Joey posting:
So I've be doing this TV thing for some time now. I've seen all kinds of ways to promote TV, some are great ideas, but most are just plain stupid. So for my own sanity, here is my list of how to promote a small market TV station.
Share and Enjoy!
Joey’s list of practices.
1. Always get right to the message. In TV we love to be super creative and make our spots more than what the story is really about. We’ve all done the spot for the a sweeps investigative report on “Death At Your Hands,” only to have the viewers watch and find out the story is really about how many people wash their hands before making dinner. Just stick with your message and don’t make more out of story than what it really is.
2. Explain what you do, in spots state what you do, give the examples, restate. This is really the idea behind the POB or POP. Often these spots turn out to just say look how great we are, we did our job, hurray for me! Just state what it is you do, show the examples of how you did just that, then restate what you do.
3. You don’t need a positioning statement. Your Local News Leader, On Your Side, Right Here Right Now…they don’t mean anything. When done right the positioning statement will be recognized as what you do.
4. Push heavy your website, put more of everything on the web. With more people using the web as their only source of information, make sure that your website is their source of all that is local. Content is king on the web, the more the better.
5. Contests are great if you’re a radio station, not TV…people aren’t coming to your station to win prizes, viewers come for the information. Plus, it’s confusing for the viewer…are we the station that gives trips to Mexico or are we the station that keeps you up to date on local news, weather etc.
6. TV will always beat any print, radio, flyers or any other forms of advertising, except only web. Don’t spend time coming up with a great print/radio/direct mail campaign. Put that energy into a spot.
7. TV promotions should be focused on the on air and web only. Live Events are great if you sell cars, people do not rearrange their days to go see their favorite TV station broadcast live from BillyBobs Used Car Emporium. We live in an on demand world, don’t expect viewers to change their lives for you. Local TV just isn’t that exciting.
8. Sweeps are never won during sweeps. It’s the rest of the time that you win. The habit must be formed before they get a dairy, not while they have it... people will fill out what they did in the past, what they are used to doing.
9. Focus on the team, or news/weather/sports product, some one will leave and if you based your whole image on them, you’ve now have lost what you said made you great.
10. Get the vehicles wrapped.
11. Outfit the reporters/photogs with station gear…hats, polos, umbrellas.
12. Want to know what women 18-34 think, ask them…talk to people in the demo you’re looking at.
13. No one care that the Association of Broadcasters in you state says you’re awesome. Unless it’s an Emmy you won, don’t make a spot. If you have won an Emmy, and you’re making a spot, it should be mentioned at the end of the spot, not the whole point of the spot.