be It Is Up ToMe" prevails. Five Characteristics of Highly Successful Advertising Have you ever spent a small fortune on advertising that generated disappointment rather than sales?Many small business owners have been down the road of flat advertising results and are at a loss when it comes to developing new ideas to improve the response to their ads.Whether you run ads in your local newspaper, your industry's top periodical or on-line, you need your investment in advertising to pay for itself, and then some, in order to justify its cost. Custom LED Display Custom LED Display, as the name specifies, facilitate control anything with any message that you can think of, from hours of operation to daily specials. These are used by almost all industries like factory, banks, airports, universities, libraries, and many others. I Dont Want to be Different To succeed in today's crowded marketplace where most of the products and advertising look exactly the same, a small business owner must stand out, shouting above the din with a message so clear and compelling that prospects stop and take notice. It's a matter of business survival. How to Save Money by Making Your Own Sign In the sign industry we commonly refer to the material that the sign is made out of as the substrate. Examples include, wood, vinyl banners, aluminum, coroplast, etc. Your Eye Catching Publicity Flyer Your website is done, your business cards have been delivered, and your brochure has received accolades. In the promoting department you have everything you need, right? Well, there is one item you lack and by having this item in your arsenal it can be a dealmaker for you. How To Track Your Advertising Like A Hawk Tired of pouring endless money into advertising? Do you wonder which ads are "REALLY" working for the business you manage? Would you like a bullet-proof system for capturing the results from your advertising and marketing? Below are three concepts that will enable you to track your advertising and marketing like a hawk! Really, it's that simple!Developing a tracking system: As a business owner/executive/manager, you need an efficient way to record and evaluate the results from your advertising and marketing programs. To get started, you will need a "prospect card" which includes a list of ALL the places you advertise and market your company.
|
  |
| © 2007 |
Comment by Gary Chaison