Web Sites on Cable TV — Advertising Geo
Cable TV might be a strategic advertising option for GeoDomains (and other web sites).
I’ve just signed a deal to buy cable TV advertising to promote Lakeway.com, my geo web site for Lakeway, Texas. The ads will run on CNN, FoxNews, A&E, and a local news channel a little over 200 times each month. Here are my observations regarding cable TV advertising:
-Cable TV ads can usually be targeted to ‘zones’ within a city; you don’t have to advertise to the entire area. This can make it much more affordable.
-I’m not sure how much traffic the ads will drive to Lakeway.com nor how to track it. Online advertising is easy to track; for cable advertising I’ll just have to look for general trends and if any fresh advertisers say they saw the ads.
-Ad terms are different for TV advertising, as you are quoted a “price per point” instead of “cost per thousand”. A point is 1% of the viewers. Overall I’ll pay regarding a $15-$20 CPM.
-Part of the reason I’m doing cable ads is to comfort advertisers. They all ask “how do you get traffic to your site”. I can explain Google Adwords and search engine optimization, but they usually don’t get it. They understand tv ads, local sponsorships, etc.
-We’re going to sprinkle in features of various Lakeway businesses in the ads. The featured businesses will be advertisers on the site, so this will be an added benefit for them. This ought to help us get more advertisers.
-Ordering cable TV ads isn’t easy. It’s not like ordering online ads where it’s all self-serve. You have to meet with an account rep, tell them what you’re looking for, get a quote, fine-tune it, etc. Google still offers TV advertising but it’s not local. I think there’s a business opportunity to really bring local TV advertising online, where you can literally pick your networks, time slots, calculate pricing, etc.
