{"id":23156,"date":"2020-02-24T10:38:59","date_gmt":"2020-02-24T16:38:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vendasta.com\/blog\/?p=23156"},"modified":"2026-01-26T22:19:35","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T22:19:35","slug":"challenges-tv-companies-face","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vendasta.com\/blog\/challenges-tv-companies-face\/","title":{"rendered":"Challenges TV Companies Face (and How to Remedy Them)"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Intro” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ global_colors_info=”{}”]TV was once the king of all advertising. Second to none. Unparalleled. And it was a long dynasty too. But, just like Romans (and many before them), most great kingdoms eventually fall.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These are the projected ad spends for TV and digital between 2020 and 2023. TV ad spend is set to decline at a rate of 2.2% annually to $68.89B by 2023, while digital channels are projected to grow from $129B to $161B by 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Challenges

Source: eMarketer<\/p><\/div>\n

Great kingdoms fall, or they evolve.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The British monarchy has already survived 1500 years. Today\u2019s monarchy has but remnants of the characteristics that comprised 500 AD Britain. Today\u2019s monarchy has evolved with the technological and socio-cultural movements to become an institution that is more strongly aligned with the values of the modern day masses.<\/span><\/p>\n

In other words, TV isn\u2019t going away. However, the growing opportunity in digital presents a pristine opportunity for TV companies to mitigate declining ad revenue and launch powerful new digital revenue channels.<\/strong>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Why You Should Add Digital Marketing to TV” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Why You Should Add Digital Marketing to TV\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

In TV, you\u2019re in the business of selling ads that\u2019ll drive leads and sales to your customer\u2019s business. The core concept of selling digital remains exactly the same, just through a different medium.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

TV companies are in a unique position to cover even more of the market and provide a comprehensive solution to customers by combining core competencies with a digital approach. In fact, How Advertising Works Today found that \u201cunified cross-media campaigns were on average 57%<\/a> more effective than those that aren’t.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And according to Borrell Associates, it\u2019s what local ad buyers want to invest in. This chart shows that 25% of local respondents in this 2018 study were trimming their TV spending in 2019, while roughly 57% planned to increase spending across almost a dozen digital channels.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"radio<\/p>\n

Borrell Associates<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

However, the opportunity is real for TV. In fact, TV brands are actually better poised to become cross-media providers for than most competing marketing agencies. Consider that most agencies cannot easily offer traditional media solutions (like TV), without partnering with someone like you. However, with the right white-label partner, you can easily plug and play new digital solutions and build a comprehensive marketing funnel for your clients.<\/span>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Benefits of Digital” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

Benefits of Digital<\/span><\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. Your audience is online:<\/strong> According to the global web index, digital consumers are now spending <\/span>6 \u00be<\/span><\/a> hours a day online, with 51% of that time spent via mobile device, and 2.2 of those hours being spent on social media alone. Consumers have reduced TV consumption in favour of more mobile driven alternatives, creating a lucrative opportunity for your clients to bridge the two platforms.<\/span><\/b><\/li>\n
  2. Tracking and reporting with ease:<\/strong> By nature, digital solutions enable much more accurate tracking and proof of performance reporting than traditional counterparts. TV performance can be difficult to report on, so digital solutions can make your offering more tangible in the eyes of your clients. In fact, <\/span>Vendasta\u2019s Churn Study<\/span><\/a> demonstrated that SMBs who receive regular proof of performance reports have a 38% increased retention rate compared to SMBs who do not.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Do more with less:<\/strong> That’s the power of automation. Cross-media campaigns that may appear to be very high involvement might actually be as simple as a couple clicks. For example, email campaigns for clients can be triggered automatically, product upgrades completed entirely online, etc.<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Ability to personalize:<\/strong> Market segmentation on TV ads is limited to timing and programming, but through social media and search solutions, you can perform more extensive segmentation for your clients.<\/span><\/li>\n
  5. And most importantly, the businesses that you sell to NEED digital solutions.<\/strong> They\u2019ll either get them from you or else the marketing agency down the street, so you may as well grow your revenue in the process.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”TV Challenges When Selling Digital (And How to Overcome Them)” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

    TV Challenges When Selling Digital (<\/span>And How to Overcome Them<\/span><\/em>)<\/span><\/h2>\n

    This all sounds great, but selling digital isn\u2019t (quite) as simple as flipping a switch and watching the cash fly in. Your sales reps will need training to understand new solution sets, you\u2019ll have new competitors in the digital space, regulating cost of acquisition (CAC) might be a challenge, and then there\u2019s always the matter of fulfilling on new solution sets.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Here are the top challenges as well as key sales insights for conquering them:<\/span><\/em>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”1. Training the sales team to sell digital” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

    1. Training the sales team to sell digital<\/span><\/h3>\n

    You likely have some very talented and very experienced sales reps on your roster. However, if TV is their domain, learning a new industry can be a tall task and be high cost to your organization.<\/span><\/p>\n

    There\u2019s no doubt, the digital marketing world is complex and ever-changing. For those with decades of expertise within the likes of TV, radio, or newspaper advertising, learning a new industry with new sales tactics and pipeline dynamics can be daunting. Fortunately, we can help.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Remember, constant learning is more important than ever before<\/span><\/h4>\n

    According to David Little of Comporium, training\u2014and digital training\u2014is the cornerstone of success when embracing the digital market:<\/span>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_testimonial author=”David Little” job_title=”SVP of Enterprise Sales” company_name=”Comporium Media Services” portrait_url=”\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/07\/download-2-17.webp” quote_icon_background_color=”#ecf0f5″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ body_text_color=”gcid-body-color” author_text_color=”#666666″ position_text_color=”#666666″ company_text_color=”#666666″ max_width=”95%” link_option_url=”https:\/\/www.conquerlocal.com\/podcast\/102-traditional-sales-reps-transitioning-digital-david-little\/” link_option_url_new_window=”on” global_colors_info=”{%22gcid-body-color%22:%91%22body_text_color%22%93}” body_text_color__hover=”#000000″ body_text_color__hover_enabled=”on|hover” portrait_alt=”David Little”]<\/p>\n

    “It really comes down to technology. It comes down to utilizing the tools that we have through e-learning, sales training, presentation materials. You really need to be able to show the sales reps that you have the ability to support them, and then you need to hold them accountable.”<\/p>\n

    [\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]But it\u2019s not just a one-time deal, because digital is always changing. Training around digital solutions is a process of constant learning, so that your reps can always be on top of the most recent research or industry trends.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Then, change your perspective<\/span><\/h4>\n

    Our own CRO, George Leith notes that it\u2019s often a shift in perspective that\u2019s required to succeed in digital selling today:<\/span>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_testimonial author=”George Leith” job_title=”CRO” company_name=”Vendasta” portrait_url=”\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/07\/download-5-11.webp” quote_icon_background_color=”#ecf0f5″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ body_text_color=”gcid-body-color” author_text_color=”#666666″ position_text_color=”#666666″ company_text_color=”#666666″ max_width=”95%” global_colors_info=”{%22gcid-body-color%22:%91%22body_text_color%22%93}” body_text_color__hover=”#000000″ body_text_color__hover_enabled=”on|hover” portrait_alt=”George Leith”]<\/p>\n

    “It is the salesperson that turns themselves into a consultant, that does constant learning, they are the ones that are going to be winning, and we’re seeing them win today.”<\/p>\n

    [\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

    Product pushing isn\u2019t going to close the deal in digital. Opportunity is ripe for the sales rep that can actively look to diagnose problems and pair them with solutions. Training on <\/span>consultative selling<\/span><\/a> will be the key to unlocking accelerated sales successes.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Make resources available<\/span><\/h4>\n

    There\u2019s a limit to the hand holding you can provide your reps before it becomes a drain on your human capital. That\u2019s why it\u2019s critical to deploy learning resources outside of core training to enable reps to pursue that constant learning on their own.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Consider deploying a learning management system (LMS) for your reps so that they can pursue that constant education on their own, and have custom learning paths built for reps that may want to specialize in certain areas.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Pro Sales Tip From Aaron LeBlanc:<\/strong> Make it easy for your traditional sales team to be successful. Don’t overwhelm them by adding too many new solutions at once. To start growing new revenue quickly, choose a few key services that add to your TV advertising, like local findability. Then layer on additional marketing and advertising AFTER they get a few wins.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

    [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”2. Motivating product uptake with clients” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

    2. Motivating product uptake with clients<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Once you\u2019ve established the proper training procedures, you\u2019re going to encounter another challenge, and that is passing that education on to your clients.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Your strength:<\/strong> You likely have very strong client relationships built on high degrees of trust.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Your weakness:<\/strong> Your clients trust you when it comes to TV\u2014because that\u2019s your core competency, but they might be hesitant to be as trusting when it comes to new digital solutions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    The spillover effect<\/span><\/h4>\n

    Marketing spillover is the effect whereby you run TV ads for a client and someone sees the ad, thinks about it for the evening, then searches for your clients company organically at work the next morning, and proceeds to make a purchase or convert on a form\u2014so the lead manifests itself as being \u201corganic search\u201d in nature. The same effect can result from paid social media ads.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Marketing spillover is a beautiful thing because it speaks to the power in multi-platform marketing, but it\u2019s also terrifying\u2014because it is nearly impossible to quantify. But the reality is simple: spillover is nearly impossible to quantify when running TV alone, but it is much easier to interpret through cohesive, multi-platform campaign offerings.<\/span>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_testimonial author=”Aaron LeBlanc” job_title=”Director of Enterprise Sales” company_name=”Vendasta” portrait_url=”\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2025\/07\/download-43.webp” quote_icon_background_color=”#ecf0f5″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ body_text_color=”gcid-body-color” author_text_color=”#666666″ position_text_color=”#666666″ company_text_color=”#666666″ max_width=”95%” global_colors_info=”{%22gcid-body-color%22:%91%22body_text_color%22%93}” body_text_color__hover=”#000000″ body_text_color__hover_enabled=”on|hover” portrait_alt=”Aaron LeBlanc”]<\/p>\n

    \u201cAdvertising is purchased to increase sales. Businesses spend money on ads because they want awareness and leads. They want to increase the top line. If you are an Auto Dealer, manufacturers mandate that you must spend 50-60% of your budget on digital. As a TV company, that\u2019s 50-60% of your clients\u2019 budgeted spend that you are giving up out the back door\u2014or you can make it part of your stack of solutions and grow both your revenue, and your clients\u2019 bottom line.\u201d<\/p>\n

    [\/et_pb_testimonial][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s about data leverage<\/span><\/h4>\n

    TV advertising is effective, of that there is no doubt. The advantage for clients in adding digital is:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n