Selling TV Advertising Is Both Rewarding and Frustrating
No one promised selling TV advertising would be easy (or, at least, no one should have). It’s both a very complex medium and the one more people spend more time viewing.
Recent Borrell Associates research indicates 68% of ad agencies consider broadcast TV as the best advertising medium for branding, with social media second at 56% and video advertising and cable TV tied for third at 48%. Agencies judge broadcast TV third as the best selling medium, at 33%, behind SEM, 48%, and social media, 37%.
These comparisons clearly reveal one of your greatest challenges selling TV advertising to local advertisers. Branding, on TV or any medium, is subtle and, therefore, requires patience to generate a good to excellent ROI; however, local advertisers want to sell their products and services, and quickly.
The good news is you’re in the best position of all local media reps to help local advertisers reap the long-term benefits of branding on TV coordinated with SEM and social media. To make this combination work effectively, local advertisers’ TV spots must not only brand their businesses, but also drive consumers to their social media pages and major search engines with specific calls-to-action.
New research from Nielsen – its second Millennials on Millennials report – reinforces a point you undoubtedly know too well: Millennials (21–37) watch much less TV news than adults 38+, or monthly reach percentages of 61% and 90%, respectively, during December 2017. Equally well-known is Millennials’ preference for news via digital channels.
The good news is two-fold, however. First, Millennials’ TV news viewing spikes during breaking news stories, as it did during President Trump’s Inauguration. Second, Millennials trust the information they receive during late-night TV shows and are more focused on the information related to the topics important to them.
This provides your station with the opportunity to promote your news programming, both on-air and digital, especially its coverage of breaking news, during late-night TV to maximize your reach of Millennials.
