Should I Close My Business During the Corona (COVID-19) Outbreak?

A number of restaurants, offices, and even large retailers are closing up shop in response to growing concerns about the corona outbreak. Some are even required to depending upon choices made in local jurisdictions. If you’re a business owner, you might be asking yourself the question:

“Do I close my business?”

Many businesses are. The answer really depends on you, your staff, and your industry. Are you noticing an alarming decrease in visitors, or sales? For some business owners, temporarily closing; whether it’s for a week or two, or for a month, is the best option for your business. However if it’s a restaurant that you own, this article for restaurant owners might help you identify some says in which to stay open during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Retailers, on the other hand, may have it much harder as people aren’t as likely to buy non-essentials during a health crisis. Below is something to keep in mind if you ultimately decide to temporarily close shop, and help you bounce back once all of this is over.

Focus on Your Strategy for Reopening Post-Corona

Have a solid game plan to hit the ground running.

More important than the decision to close your business for a time is figuring out how you’re going to reopen in the near future. It can be tough, and extremely stressful to deal with the financial impact of closing. Take advantage of the time you have, and strengthen your strategy for when your doors are open again.

A major part of that strategy should be growing your business from within. Work on your website. Make phone calls, research new vendors/partners you may want to work with. Every brand has loyal customers, yours will be waiting, and even excited for you to reopen. Reward those loyal customers for coming back; give them reasons to be excited about returning, and reasons to refer their friends.

Utilize Your TV’s Full Potential

When you eventually reopen your store, you’re going to have a lot of messaging that you want customers to see, and certain programming you may want to remove. Putting that messaging on your business’ TV gets it noticed. Whether it’s a big sale, a referral bonus, or a reminder to follow the brand on social media for even more deals; utilizing your TV is the least expensive way to get customers informed.

Consider a custom TV network to help kickstart your store’s marketing messaging for when you eventually reopen. It’s an inexpensive way to market to your loyal customers and earn back their repeat business.

What’s The Best Cable TV Replacement For Your Waiting Room?

Finding the best cable TV replacement for your waiting room starts with identifying your goals for the TV itself. Many business owners are cutting the cord because they would rather showcase their own content. Others want better programming for their visitors, or the ability to promote their own services on the TV. Some business owners are simply looking for something that costs less than cable for their waiting room. These are all good reasons to get rid of cable.

The best waiting room TV will do all of the above, and more.

The trick is finding one that can do it all. If you’re shopping for an alternative to cable TV for your lobby or waiting area, add It’s Relevant TV to your list of considerations. For the reasons explained below, It’s Relevant is the best replacement for business cable TV subscriptions.

It’s Relevant TV ranks as the Best Cable TV Replacement for Waiting Rooms

1.) It Includes the Best Content:
The key to the success of television is content. Without great content no one will watch your TV. With over half-a-million videos spread across 50 categories, It’s Relevant features one of the world’s largest libraries of short-form content.

Simply pick and choose which categories your visitors will enjoy most, and the system handles the rest. With It’s Relevant, you remain in control of what appears on your TV, while being backed by an automated, ever-changing lineup of family friendly content that keeps within your preferences.

2.) It Turns your TV into a Promotional Tool:
It’s Relevant helps you get more milage out of your business’ videos by displaying them directly on the TV. Whether it’s a YouTube video, TV commercial, image ads, or even some simple text, your messages become far more effective when they’re played on the TV.

This is something cable TV cannot do. In fact, cable does the exact opposite– letting anyone other than you place commercials on your TV.

3.) It Generates more Social Media Followers for you:
Is your business on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram? If so, It’s Relevant is able to safely, and effortlessly, display your most recent posts right on the TV. It’s a great way for visitors to see what they’re missing, and follow you on social media.

4.) It is Cost-Effective:
The cost of cable is constantly on the rise. It’s Relevant TV has fixed subscription rates that are built to fit any budget. More importantly, It’s Relevant isn’t designed to cost you any money; it’s designed to help you generate more revenue for your business.

You can take a look at the differences for yourself and schedule a free demo at this site: Compare Business Cable & Satellite TV to It’s Relevant TV

The Best Marketing Tool For 2020: Your TV

Looking for the best marketing tool for the new year? Want to make your marketing dollars count? Whether you’re a big franchisee with multiple locations, or a small business owner with a humble brand; your own television can be the key to unlocking your 2020 marketing potential. To fully appreciate the best marketing tool for the upcoming year, you need to take a closer look at the TV in your waiting room.

A Closer Look at Waiting Room Television

Take a moment to think of your lobby or waiting room. Think about what’s currently on TV there. Now think about who’s watching it, and for how long. Finally, how much does it cost? -and how much revenue is it generating for your business?

Bonus Question: How many competitor ads are your visitors seeing?

These are the important things to consider; not just for your business’ television, but for your business as a whole. Here’s why:

1.) What’s Playing on your TV?: What you decide to put on your TV leaves an impression on your visitors. Many business owners like to default to the news – however the news can be graphic, unsettling, and a bit too political nowadays. It simply isn’t a fit for any waiting room. Also worth noting is that a popular TV solution for waiting rooms are DVDs, or Netflix in their locations as a cost-effective alternative to the drama of news, or the boringness of cable. This would be great- if it weren’t for the fact that playing Netflix or DVDs in a commercial setting is illegal. You can read more about the specifics in this article, but the message is clear; understand the Terms & Conditions of your TV subscriptions!

2.) Who’s Watching / How Long?: The answer varies from business-to-business. “The Who” matters because you want programming on the TV that your visitors will appreciate. Likewise, “How Long” matters because you don’t want your visitors exposed to something they don’t like if they’re waiting for a long period of time. Above all else; avoid looping playlists and displays. Nothing says “I’ve been waiting forever.” like knowing which videos are coming up next in a playlist.

3.) How much does it Cost / What is it doing for your Business?: The importance of affordability and cost-effectiveness doesn’t have to be stated. However the latter part of this point raises an interesting question; “What is the TV in your waiting room doing for your business?” Simply put, your TV should be serving your brand. All the money that goes into paying for cable or satellite TV each month could be spent towards a custom TV network. One that potentially costs less, is more effective at delivering your messaging, and is better at engaging visitors.

It’s Relevant TV: The Best Marketing Tool for 2020

It’s Relevant TV is a cost-effective programming tool for businesses looking to improve visitor experience, find new ways to deliver important messages, and generate more followers on social media. IRTV accomplishes this through carefully curating content from its library of customizable, short-form programs that people genuinely enjoy watching- packaged alongside a free rotating adspace, and active social media integration.

There’s no better, more cost-effective way to promote your services, get people excited about your brand, and grow your business. Hit the ground running for 2020 and visit ItsRelevant.com to learn more about this year’s most powerful marketing tool.

The Best Dental Videos For Patients: TV For Dentist Offices

Looking for the best dental videos for patients? The right dental video can be very helpful in describing procedures and new technologies. Dental education videos are often the go-to for dentists who are thinking of putting something other than cable on their TV; but are they really the best thing to put in front of your patients? Probably not.

You have a choice when it comes to what’s playing on your waiting room TV. Dentists offices often default to cable, with educational videos coming in close second; both of which have their ups and downs. If you’re looking for the best TV solution for your waiting room, start your search by clicking here.

What is your Waiting Room TV for?

In order to understand what the best dental videos for patients are, it’s important to reexamine the purpose of those videos. Or rather, the purpose you want it to serve. A good dental practice has a TV in its waiting room and exam rooms for the sake, and comfort, of its patients. A wise dental practice has a TV in place to educate and inform patients on oral hygiene, and good dental habits. Regardless of which of the two approaches you favor; both come with a catch.

If you’re reading this, you probably already know the downside to playing regular old TV content; it can be boring, uncontrolled, and doesn’t serve your practice. Having cable TV available for patients to watch during their wait and/or treatment is great; but no matter how you dress it up, you’re paying for a monthly bill that’s under-utilized. As a result, you miss out on opportunities to promote your brand, and your services.

Dental-related videos can be effective if done correctly. However, as seen in the following article: “Tips on the Best Patient Education Videos for your Waiting Room TV,” dental-education videos come with their own set of risks. In short, you want to avoid videos that are graphic, or seen as gross by patients. They are unfortunately common when it comes to describing anything dental related.

The key is to look at these videos as if you were a patient, and not a professional in the oral care industry. You want your educational videos to be inviting and encourage your patients to look into procedures that will help them, not scare them with images of treatments that look painful or complicated.

What are the Best Dental Videos for Patients?

The best dental videos for patients are neither purely TV programming, nor dental-related content; but a good balance of both.

It’s all about Patient Education & Patient Comfort.

That’s why a successful TV solution is a mix of informative videos, as well as fun, interesting content to keep visitors happy. When you have the best of both worlds, your patients are more likely to be in a good mood before their treatment, and leave informed by your messaging.

Where Do I Find Dental-Related Videos & Good TV Content?

Not everyone has vast library of videos on-hand- and building one from scratch can be costly, and time-consuming. As a dentist office, you might be surprised by how many videos you have free access to without even knowing it. If your practice is a part of any local, or national, dental associations you might be sitting on a cache of educational, and informative videos that are free for you to take advantage of; double-check, and see what’s there! Additionally, if you’re partners with any vendors such as Invisalign, it’s easy to get in touch with them about utilizing their professionally-made videos about the products you offer.

Finding good TV content to play alongside your dental-related videos is trickier, as is finding a system to manage, and display those videos. Fortunately, services such as It’s Relevant TV exist, and are available to dentist offices for this exact task. The service provides the technology to display the videos you want to show your patients, and provides licensed videos for visitor enjoyment.

Creating a Dental TV Network for your Dentist Office

Creating a TV network for your practice is easy and more cost-effective than cable or satellite TV. Figuring out where to begin your search can be overwhelming, but It’s Relevant TV makes it simple. Television experts are there to consult with you and give you advice towards creating a unique waiting room; with the goal of creating the best-possible experience for your patients.

Alternatives to Spectrio & Automotive Broadcasting Network (ABN) for Dealership TV

Looking for an alternative to your dealership TV system? Are your customers bored by it? Does it cost too much? Are you not getting what you want to out of it?

If you’re using a service like Spectrio, or Automotive Broadcasting Network (ABN), and it just isn’t working; this article is for you. Keep reading to see the reasons how your dealership’s custom TV software might be failing you, and your car business. If you’re fed up, not thrilled, or just simply disappointed with your current provider, we recommend that you start your search for a better dealership TV here.

Your Dealership TV System: What Went Wrong?

Custom TV networks for car dealerships have been around for years. While the technology has grown in the world, most of the car TV services have not. As a result, a number of the older “pioneer services” are being left in the dust by alternative providers delivering a lot more, for a lot less. Innovative ideas and technologies have transformed the dealership TV systems of 5-10 years ago into new, forward-thinking tools that are better at delivering your marketing messages, and better at entertaining your customers. If you’re browsing automotive TV solutions in today’s day and age, hone your selection by finding one that is feature-rich, and cost-effective.

A Feature-Rich Dealership TV System

If you are currently using a dealership TV system, chances are you probably liked the features that came with it, hence why you originally got it. If those features failed to live up to your expectations, or got dull over time, then you’re doing the right thing by going online and seeing what else is out there.

So what should you expect from your TV? The best TV for your dealership’s lobby is one that gets your messaging across, and provides entertaining content for customers who might be waiting for longer periods of time. It should be customizable. You should have control over more than just your own videos, but the content you’re paying for as well. More importantly; managing that paid content, as well as your own personal ads/videos should be easy, and able to be done on most smart devices. From anywhere. Lastly, your dealership TV system should integrate with your social media accounts.

Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are often the best ways to keep in touch with your customers, generate repeat business, and get referrals. If your brand is on one, or more of these platforms – get your TV integrated! Display those posts right on your TV for visitors who aren’t following you, and give them a reason to check out your pages. If you’re interested in this feature in particular, visit click here to learn more about the automotive TV software that does it best.

A Cost-Effective Dealership TV System

Dealerships are playing HUGE amounts of money each month for services that barely include half of the features listed above. A more in-depth article comparing the top 6 dealership TV systems worth checking out can be found at the link above. But if you are currently using Spectrio or Automotive Broadcasting Network (ABN) you are likely paying way too much.

The big takeaway is that car businesses are paying upwards of $500, to $1,000+/month for their TVs. What’s truly interesting, is what those dealerships are often getting in return for that cost. The answer: A playlist.

Looping playlists, in general, are bad news. Avoid any dealership TV service that mentions the word “playlist”. Avoid them like the plague, or a live-action movie remake. A playlist is simply a list of pre-loaded videos. And whether it’s 10 minutes, 30 minutes, or an hour long, a playlist is not creating a quality waiting experience.

Neither are clips from top TV networks like NBC or CBS. Be wary of TV providers who claim to have content from those big networks. Most often, they’re just short promotional segments– a.k.a. commercials, designed to market the networks and have your customers go home and watch the full shows on their own time.

Dealership wait-time is a little longer than the average waiting room wait when looking across industries. That being said, you don’t want your customers watching a looping playlist of the same videos over and over again. It’s maddening, and creates a bad impression of your brand. Good, quality content goes a long way. Additionally, car videos showing outdated models that you no longer sell have no place being on your TV. When it comes to videos, up to date content is the best way to deliver programming to your dealership.

It’s Relevant TV: A Feature-Rich & Cost-Effective Dealership TV System

There’s only one automotive TV service that has every feature that was listed up above, and won’t burn a hole in your pocket; It’s Relevant TV. It’s Relevant has everything from the ability to upload and easily manage your own videos, access to one of the world’s largest library of licensed short-form content, and perhaps most importantly; real-time social media integration.

This is the automotive TV service you were waiting for. Partnering with brands across the spectrum, from Toyota, Ford and Subaru to Lexus and Mercedes-Benz, It’s Relevant is providing car businesses across the country with the best choice in dealership TV.

Top 3 Marketing Podcasts Business Owners Should Be Listening To

Marketing podcasts are a great way to tap the minds of experts who know a thing or two about marketing strategies or growing a business. The world of business podcasts is hardly new; however if you’re like many business owners who are just tuning in and discovering what’s out there, finding the best podcasts that are relevant to your business can be overwhelming. This article will highlight the top 3 marketing podcasts that any new, or savvy business owners should add to their routine.

1.) Digital Media & TV Strategy for Businesses

Want to make your TV work for your business?

Presented by It’s Relevant TV; a leader in custom TV solutions for medical offices, car dealerships, and restaurants across the U.S., Digital Media and TV Strategy for Businesses is a weekly podcast which explores recent trends in digital media and television marketing, while also promoting best practices for business owners who want to get the most out of their television, social media, and video integrations.

If you’re looking to do more with your business’ TVs, are interested in marketing inside your business, or want a greater social media followership, then Digital Media and TV Strategy for Businesses is the marketing podcast for you.

2.) Social Media Marketing Podcast

Hosted by Social Media Examiner, Social Media Marketing Podcast airs insightful interviews from leading social media marketing experts as they explore how successful businesses utilize social media, devise new strategies, and gain noteworthy advice on improving social media marketing.

3.) Success Made Simple

Success Made Simple, hosted by world renowned speaker and author Dr. Dave Martin, is a must for success-driven business owners. This podcast features interviews from experienced businessmen, marketing experts, and celebrities who share their individual success stories and tips on how to improve your brand’s image and marketing strategies.

DIY TV – Customize The TV In Your Business

As technology grows and becomes more innovative, more and more business owners are turning to DIY solutions and beginning to explore new ways of doing things. We live in an age where reaching out and connecting with people is as easy as pressing a button – though just as easily, someone is capable of finding you and following you online or on social media – which when it comes to businesses, can be a potential client or customer’s first impression of your brand.

It’s Never Been More Important to Reach Your Visitors

A business wouldn’t be a business without people coming in and giving you their time and money. That’s why any respectable business will always invest in the comfort and consideration of the people who come to frequent their establishment. The most common means of catering to the comfort of visitors is the Television. TVs hang in the lobbies of medical offices, hospitals have TVs in their waiting areas, and bars and restaurants have them so people can watch as they eat.

Medical Waiting Room TV - Doctors Express Television — Medical Waiting Room TV

With customer comfort being the priority it is, it only makes sense for business owners to invest in ways to make waiting areas more inviting. Those who run something other than basic cable tend to settle on one of a few do-it-yourself alternatives. People try things ranging from stiff looping slideshows, digital signs, and streaming sticks, to playing DVDs. While these options have no regular monetary cost, they provide no real value to your business. Certain solutions may be illegal depending upon what you are showing. (See the article: Using Netflix & DVDs in Your Business).

So what’s the solution?

When homegrown DIY alternatives fall short of providing an ideal the answer is a custom TV network for your business. A network that brings the TV programs in legally and lets you message to your customers at the same time.

With It’s Relevant TV, it’s just easy. It’s Relevant gives you access to a living network, which features short-form family-friendly content designed with business settings in mind. The service allows you to customize your TV, giving you control over which categories play and what visitors see. It’s Relevant can also be used to display posts from social media accounts in real-time. This helps you to further positively promote your brand and get people to follow you online.

Car Dealership TV Systems – The Top 5 Most Important Elements

What do you need to consider when putting a TV service into your car dealership sales department or service department? Car dealership marketing extends beyond billboards and TV commercials. Using the dealership TV is one of the cheapest ways to get your ads seen, while bringing life to your waiting room.

Here are the top 5 elements to a quality TV system for car dealership waiting areas and lobbies:

1. Interesting TV Programming

Customers could be waiting minutes or hours. Regardless of how long they are waiting, you want to provide them with something entertaining or informative to watch. Just having videos about serving their vehicle or commercials about your dealership aren’t going to cut it.

2. Block Out Ads from Your Competitors

The time your customers are waiting for their vehicles to be serviced is the absolute worst moment for them to see an attractive message from a competing dealership. Block out the competition with Competitive Ad Block®. The service automatically blocks any outside car commercials from appearing on the TV. Instead, you get more quality programming and your own promotions for your customers to engage with.

3. Ability to Share Custom Messages

The time your customers spend waiting is an opportunity for you to tell them you care about them. Educate them about your inventory, policies and what sets your dealership apart. They are going to be watching the TVs for at least a portion of the time they wait so it’s a great opportunity to put your own messaging in front of them.

4. Real-Time Social Media

If customers leave without buying you need a gentle way to bring them back. Social media is a great way to connect with repeat customers and prospects alike. Get them interested in your dealership. Showcase your most recent posts on the TV and gently entice them to follow your accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Showcasing multiple accounts is great because it allows them to follow on the platform they use the most.

5. Showcase your Dealership’s Videos and Commercials

You’ve spent time and money making videos, why not get more mileage out of them? So many dealerships produce videos that just end up on YouTube or for a limited time on local cable. You can use these same videos inside your dealership to increase customer awareness of your promotions, inventory, and specials.

What are you using in your dealership today? If it’s Cable or satellite, you are missing a great opportunity to both spread your own messaging and to block out messages from your competition. If it’s a custom solution you may not be showing enough interesting content, and/or might be paying too much for it. See what It’s Relevant TV for Car Dealerships has to offer. For less than most dealerships pay for a basic cable service, It’s Relevant is able to achieve all 5 goals above, with a unique non-looping platform.

You can speak to a TV consultant about dealer TV options by calling toll free: 855-ITS-RELE or by emailing: sales@itsrelevant.com.

The “Set It and Forget It” of Business Television

“SET IT AND FORGET IT!”

-A 90’s Studio Audience

Who could ever forget that line? If you watched any infomercials during the 90’s, then chances are you’ve heard of the inventor, salespersona, and founder of Ronco; Ron Popeil. Now if you haven’t watched the video and left to get a mouth-watering rotisserie chicken by this point, let’s take a closer look at that famous slogan.

Set It and Forget It.

The idea of “Set it and Forget it” was a major selling point of the Showtime Rotisserie. We’re all busy people, and the less effort we have to put in to get things done the better. Plain and simple; why would someone slave over the hassle of making a chicken when you had a tool to manage the hard parts for you? Especially when you need to focus other things.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with managing something yourself. If you enjoy doing the hard work, power to you; however if you’re a business owner, time is money.

It’s Relevant TV provides a “set it and forget it” service for your business TV. The custom channel runs on its own and pulls tailored content from a vast media library for viewers to enjoy. It lets you be busy elsewhere doing the things you need to get done. No more paying for cable and worrying about what to put on; the quick segments and broad categories are catered to appeal to a wide audience, and ensures that fewer people are disappointed by what they’re seeing.

But Wait, There’s More!

It’s Relevant does more than put original content on your TV, there’s a whole list of other features that come with it. From sharing and deals you’re offering people, to promoting your social media for all to see; it works for you. You’re in control.

With IRTV, you literally set it and forget it.
Interested? You can call toll-free: 1-855-ITS-RELE
or visit: http://www.itsrelevant.com for more information.

Social Media on TV: Businesses Become More Social with their Customers

Businesses Need to Have A Presence on Social Media

The vast majority of consumers are on at least one, if not multiple, social media networks. For this reason, it is obvious that your business should be there as well. Every B2C business owner, no matter their industry, size, or location, has to think about using social media to reach their customers. But, using social media for your business is different than using social media for yourself. Business owners need to strategize how to best reach the people that are the most likely to utilize the business.

Social Media Followership Starts in Your Location

For a long time, businesses have focused on getting more people to “follow” or “like” accounts on social media. They target people on their computers and phones to get a “like”. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram all have ad platforms designed with that goal in mind. The problem that we’ve heard from our clients who have tried these ad platforms is in conversion (making those new followers into customers). In fact, the vast majority of the new followers you gain online never turn into actual customers.

We’ve found that getting existing customers to follow you is a much better goal. These people are more likely to purchase from you in the future, and to tell their friends about your business. Plus, they have already found you! They know how to get to your business, and they have enjoyed being there in the past.

Gaining Real Followers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

But how can you get your customers to follow you from your physical location? Up until now social networks like Facebook have been promoted with physical signs and stickers. While it lets people know you have an account, it doesn’t give them a real reason to follow you. What will “liking” your business do for them? What kind of posts will they be seeing? A static sign just doesn’t show it.

facebook-sticker — Static Facebook sticker in a store window

It’s Relevant TV has the answer. Built into the TV service is an automated display of your most recent posts. Having all of our most recent real posts leads to more customers following your social media profiles. The service syndicates your posts from Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to your televisions, in between TV programs. This lets customers not only see that you have social media profiles, but also gives them a “free sample” of what they can expect to see when they follow you. It’s a gentle way to prove to them value in following you.

Get a Demonstration

It’s Relevant TV offers live online demonstrations of the social media TV system. For more information, and to book a consultation please visit: www.itsrelevant.com