Promoting Your Business on Cable Access TV

Written by Carolyn Moncel


"Don't knock it until you've tried it." That's what I told a political opponent's campaign manager when he laughed at me for using cable access television as part of my communications strategy. Unfortunately for him, he would learn too late what I already knew -- that implementing this medium into any communications strategy (political or otherwise) is a pretty good idea, and can reap tremendous benefits.

A few years ago, I took a break from public relations to work on my first local city council race. The candidate was actually my older brother, a person very active in his community but felt it was time to do more inrepparttar realm of public service. So he decided to run for office.

Fromrepparttar 120780 beginning we both knew that one ofrepparttar 120781 biggest problems he would face, as a first-time candidate, would be how to gain name recognition. One ofrepparttar 120782 ways in which we planned to circumventrepparttar 120783 problem was by integratingrepparttar 120784 use of cable-access television into our communications strategy.

Yes, cable-access television! I know it sounds strange, andrepparttar 120785 old Wayne's World skits from Saturday Night Live must certainly come to mind. In fact, most small-business owners do chuckle atrepparttar 120786 mere mention ofrepparttar 120787 medium, but what they often don't realize is that many ofrepparttar 120788 same media strategies used in political campaigns can and are regularly implemented to promote small-business owners and their company services. Here's what you should know in order to take full advantage of this often under-used medium.

Respect Cable Access Hosts as Potential Customers

Sure, many cable access hosts are just ordinary citizens who want an outlet for expressing their views, but many of them also have prominent professional careers. No matter what their backgrounds happen to be, don't they also represent potential customers? You bet, and by appearing on their shows, you get a chance to describe your business in plain speech, talk directly to your customers and also practice doing interviews.

Contact Cable Access Hosts Early

Each cable outlet is different but most only allow hosts to produce a limited amount of shows so that everyone gets an equal chance at exposure. But, did you know that you can also use this information to prevent your competitor from appearing on future shows? Here's an example of how we did it.

Duringrepparttar 120789 campaign I was able to book my candidate on five ofrepparttar 120790 eight available shows devoted to political issues. Byrepparttar 120791 time our opponent's campaign manager discovered our plan, it was too late to get a booking becauserepparttar 120792 production schedule had ended forrepparttar 120793 quarter -- a mere 60 days beforerepparttar 120794 election. The cable access shows really served as an electronic billboard for us, allowing our candidate to appear on television twice per day on each access station for two solid months. Potential voters saw our candidate 112 times on television, which made him quite recognizable onrepparttar 120795 street.

Help Repoorters "Beat the Clock" and They'll Help You "Beat the Drum"

Written by George McKenzie


Imagine that you had lunch with an important client or prospect. You thought you had plenty of time, butrepparttar client/prospect got chatty,repparttar 120779 restaurant was jammed and service was slow.

It's now about 1:45 and you're due back atrepparttar 120780 office for an important 2:00 o'clock meeting. You can't afford to be late. If you hitrepparttar 120781 traffic lights just right, you'll walk intorepparttar 120782 conference room right on time.

But you don't hitrepparttar 120783 first couple of lights just right, and you're starting to sweat.

Then at 1:55, half a mile fromrepparttar 120784 office, you seerepparttar 120785 blocking arms coming down just as you're pulling up to arepparttar 120786 train crossing. A freight train lumbers into view.

Now you're really sweating about being late.

Ever had that feeling? Not fun, huh?

That'srepparttar 120787 feeling most people inrepparttar 120788 news business live with. Not just once in a while either.

Every day.

Unless you've been through it, you can't imaginerepparttar 120789 gut-wrenching and hand-wringing that goes on as a deadline approaches and you're battling to get your column written, your radio report ready, or your TV live shot onrepparttar 120790 air.

There are constant challenges --

Journalistic: Is my information accurate? Have I confirmed it? Is there anything important I'm leaving out? Will my competition have something I don't?

Human: there are other people screwing up their jobs all around you, but you still have to get yours done as if everything and everyone performed flawlessly.

Technical: Computers crash, cameras and tape recorders don't work, tires go flat. Technological advances in newsgathering have been breathtaking since I got intorepparttar 120791 business in. But one thing hasn't changed: Murphy's Law.

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