Watching television is not what it used to be. You don’t even have to be using an actual television to watch it anymore! This is thanks to OTT (over-the-top) services, like Netflix, Hulu and HBO Max, named so because they go over the top of traditional broadcasting providers, which used to be the all-powerful overlords of the television world.

Not only have OTT services changed the game for the millions of people streaming their favorite shows rather than catching them when they air on cable, but it’s also changed the way small businesses market themselves.

There are so many reasons to take advantage of OTT advertising. Keep reading to learn about just a few of the many benefits of OTT advertising for small businesses.

5 key benefits of OTT advertising

#1. Reach a wider audience

With more than 6 million people cutting the cord in 2020, last year was the worst year for traditional pay-TV so far, and that trend is only expected to keep growing (TechCrunch).

Smart marketing is about having a presence wherever your prospective customers are spending their time. These days, that’s on their TVs, laptops and smartphones, streaming digital TV.

More and more people are turning to OTT services for their television enjoyment, and by taking advantage of OTT advertising, you can make sure that you have a seat at the table.

#2. Drive results with pinpoint targeting

Just because billions of people are streaming, it doesn’t mean that you need to get in front of all of them. The most effective advertising is about getting in front of the right audience.

This is part of the reason why traditional TV advertising — and other outbound marketing strategies — don’t hold up in the digital age. They’re all about getting your message in front of as many people as possible, hoping the right people happen to be tuning in.

With OTT advertising, you can make sure that your message gets in front of only those who are most likely to want or need what you have to offer. You can target people by age, gender, location, income level, education, time of device use and many other demographics.

#3. Monitor and maximize your results

One of the most difficult aspects of traditional TV advertising is that it’s difficult to measure how it performs. You get information on viewer location and whether or not the screen stays on, but that’s about it.

With OTT advertising, you get a whole lot more information about how your ads are doing and what you can do to maximize your results.

Monitor the performance of your ads based on your goals and targeting, and A/B test your ads to ensure you have the best digital TV ads running. Advanced analytics data for your OTT ads means you can do more of what’s working and less of what’s not.

#4. Catch the attention of your audience

Traditional television ads are easy to fast forward (with a DVR), and even if you don’t fast forward, most people take the long ad break to go to the bathroom or grab a snack.

With OTT services, ad breaks are a lot shorter — 90 seconds vs. 4 to 6 minutes — which means viewers are much more likely to stick around and actually watch it. Plus, OTT ads aren’t skippable, so you can rest assured that your audience is viewing the entirety of your ads.

The viewing experience of OTT ads is a lot more palatable to viewers because it’s shorter, and since there’s often a countdown clock accompanying the ads, they know exactly how much time is left in the ad break.

#5. Get more out of your advertising budget

When it comes to small business marketing, every dollar you spend needs to count. Most small businesses can’t afford to sink money into marketing strategies that don’t work or that aren’t cost-effective.

The great thing about OTT advertising is that it gets you a lot of bang for your buck. Compared to traditional TV advertising, OTT advertising is much cheaper.

Plus, with the analytics data available with OTT advertising, you can maximize your ROI (return on investment) even more by fine-tuning your campaigns.

The future of TV advertising is OTT advertising. Take advantage of these and the many other benefits of OTT advertising with Marketing 360®. See our plans and pricing.