You may not have advertising time on NBC today, but your message still may have exposure to thousands of people in your audience through digital media.
Let me give you an example: I created a video several years ago that has had more than half a million views over a few years. To the person watching the video, they are not aware that the video was created a few years ago, they just want access to the information. To my brand, the value of that video is putting my message in front of a big, and still growing, audience.
How much would it cost to present my brand in front of half a million people?
What the Super Bowl presents to advertisers is the opportunity to put their message in front of millions of people at the same time. The web, presents the same opportunity, but in a few better ways:
| The Super Bowl | Digital Message |
|---|---|
| The message is played live. | The message can be consumed on demand |
| The message is played in front of a large audience all at once. | The message is played in front of one person at a time. |
| The message has one opportunity to be effective. | The message can be improved over time to make it more effective. |
| The message is in front of a large mixed audience, not specifically your target audience. | Your message is in front of a very targeted audience. |
| Your message generates social interaction because it is in front of many people at the same time. | Your message requires your own effort to make it more social. |
| The message is a one way communication vehicle. | The message can be interactive. It can utilize the input of the user to personalize the responses and engage your audience. |
Brands spend a lot of time and money hiring the proper agency, designing the proper message and doing everything possible to make those few seconds count. They take all the precautions so that they get the most bang for the buck. They run focus-groups with the message ahead of time, in order to measure the impact they are getting. Are they getting their money’s worth? Maybe. The most important thing is that they become household names: Budweiser, GoDaddy and Doritos. All have an established brand that is well know internationally. And that in itself is valuable. Next time that you are registering a domain, you may actually think about GoDaddy, at least as one of the options.
But obviously small businesses don’t have the budget to run multi-millionaire campaigns on Super Bowl commercials. But they can do many things that although are not as impactful in such a short period of time, they may be more important in the long run. However, I see small business owners under-appreciating the power of digital channels that are evergreen. In essence, we could call the Internet your own Super Bowl. Your website and some of your digital marketing tactics have a multi-year potential to create an impact, a big one. That impact becomes a multiplying effect when it is cohesive, consistent, repetitive and points back to your brand. Users end up being exposed to your brand and if done with enough repetition, they may even become familiar with it and therefore identify it.
As human beings we are incredibly distracted. Our brains are taking in so many pieces of information that it is almost impossible to break in. But we are creatures of habit. Once we try and like something, we don’t like to change. If you think of soft drinks, you will inevitably think of Coke. If you think of hamburgers, you can’t avoid thinking of McDonalds. So how in the world can you compete against human nature and bring something to the table that will result in a successful business? The answer is consistency. Let me explain:
The way we all learn is through repetition. Do you think that Usain Bolt only runs a couple of times before his races? How did you learn the multiplication tables? Repetition. But repetition means exactly the same. In other words, there is no room for creativity. Imagine how difficult it would be to memorize the multiplication tables if they changed all the time. Do you want your clients to know your brand by memory? Make your delivery repeatable. Make it a system. Exactly the same every time.
How about attracting your audience?
Attracting your target audience to your message is not difficult. It just requires work, consistency and focus. Just like a quarterback, give it your best shot and you’ll get the result you are after.
Is your messaging worthy of your Super Bowl? Are you taking the necessary precautions to make sure that the few seconds of attention, that you get from your prospects, count?
At Merkados, we have worked for years to develop a system that carefully addresses the three main pillars of business growth. We call it the AIM System: Attract, Improve and Momentum.
With our AIM System, we address improving your message, making it consistent, so that you are ready for your Super Bowl. We attract your target audience by making sure that everybody stays for your Half Time Show. And we finally create Momentum: a series of tactics make your efforts grow on their own.
If you would like to learn more about our AIM System and have your business be ready for your Super Bowl, please contact us today!