Think-Big Tank: The Small-Business Idea Center

Non-Traditional Advertising Helps SMB Owners Weather Economic Turmoil

In today’s uncertain economic climate, small and medium-sized business (SMB) owners are looking for ways to minimize their advertising spend while maximizing their exposure to drive business. To successfully meet this goal, some are abandoning traditional high-cost mass media advertising campaigns for integrated, diverse and individually tailored marketing plans that target local consumers.

According to estimates provided to eMarketer.com by Jack Myers Media Business Report, 2009 marks the first year that online ad spending is greater than spending for local and national TV spots. Online expenditures are forecast at 12.2 percent of total expenditures, up from 10.6 percent in 2008.

Growth in online advertising is also evident among SMBs. According to an ongoing study by The Kelsey Group, a higher percentage of SMBs are now using online media than traditional media for advertising and promotion. The study also revealed that while SMBs cut their overall advertising and promotion spending, they were allocating a higher percentage of spending to the online medium.

The Cincinnati Bell advertising group is in a unique position to help SMBs maximize results from non-traditional advertising. Instead of selling advertising packages that are exclusively cable or online, the group works to develop an integrated campaign tailored specifically to the business’ needs.

Online Metrics Make Sense

Digital advertising, such as Web site banners, are relatively inexpensive and enable businesses to precisely measure the impact of their campaigns. New media is all about metrics because it’s relatively easy for a business to determine exactly how many people saw and clicked on its ad.

High-traffic, hyper-local Web sites such as Cincinnati Bell’s ZoomTown.com give local SMBs an affordable way to reach consumers in Greater Cincinnati. Digital advertising is also flexible, meaning that tactics can be changed mid-campaign if a business isn’t seeing the expected results.

Loveland, Ohio-based Rozzi Fireworks recently launched a massive digital campaign in the Cincinnati area, which included advertising on ZoomTown.com with Cincinnati Bell. Using online metrics, they found that 95 percent of people who clicked on their ad were visiting from the ZoomTown site. This information will help Rozzi Fireworks to tailor future advertising strategies to reach their target audience more efficiently.

Marketing Goes Mobile

Wireless phone users are a largely untapped audience for local advertising in Cincinnati.

Text messaging is gaining popularity as an advertising medium because it is relatively inexpensive and enables businesses to reach out to highly targeted consumers, according to AllBusiness.com. Cincinnati Bell offers text message advertising options that reach more than 500,000 cell phone subscribers in the greater Cincinnati and Dayton area.

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra recently took advantage of text message advertising through Cincinnati Bell; every Friday a text message of their latest news and upcoming events is sent out to Cincinnati Bell Wireless customers who subscribe to the updates. This form of advertising gives the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra a low-cost medium to reach a highly targeted set of local consumers.

Get Creative with Twitter Promotions

Many companies have offered promotions through Twitter because it’s quick, easy, and effective.

And retailers are having some fun with it. Whole Foods Market® ran a promotion where it tweeted a pass code and a store location. The first five people who revealed the pass code at that store received a $25 gift certificate.

Promotions in general are a great way to connect with your customers, but Twitter takes that one step further. It allows your followers to “retweet” your promotions, meaning they can send your tweet to all of their followers and so on. The viral potential is endless.

Chances are you’re already offering promotions to your customers in some fashion. Twitter is just another vehicle in your arsenal. But the quirky nature of the application enables you to do some things you might not consider with traditional methods.

Cincinnati Bell is helping SMBs advertise promotions and specials through the Twitter hashtag #all4local. Find out more about how Twitter hashtags work and how they can help you grow your business here.

Mobile Coupons Encourage Interaction with Your Brand

Everyone loves a deal, especially in an economy such as this. If you want to attract more customers, offer them a savings. Free online services such as Cellfire® enable consumers to download coupons directly to their mobile devices. Here’s how it works:

Consumers log into Cellfire’s application, which they’ve downloaded to their mobile devices. By entering their zip code, they can pull all the promotions in a specific region. The coupons are ready to use at retailers throughout the city.

Subscribers simply apply a mobile coupon to their purchases by revealing their cell phone screen containing the discount code to the retail outlet at the point of purchase. Unlike text-based services, Cellfire’s application-based service enables consumers to easily store, search, and use many discounts across multiple merchants and locations.

Mobile coupons are cost-effective and have extremely high redemption rates. These types of programs give retailers opportunities to achieve one-on-one interactivity on a mobile device, drive volume at the point of sale, and encourage an ongoing interaction with their brand.

Some big names are trialing the technology. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Unilever launched a trial this year that lets consumers redeem digital coupons by having a supermarket cashier scan their cell phones.

Cellfire is currently the only nationwide mobile coupon and discount offer service, but if the model proves successful, other providers are sure to spring up. For more information contact Cincinnati Bell at advertising@cinbell.com.

Bundle and Save

Just like bundling phone, Internet, and wireless services can help consumers save money on their phone bills, SMB owners should look for opportunities to bundle their advertising dollars. Cincinnati Bell recently offered SMB customers who subscribe to two or more of their services the opportunity to bundle an advertising package worth $1,500 for just $99 per month.

Cable advertisers in Cincinnati face the unique challenge of dealing with different companies on either side of the river. Buying advertising from two companies rather than dealing only with a single provider increases the cost of a television campaign. Fioptic TV, Cincinnati Bell’s new state-of-the-art fiber-optic digital television offering, reaches a growing number of homes and businesses in the Greater Cincinnati area, including Northern Kentucky, giving SMB owners a viable option for reaching a larger customer base with fewer advertising dollars.

The Sky’s the Limit

The opportunities for creative, local marketing are endless. Take hometown favorite Skyline Chili; they recently partnered with Cincinnati Bell to develop Skyline Chilivision at select Skyline locations. Chilivision uses LCD TV screens in the restaurants to broadcast local advertising and Fioptic TV programming, reaching local families enjoying a meal.

As the economic landscape remains challenging, SMB owners must adapt their marketing strategies to maximize the impact of their advertising dollars. Cincinnati Bell continues to work to find engaging, cost-effective ways to help SMB owners reach local consumers in the Greater Cincinnati and Dayton areas.

Consider trying out one or more of these suggestions and let us know how it works out. For information about advertising with Cincinnati Bell, call 513-397-9669 or visit www.cinbelladvertising.com.