While folks from the heartland of America might believe the Big Apple is simply New York City and possibly Long Island, those of us who live in the New York Metropolitan Area know better. When the Census Bureau last looked at the population numbers in 2005, the NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area (CSA) had just under 22 million residents, compared to New York City's 8.2 million.

The NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area actually covers 30 county jurisdictions located in these four states. The Tri-State Area as it is commonly known (sometimes called the Tri-State Region) is comprised mostly of counties in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut - only one of the counties is located in Pennsylvania.

The Census Bureau tells us that one-in-fourteen Americans live in the New York City Metro area. In fact, the population of NYC proper is larger than that of 39 of the U.S. states.

The Challenges Of Doing Business In America's Largest Metro

All businesses, large and small, have one common problem. The problem that faces business owners is how to get their sales message out in a congested marketplace. There is no area in the United States more congested than the Big Apple and its surrounding suburbs.

To an outsider, NYC might be block-after-block of apartment buildings and small tenements with mom-and-pop shops at street level. In the five boroughs of N.Y. City, the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island, one can find neighborhoods that look as they do in the movies, but single-tenant housing is just as common as apartments and condominiums.

Neighborhood mom-and-pop stores usually rely on their neighbors to keep their doors open, but having a neighborhood store or restaurant is no guarantee of a business' success. Many mom-and-pop's have to turn to local advertising in order to keep their own businesses alive and growing.

Out in the suburbs of the NY metro - in places like Bridgeport, Connecticut, Newark and Trenton, New Jersey - advertising is as essential as a telephone and electricity.

Advertising Is More Than A One-Trick Pony

Many small business owners have a misunderstanding of the role of advertising in their business. Over the years, I have heard many people say that they "had tried advertising once, and it did not work." This shows a real lack of understanding about the role of advertising in business.

We already know who Pepsi and Budweiser are in the beverages industry, and we recognize Kellogg's and Campbell Soup in the food industry, so why do they keep showing us their advertising? Simply put, these major corporations have recognized that the fickle consumer needs to be reminded constantly why they should buy a product and where they can buy it. The only way they can remind us of their corporate identity is to keep bringing their message into our lives.

In the beginning, consumers need to be introduced to a business and its sales message. Once the business has been introduced, businesses need to understand that there remains potential customers who have not heard of their business, so it is important for each contact to include and introduction and a reinforcement of its message for people who already know the business.

The individual sales message might change over the years, but the reinforcement of whom, where and when must always be in place.

Video Makes A Difference

Many small businesses tend to go to print and radio advertising first to get their feet wet. While both are good and can reach certain consumers, television generally reaches a larger audience.

The added advantage of video dissemination of a company's sales message is that the consumer can be reached with audio and visual presentations. Even if the television viewer is not watching your message, they can certainly hear it in the background. The advertising industry has traditionally cited video as being a more effective means of conveying a sales message.

When developing a video advertising campaign for television, it is important to understand the importance of both video and audio in the message delivery process. Apryl Duncan, the advertising expert at About, recommends that one should see their television commercial with the sound off and listen to the message without looking at the video element. She advises that consumers should be able to, "identify the benefits of purchasing a product" just from the audio and just from the video.

Video Advertising Is Not As Expensive As One Might Suspect

With a minimum of three-dozen television stations located just in New York Metro Area, businesses will find an overabundance of television advertising available at a wide range of prices. TV advertising costs range so much that nearly every businessperson can afford to invest in the television market.

For most, finding the right ad agency or video production company to help them develop their television ads might be their biggest expense. But, when one factors video production costs over the lifetime of the ad campaign, the cost factor is low enough to make it an affordable investment for most small-, medium- and large-companies.

If a company is able to develop an "evergreen" advertisement - one as effective five years from now as it is today, no matter the season - then the video ad will pay for itself over many years. Although the development of a good "evergreen" ad campaign can produce long-term sales results, most large businesses and major corporate clients tend to update their commercials every couple months. For the corporate advertiser, keeping their message fresh is just as important as creating a sales message that will produce results.

In Conclusion...

Whether you are new to television advertising or an old pro, finding the right advertising agency or video production company to serve the needs of your company will help increase your sales and more importantly, improve your bottom line.

If your business serves the NY Metropolitan Area, in either New York or New Jersey, please consult with one of the companies listed below. Either will be able to help you meet your own advertising agency and video production needs.