When it comes to a great commercial or advertising campaign, there is no questioning about how it got done. Most successful ads and marketing campaigns stem from individuals, whether at an ad agency or the small business person, spending some time looking at their market, their target sales and the best ways to accomplish that.

So what makes up a great campaign? Another way to say it is, "How do I drive traffic to my door, whether a brick and mortar store, online presence or a combination of the two and increase my sales in a dramatic way? Briefly let's look at a couple of key concepts that should get your next radio or TV commercial come to life.

Firstly and most importantly you must spend a few minutes gathering some basic information about your market, your proposed share of the market and how you will get there. What are your sales figures now, and what would you like them to be? What is your image in the market and what would you like it to be? What is your credibility with the consumer and where does it need to go?

By answering a few of these questions, you are well on your way to begin to conceptualize your next campaign. Answering some of those questions though, might not be as easy as it looks - So take the time that is needed to be educated about where you are and where you need to go.

Secondly, when you first start looking at radio or TV you should ask yourself, how will each affect my goals? Will TV or radio be more effective or a combination of the two? Quite honestly, many find that the costs of cable are relative if not more affordable than radio, but your initial entry costs will be higher when you try and incorporate a decent video backdrop to your commercial. Which format will reach my customers best and most economically - You will obviously want to talk with radio and cable reps in your area and get familiar with the costs associated with each. Before we move on, let's look at some areas where the successful commercials and campaigns benefit and why some commercials are a flop.

With all things being equal, where most of the high impact commercials come in with increased overall revenue in sales, revolves around high quality content. From voice over scripting to video to the music production, it's all quality no questions asked. The problem that so many small business owners face is the trade off of a great sounding and looking spot which costs a little more than the radio station in-house voice over guy and video department, but makes a huge difference in the long run.

Believe it or not, while most individuals aren't musicians, most consumers know when they hear good music and when they are looking at quality video with a seasoned voice over professional and when it's cheesy - that's a fact. If you relay cheap sounding and looking commercials, chances are, that you won't see an increase in your overall sales and your credibility factor with your potential customers will rate somewhere between mediocre to ok - who wants that? You want to be viewed as one of the best in your field with sales to back it up.

With that in mind, your most critical criteria in determining whether or not the money that you are spending on your radio or TV spot, relies on the quality of the initial production. Are you looking to save $1,000 on the front end to trade in valuable, long term sales and credibility or will you make a modest investment to procure future sales and customers loyal to you and your brand because you have the look and feel of quality and had the foresight to do it right - It's that simple.

Cheap looking spots typically get cheap results and are viewed in some degree of cheap. You want to build your business, then build it right, not by throwing away needless dollars, but by being choosy with whom you have write and produce your spot. Get choosy with your commercial because your customers are plenty choosy and will tell you in your overall sales revenue one way or the other - So do it right!

About the Author

Mr Gauger is an accomplished radio and TV writer with too many credits to list here. You may contact the author at tgauger@reelmusicianpro.com or 615-300-5030. Mr Gauger works with small business to large national companies and you may visit his website at http://www.reelmusicianpro.com