Captive Audience Marketing in a Social Marketing World

Capture Your Prospect’s Attention for More Than a Nanosecond

Social media has an intrinsic flaw as a promotional tool for insurance marketers: it’s too darn distracting. For instance, Facebook is a self-contained and ever expanding universe that’s packed with entertaining online games and endless other activities. And Twitter, while wonderful for mini-blogging and instant communications, has users that flit from tweet to tweet, within their own timeline, rarely slowing down unless something really interests them. Plus, diversions on the Web, e-mail, text messages, and more are only an instant away.

This combo plate of distractions and speed-reading doesn’t simplify the job of promoting your agency. Marketing creativity, interesting posts and links, plus brand recognition all help to grab a potential buyer’s attention. But there are traditional tools that you must consider as well, including one broad channel that catches and holds a prospect’s attention for more than a nanosecond. It’s a classic called captive audience marketing.

Captive Audience Marketing

Increase the odds that your advertising is noticed – by placing it in front of people who have little else to do but to peruse it. When people are waiting for a sporting event, concert, movie, or play to begin, they tend to view everything that is in front of them. Ditto for folks waiting for transportation, meals, appointments, and more. That makes these the places to advertise. Commercially capitalizing on this short-term situation is what captive audience marketing is all about. It’s smart business to promote your agency to such detained prospects. Plus, there are an amazing number of locations to explore, so don’t settle with just one or two opportunities. Maximize your exposure by employing as many as you can afford and monitor your results carefully. When considering opportunities, understand that only a modest number of “trapped” people, with time to spare, will see your message in each spot. But, it’s the quality versus quantity thing that makes it so enticing. Some people interact with their cell phones while they are waiting, but it’s not possible in all venues. Wherever it’s common, invite these time-killing cell surfers to visit your Web site, blog, Facebook page, or tweets within the body of your captive ad.

18 Captive Audience Location Ideas

1. Airplanes.In-flight magazines on commuter routes for business prospects and poster ads in the terminal for newcomers or residents.
2. Buses. Ads inside the vehicle and on its exterior. Ads on bus benches, shelters, and stations.
3. Subways. Ads at select stops and in the central station.
4. Taxis. Ads inside of cabs and on their exterior.
5. Dealerships. Brochures or postcards in the waiting areas of car, truck, boat, motorcycle, and RV dealerships.
6. Quick service.Brochures or postcards in the waiting areas of inspection stations, plus fast oil change, muffler, and brake shops.
7. Sports venues. Ads in sports team programs, on stadium billboards, and in their restrooms.
8. Bowling.Ads on printed and electronic score sheets.
9. Golf courses.Tee box signage and ads on printed scorecards.
10. Concerts. Ads on tickets, programs, and in the restrooms.
11. Live theater/opera.Stylish print ad in the playbill/opera synopsis.
12. Movies. Visual ads prior to the movie and in the restrooms.
13. Restaurants.Print ads on placemats and on menus.
14. Grocery stores. Display card ads on shopping carts.
15. Health clubs. Video ads on TV monitors plus tie-in postcards or brochures in the locker rooms.
16. Quasi-professionals. Postcards or brochures in the waiting areas of seasonal tax preparers, hair salons, etc.
17. Veterinarians.Postcards or brochures in the waiting area.
18. Your office. Sales-oriented messages to insureds and others on hold.

Captive audience marketing is one channel that’s definitely worth exploring. And while it has been around for decades, it offers extra value today. That’s because it doesn’t have the attention leaks associated with social promotions. This drawback is a key reason why you shouldn’t rely on social and online marketing exclusively. GEICO does it all. They advertise in such captive spots as DMV offices and at highway tollbooths, via social media and the Web, plus they utilize plenty of old school devices, including inserts, mailings, print, and TV. The more marketing channels that your agency employs today, the better the odds that it will be around tomorrow.