Super Bowl Sunday has always been a “Big” day for “Small” businesses. Many retailers have Super Bowl sales, and bars and restaurants use this day to make up for the normal after Christmas slowdown.The problem comes when a small business that relies on Super Bowl Sunday sales fail to let their customers know about their big deals. This happens when the business owner hasn’t done their homework to find out which form of advertising is best to reach their target market.
Mark Reino, CEO of MeritMile.com, feels small business owners can learn valuable lessons from the big-budget Super Bowl commercials that are almost as popular as the game itself.
“First and foremost take budget out of the equation while analyzing these advertisements.” What you should take away from these spots, he said, is the type of research that goes into creating them.
“These days, the industry is as much scientific as it is creative,” Reino said. “I think small businesses get around to marketing when it’s convenient. They invest in the media…and in creative aspects.”
However, no matter how creative this mix is, if a business isn’t measuring the impact of its campaigns on consumers, it’s not worth the investment.
Another lesson small businesses can take from big business can be found on Social Media. Doritos runs a contest on Youtube.com where people create their own Super Bowl commercials for Doritos and then fans vote on the winner which will appear on the Super Bowl.
So why can’t local mom and pop businesses do the same thing? YouTube is the second largest search engine on the Internet. Just by naming your video a Super Bowl Ad will give it added exposure by the millions of people searching YouTube for the latest Super Bowl advertisements.
For additional information on how to make your small businesses appear larger than life. Contact The University of Scranton Small Business Development Center at (570) 941-7588.
Enjoy the game !!
Keith Yurgosky
Business Consultant
University of Scranton SBDC