Look, I talk to and work with small businesses every day and have for years. Prior to working at a television station, I worked for a company who promoted SOLELY on digital online platforms highlighting independently owned restaurants. Did it work? Absolutely! It wasn’t just a social media post or throwing ad dollars behind a post. There was thought out strategy behind it. During my stint there, I talked to business owners from ALL OVER THE USA. And here’s what I found: if you were in a metropolitan area… people didn’t CARE if you were on television or not, they knew the power of digital. However, if you were in a more rural area… like us here in Southwestern Virginia… people wanted to know “what channel did we air the episode on”. People in rural areas still valued their television! “Will this be on Food Network?” “Will it be on our local station?”
In rural areas, people still tune in to their local news station for the latest happenings and the local weather. Why? Television is TRUSTED more than watching an ad on Facebook.
If you’ve been in business long enough, you’ve probably heard people say, “Nobody watches TV anymore.” But here’s the truth: — television is changing, not disappearing. And in 2025-26, it’s quietly becoming one of the most effective ways for small-town businesses to get noticed, build trust, and spark the kind of awareness digital alone can’t deliver.
Let’s talk about why.
TV Still Has Something Digital Can’t Replace
Scroll past enough Facebook ads and you’ll notice something: they all feel the same. Quick. Distracting. Easy to ignore.
Television — whether it’s traditional broadcast or streaming on a smart TV — works differently. You’re showing up in someone’s living room, not their thumb-scroll. You’re part of the content they intentionally chose to watch (like sports!), which means their guard is down and their attention is higher.
Recent studies show that TV ads generate 2.2x higher brand recall than mobile ads. And when people remember your business, they’re far more likely to trust it, visit it, and buy from it.
In a small town, where reputation is everything, that trust matters!
Digital Gets the Credit… But TV Starts the Search
Here’s a funny thing that happens:
People see your commercial on TV… then pick up their phone… and Google you.
Guess who gets the credit?
Digital. Every single time.
But what started that search?
Your TV spot.
This is something industry research has been saying for years: television drives people to search — and search looks like digital “success,” even though TV created the interest.
So if you’ve ever thought, “I boosted my posts and ran some ads, but people still don’t know who I am,” it might be because you’re missing that top-of-funnel spark that TV can provide.
The Media Landscape Is Changing – And That’s Good News for Local Businesses
Floyd, Virginia is a very rural community. And while you can still access local broadcast TV with an antenna, Citizens Telephone invested in our county using grants and installed fiber optic cable throughout! I watch my television (local and “cable” channels) via STREAMING.
When you think about it, more and more continue to move towards “cutting the cord” but that doesn’t mean that we’ve moved away from local broadcasting, we are just accessing it differently.
As a small business, it can be cheap to advertise on digital. Facebook will tell you, “spend a few dollars and reach X thousand people”. And how many times have you or another business owner said, “Facebook doesn’t work, I’ve WASTED tons of ad dollars on them without results!” ?
We’re living through the biggest shift in media in decades:
- Streaming and digital video are expected to overtake traditional TV ad spending this year.
- Linear TV is declining, but not disappearing.
- People are watching more video than ever — just in more places.
That means “television advertising” now stretches across broadcast, local cable, and streaming platforms like Hulu, Roku, Pluto, and local station OTT apps.
For you, that’s opportunity!
You get the trust and credibility of TV combined with the targeting power of digital. You can put your business in front of people based on ZIP code, interests, behavior, and even what kind of shows they watch.
It’s TV… but smarter.
Oh, and those Facebook ads… they DO work, but most businesses need a little help in optimizing them to see some ROI. 😉
…. stay turned for more info in future posts….
