For many years, the majority of American companies have relied on television for their largest and most important advertisements. Times when unusually large amounts of people watch TV, such as the Superbowl, used to be companies’ focuses on advertising. However, as people use the internet more and more, companies must adjust their marketing strategies to reach the maximum amount of people.

Television’s Declining Significance

Many Americans still watch TV, particularly for sporting events. However, thanks to streaming services and the availability of recorded events on YouTube, running a commercial on major channels is not enough. For major companies, continuing to run some commercials on TV makes sense, but these companies must also turn to the internet. For small and local businesses, TV ads may not be worth the money or time.

Social Media’s Growing Popularity

Social media is no longer new, but it is always growing in popularity. People who watch TV also generally have social media accounts, so companies can reach these consumers through multiple platforms. Companies should have social media accounts on all major sites, including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. They can use these pages to give followers updates and exclusive information about products. However, businesses must also focus on advertising on social media outside of their pages. Most social media sites allow companies to purchase ad space. These can be single images or, for sites such as YouTube, full-length commercials similar to the ones made for TV.

Other Sites’ Importance

The internet has many frequently visited locations that are not social media sites, and companies must take advantage of these marketing opportunities. Pay per click advertisements, or PPC, is the ads that appear at the top and bottom of search engine result pages. Companies can purchase these spaces from search engines and add their content and website links. Unlike most forms of social media, these ads are not free; companies must pay the search engine a certain amount of money each time a client uses the link. Businesses should also contact local news websites to see if they run advertisements on the sidebar of their blogs.

As technology develops and becomes more available to people, businesses must be willing to change their advertising methods. They do not have to stop using traditional ads such as those on TV, but unless these promotions are supplemented by online commercials, businesses cannot possibly stay relevant or competitive within their industries.