Broadcasting is the term most often used to describe the act of disseminating the news, but for some companies, narrowcasting the news may be a good business strategy.
People's news gathering habits have changed drastically over the past few years. Businesses that use digital signage can benefit from adding a news feed to their signs. Not only will narrowcasting the news get more people's attention, it fits right in with the way many coveted demographics (affluent, educated and under 40) get their news - on the fly and in small chunks.
Trends in News Gathering
It used to be that people got their news from their daily paper or their nightly national news broadcast. With the rise of the Internet, news seekers have shifted to online sources in huge numbers. According to an August, 2008 report by the Pew Center for the People & the Press, the changes have been dramatic:
In 1998, 13% of the public went online for news three days a week. In 2008, that number had increased to 37%.
In 1998 only 6% of respondents went online for news on a daily basis. In 2008, that number had increased to 25%.
In 2008, 80% of people reported that they absorb news in some way every day. But traditional news sources (newspaper, TV networks and radio) saw their share of the news gathering audience shrink from 90% in 1994 to 73% in 1998.
What does all of this mean to companies with narrowcasting networks in their restaurants, bank branches, transit platforms and waiting rooms? People want to be informed. They want the latest news. And they are comfortable getting it from a wide range of sources, even those that might have been frowned upon as less than trustworthy a decade ago.
Including news in your narrowcasting network adds value. Instead of feeling they are being advertised to, people will appreciate the information being provided and gain a positive impression of your business.
And how does your business stand to gain? Again, we can extrapolate from the Pew Center study. The study divided groups into segments, including Integrators and Net-Newsers. The Integrators gather news from traditional and online sources. Net-Newsers rely much more heavily on online sources for their news.
It is what these segments have in common that is of most interest to creators of narrowcasting programming. They are both well-educated and affluent. Net-newsers are younger, but both groups combined represent a highly desired demographic in the eyes of advertisers.
How Narrowcasting the News Might Work in Your Business
News narrowcasting is not suited to every business. Busy grocery or department store shoppers will not stop to read news items on a digital sign. But for businesses where customers need to wait, narrowcasting the news makes sense: in a restaurant lounge where people wait for a table; in a medical office; in a bank branch; on a commuter train or subway platform.
The news feed can be incorporated as a small segment of the screen, leaving ample opportunity for your narrowcasting network to display video and images that promote your business. A balanced approach to informing and marketing will resonate strongly with your audience, and have a positive influence on your business.
For more information on Narrowcasting Services contact a Narrowcasting Consultant at http://www.ek3.com/narrowcasting-services/consulting.htm
- Related Articles
- Related Q&A
Why Projects Fail? Part 6
By: projectmanuk | 17/12/2009This article deals with the sixth of the OGC’s eight causes of project failure: evaluation of the Business Case is driven by initial price rather than by value for money.
How to Select the Right Lawyers
By: Sabrina Jose | 17/12/2009Selecting a lawyer who can get you out of the stress is indeed a painstaking task. How to locate the best lawyer? Is there any indicator to that effect?
Online Event Management Software Automating the Tedious Task of Event Management
By: Article Manager | 17/12/2009Organizing an event is a complex process that requires various careful planning and management to achieve the basic objective of the event. To ease this tedious processes event management software are available online that completely simplifies each and every task associated with an event.
Top Money Saving Ideas
By: Clifford McHanter | 17/12/2009Start looking for ways to buy cheaper things that you want to buy. For large expenditures you may look for the different ways on how you can save your money. A money saving ideas must also have good strategies and plans in spending your money is a good money saving tips.
Best Home Office and Small Business Printers
By: Adriana Noton | 17/12/2009With so many different types of printers on the market, choosing the best printer can seem like an overwhelming task. The best printers for a small business and home office, one must consider the quality of the output, the volume of documents a printer can produce, and how fast pages...
Capitalize on Your Sports Instruction Potential
By: John Ramallo | 16/12/2009A lot of sports facilities owners find they have a great marketplace, all the right people, and state of the art systems, and yet find that their facilities are not booked solid. People tend to prefer just a few slots a day, and for much of the rest the instructors...
Newbury Park Acura Service
By: Weldon Duffy | 16/12/2009If you're the proud owner of a Honda or an Acura, you wish to keep it running and looking as new for so long as you can. The easiest way to do that's by finding an automotive repair center that focuses on Honda and Acura service and repair[**]. Finding a repair center that will offer you and your automobile with service beyond compare may appear too good to be true but it's's not, and Westlake Independent Honda/Acura Service is a perfect example. people are holding on to their...
Rubber Stamps Are Inefficient and Expensive
By: M. Ross | 16/12/2009Office and process efficiency are becoming more important every day to all sizes of business. One of the easier ways to start saving is to automate the simple manual tasks that consume unnecessary time everyday. Using rubber stamps is a place to begin. While there has been a substantial move towards...
Monitor Rentals - Get Your Message Heard
By: Bruce Orr | 07/01/2009 | ComputersLCD monitor rentals are a great option for business travelers and even for those who stay closer to home but may need to venture out to the occasional business meeting. Here are just a few examples of what monitor rentals can do for you. Imagine travelling to a sales meeting where you...
Server Rentals Help Small Businesses Make the Right Choice
By: Bruce Orr | 07/01/2009 | ComputersWhen can a server rental help your small business? Right about the time you decide that a server is needed. Server rentals can help you decide which hardware is best for your business. You could consider rentals a test drive. Deciding When You Need a Server How do you know when it's...
LCD Signage Versus Plasma Displays
By: Bruce Orr | 02/11/2008 | MarketingHere's a checklist to help you decide if your business would best be served by LCD signage versus a plasma screen, or a combination of both: 1. Where will you put it? Let's say your target audience is women grooming themselves in a public restroom. A wall-mounted...
Small Businesses Reward Themselves With Digital Signage
By: Bruce Orr | 02/11/2008 | BusinessSmaller businesses are in the perfect position to reap the benefits of digital signage. Their specialized markets and need to attract responses from specific clientele is solved efficiently through marketing strategies employed by digital media. Budgeting Concerns Smaller businesses come with smaller budgets. Let's face it, they can't all be WallMart. Nor...
Digital Advertising Captures Customer Data With New Interactive Technology
By: Bruce Orr | 20/10/2008 | MarketingWith giant retailers like WalMart and others investing heavily in point of purchase digital advertising, we can safely say that digital signs have really arrived as a merchandising and product promotion tool. The strengths of digital advertising are well known. One of the commonly cited weaknesses is the lack of any...
Narrowcasting The News Is Good For Business
By: Bruce Orr | 20/10/2008 | ManagementBroadcasting is the term most often used to describe the act of disseminating the news, but for some companies, narrowcasting the news may be a good business strategy. People's news gathering habits have changed drastically over the past few years. Businesses that use digital signage can benefit from adding a news...
Make The Point Of Purchase A Point Of Information
By: Bruce Orr | 24/09/2008 | MarketingPoint of purchase merchandising is not what it used to be. Case in point - the computer mouse. There was a time when the mouse that came with your desktop computer was as good as it got. You never even thought twice about the mouse. But then came concerns over ergonomics,...
Dynamic Digital Signage Industry Keeps Growing and Innovating
By: Bruce Orr | 24/09/2008 | MarketingDynamic digital signage is a phrase often used as a synonym for digital signage, electronic billboards and narrowcasting. It is an appropriate term as well, when you consider how dynamic digital signage really is. In North America, growth in digital out-of-home advertising has been in the high double digits over the...