Small But Mighty: How Small Businesses and Agencies Can Wield the Power of CTV

4 Min Read

When people imagine traditional television advertising, they might think of ads during a super popular sporting event or prime spots during their favorite cable shows. While these may indeed still be forms of TV advertising in 2023, they don’t tell the whole story anymore. 

Today, advertising teams of all sizes have the opportunity to reach their ideal audiences with entertaining video ads. Thanks to programmatic video advertising, small- to medium-sized businesses and agencies can maximize the performance marketing power of the living room screen, too. 

SLT Consulting CEO Sharon Lee Thony and Yaasa US CEO Johannes Sauer joined Matt Collins, MNTN’s Director of Product Marketing, to share their experiences and results as they each ventured into the performance TV landscape as small businesses. The trio joined Adweek to discuss how a digital approach to TV advertising can help small businesses and agencies succeed on Connected TV (CTV). Let’s take a look at their conversation. 

Connected TV is Growing Fast

If you’re not on the CTV train yet, grab your bag and prepare to board. Your audience has already made the shift to CTV, and now it’s up to you to meet them there. 

Digital video viewership continues to grow, making it increasingly essential. According to eMarketer, CTV will eclipse linear TV viewership and reach 239.5 million users—over 69% of the US population—by 2026 if these trends hold true. 

While the number of people watching CTV is increasing, the time they’re spending on the platform is going up, too. According to eMarketer, the average adult in the US will spend over 2 hours watching CTV in 2024, up from just 59 minutes in 2019. 

Are advertisers taking note of these numbers? Absolutely. 

In 2021, CTV spend comprised just 20.8% of all US TV and CTV spending. In just two years, that number has increased to 29%, making up nearly one-third of all TV spending. As this shift continues (and it will), eMarketer estimates that by 2027, CTV spending will make up about 42% of total TV ad spend. 

As CTV continues to grow in popularity, advertisers will have to begin to shift their strategies accordingly. If they don’t, they’re missing out on significant opportunities to reach their audience on the biggest screen in the house. 

Finding the Right Connected TV Tools Matters

Of course, not every CTV platform is created the same. This means your team needs to find a platform that aligns with your business goals. Shameless MNTN plug incoming… 

At MNTN, we’ve tapped into the digital DNA of CTV and integrated key performance features back into our own platform, including: 

• Precision targeting, which allows brands to successfully reach their target audience 
• Premium inventory, which makes sure your brand is only viewed on leading channels 
• Accountable attribution, which ensures you can accurately track and verify all traffic and conversions across all devices
• Accurate measurement, which reliably uncovers what creative or campaign is pushing the needle, empowering your team to better optimize your campaigns

Plus, with a Google Analytics integration, agencies and brands can see their performance TV results alongside other channels. This allows marketing teams to see how CTV stacks up against the rest of their performance mix. 

Do You Know CTV Has a Superpower? 

Speaking of other channels…CTV has a bit of a secret power. 

It’s an important aspect of CTV that’s rarely discussed: the halo effect it creates on other channels. 

What does that actually mean? Well, after 90 days of launching CTV, our analysis found: 

• Conversion rates increased by 9% for paid social and 22% for paid search 
• Average session duration increased by 49% for paid social and 19% for paid search 
• Email conversion rates increased 68% for B2B companies and 19% for B2C companies 

But the benefits don’t end there. In addition to capturing existing leads, generating demand, and helping move customers through the sales funnel, CTV can also help you improve your performance across multiple platforms. 

Make an Impact with Connected TV 

After decades of traditional television advertising being inaccessible to smaller businesses, CTV advertising is changing the game. With the right tools, small businesses and agencies can reach their target audiences—maximizing their impact at a fraction of what a linear TV campaign would cost.

Watch the full webinar here to learn more about how small businesses and agencies can use the power of CTV to enhance their marketing mixes.