06 Jul Sweeps

You may or may not have noticed an increase in give-a-ways, media blitzes, news coverages and other hype from your television (and social media feeds).

Well folks, we are in “sweeps” which is an industry term for ratings measurement via Nielsen. That’s actually the most blunt and easiest way to explain it. Media folks use these antiquated measurements to purchase airtime on your behalf.

According to TVB, “The Nielsen Company measures local quarter-hour television viewing in TV homes across 210 markets. There are 56 metered markets – including 25 local people meter markets, and 154 diary-only markets. Survey dates include four major “sweeps” in February, May, July and November with additional survey periods for various markets.”

What’s tricky is how we measure viewership, as a result of a social media post. I like the infographic here…but totally disregard the actual article (really…2-11 year old viewing habits are being tracked??).

http://www.adweek.com/news/television/infographic-exclusive-look-inside-nielsen-ratings-shows-whos-watching-and-when-164816

For example, you’re on Twitter and you’ve hashtagged something like Baltimore riots. You then see a headline, click on it, then watch a video of an earlier newscast.

Gettin’ tricky, right? You know we media people are worse than lawyers when it comes to arguing ratings, for or against an inflated number…but how can you as a business owner play in the major league with a small advertising budget? What you will hear me preach is the importance of having at least one platform for an internet presence. (No offense to my lawyer friends, I like you).
•You should have a website (you can build one for free with sites like wix.com)
•You can double-map your business Facebook page so it posts on twitter simultaneously. Please don’t use your personal page for business- follow the rules and create a page.
•You can use LinkedIn for postings industry-related articles.
•You can write articles and submit them for printing in publications. They print them and upload them so the articles can be accessed online.

I can’t wait for “sweeps” to go away, often the sample size is smaller than my thumbnail.

http://www.tvb.org/planning_buying/5658

Germono Advertising Company launched December 2013 as a full-service advertising agency specializing in traditional media buying and placement in the Norfolk DMA and focusing on helping local businesses succeed. For more information, visit www.Germono.com, like the Germono Advertising Company Facebook page at www.facebook.com/germonoadvertisingcompany or call 757-777-3780 to learn more.