Television ads were all the rage not so long ago. Then came the internet and the social media channels, and they started taking over. Now more and more people are turning to their devices for entertainment as well as information. But that doesn’t mean that TV is dead, far from it. Television ads are still capable of reaching masses and communicating your message to the entire world. Especially if you choose your timing correctly, like the holiday seasons, the Super Bowl season, or some other event, you can turn quite a profit with a well-placed ad. If you have a video production company or if you want to contact one for your ad, make sure that your timing is right, and your content is flawless. If you use the right strategies and plan your idea, it will become something that people will want to watch and take the action that you want them to take.
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What You Have To Battle?
Making a TV ad is not as easy as it used to be. In the beginning, you only had to compete with companies that had ads of their own and could woo the customers using better tactics than yours. Now you are fighting not only companies that have the same products that you have, but you are also fighting multiple media channels and different types of technologies as well. DVRs now allow people to record TV and play it back whenever they want. They could also fast forward through the ad, which makes it hard to get your message across. If you have paid an arm and a leg to get a spot on prime time, your efforts might go wasted thanks to this technology.
Another thing that you have to take care of is that there are a million things that are vying for the viewers’ attention at the same time. It could be smartphones, VR gaming, picture within a picture, tablets, or a host of other devices that can make it hard for your customers to keep their eyes glued to the TV while your ad is running. If, for example, you are running your ad during the Super Bowl, your ad could be running in millions of homes, but only a fraction of people will be watching it.
These are some of the reasons why your ad has to have killer content so that when people do watch it, they are mesmerized enough to turn their undivided attention towards it and leave everything else that they were doing.
Below we have mentioned the ten-step process that you should implement to make a TV ad for your brand. This way, you can easily ensure the audience’s attention and leave your mark on their minds and hearts.
Step 1: Come Up With An Idea
Television ads are expensive, more so if you are renting space during prime time. You will have to spend a big chunk of your capital on purchasing the right spot at the right time. It means that you have to come up with an out of the box, never thought of before ideas that will make people want to look at your products or services. More than watching, you want them taking action, whether it means picking up the phone and calling you or going to your website to order your product. Make sure that you know your target audience. Know where they are, what they like, what time will they be most likely to be in front of the TV, and other information to make an informed decision.
The best examples are the Dollar Shave Club ad and the Oreo ad during the power outage, among others. These ads create ideas that took the world by storm. The Dollar Shave Club ad had 22.5 million views on YouTube.
Think of something impressive and extraordinary, and people will be pulled by its power automatically.
Step 2: Write A Great Script
Like we said earlier, for your ad to work, everything must be well-thought-of and out of this world. So, now that you have a world-class idea, it’s time for you to write a great script. You can watch some of the most viewed ads of the year to get a reference to what people want to see. If your target audience is 30-50-year-old males and females, then see their interest areas. Check out the pacing of the commercials, the tone, and the direction. It will give you a good idea of what kind of script you have to generate. You have to make sure that you convey the intention of your ad and deliver a big punch at the end to evoke the emotions of your customers.
Step 3: Will You Put People In Your Commercial?
We have seen some of the best actings in commercials. We have also seen animated videos leave their mark on the viewers. Now according to your target audience, you have to decide which way you want to go.
Step 4: Hire A Production Company
Unless you’ve been doing this for a living, you won’t be able to make a professional video without a production company. They have been doing this for a long time and know what to do to get the results you want. They will shoot the ad, edit it, and do everything else for you.
Step 5: Plan Out Your Shots
Depending on your product, you should plan your shots. You can’t show everything in the tiny amount of time that you have. So you have to decide what gets shown and what doesn’t. Pick a product and go with it.
Step 6: Synchronize The Audio And Video
Make sure that your video shows what the audio is saying. When combined, these two elements can become a powerhouse of storytelling.
Step 7: Watch The Time
You might think that you need to put in just a few more seconds, but that will never work. You will only get the time that you paid for, so make sure that you finish your story within that time. As the CTA is the last thing you will show, extending the time might mean losing your CTA.
Step 8: Always Use a Call to Action
Big companies like Nike or Apple might have ads without CTAs, but they are huge companies, and they can do that. You probably can’t. So make sure you give the viewers a CTA before the ad ends.
Step 9: Schedule Your Ad Strategically
One of the essential things about commercials is timings. If you have done your research about your target audience, then you will be able to pick the right time to show your ad.
Step 10: Ensure Frequency for Maximum Impact
A television ad is not something that can work for the first time. You have to keep the message rolling again and again so that the maximum number of viewers can get hooked. So buy enough airtime for your commercial to run multiple times before the same audience.
Conclusion
Even though the market has become super strict, you can still squeeze out a great deal from a well-made and well-placed television ad and increase your sales and number of customers.
