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Traffic Jam

By Tom Schafer

I'm driving through traffic to work. Am I surfing the internet? Am I watching television? Of course not. I'm listening to the radio. Even in rush-hour traffic I need my eyes from time-to-time.

There are many surveys yielding statistics that show people are watching less television and spending more time on the internet.

Many years ago, as a college student, I watched with interest as TV watchers replaced radio listeners.

No, television did not kill radio as many people first thought. But it changed radio.

Personally, I listen to the radio when I am driving, working with my hands, or using the computer. In other words, I listen to the radio at times when my eyes are occupied elsewhere.

In the radio/television scenario, I would have watched television rather than listened to the radio if my eyes had been available for use. That holds true today.

Television will not fare as well against the internet as radio did against television because both the internet and television require use of the eyes.

Whereas, I am not forecasting the death of television, I do forecast a change in effective use of advertising dollars.

There are only so many hours in the day I can devote to the media.

I read the newspaper almost everyday. I see statistics that say reading newspapers is down. I may not read the paper as thoroughly as I once did, and I have dropped such papers as Irving News and Wall Street Journal, but I still tackle the Dallas Morning News with some regularity.I know people who don't touch any newspaper. I know people who read the Sunday paper only or read sporadically at best.

I watch the news everyday. I also have to work, eat, sleep, and enjoy my grandkids. This leaves me some entertainment time to myself to make a media choice.

Will I watch television, read a book, read a magazine, or surf the net?

More and more I find that I am reading computer magazines or surfing the net. Television loses. Magazines that I did read such as Newsweek lose, too. Small newspapers that I read religiously lose. Ditto Wallstreet. What does this mean for you if I spend more time on the internet than in orther forms of media?

I am not seeing your advertisement unless it is in a computer magazine on or the internet.r advertising dollar? Better change your plans and your budget.

As less people read the news and weekly magazines, forego or greatly curtail their newspaper reading, watch less television, and spend that time on the internet, you are going to need the internet to reach your market.That much is obvious.

What is not obvious, yet, is how to reach your market through the internet. Just obvious that you should get going.

Tom

Can I suggest:

1. Start with a company web site. The web site is an advertisement and also what you need as a jumping-off point for banner ads.

2. Put your web address in all your other advertising.

We did that with SOLO Lifestyles for Singles 15 months ago. Although our distribution of hard copies has increased in 15 months, the internet has gone wild. All for a little extra time and very little money.

The time has come for you to reexamine your advertising plans. You will probably decide, as SOLO did, to join the information age with a web site.

Chris

Other articles on web marketing by Chris Wilson:

What Is a Web Site?
Where's the Traffic?