CTV Advertising: How Local Businesses Can Win the Streaming TV Game

Digital advertising today has reshaped local advertising. As viewers continue to cut the cord and flock to streaming platforms, small and medium-sized businesses have an unprecedented opportunity to reach targeted audiences through Connected TV advertising (CTV).

Once reserved for brands with massive budgets, television advertising is now accessible to businesses of all sizes.

The Local Business Advantage in the Streaming Era

The days of prohibitively expensive TV ad campaigns are over. With CTV advertising, local businesses can compete alongside national brands on premium platforms like Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon.

What makes this shift particularly exciting is the ability to target specific zip codes, bringing the power of television directly to your most valuable potential customers.

Why CTV Works for Local Businesses

1. Hyper-local targeting

Target viewers by zip code, ensuring your ad dollars reach only potential customers in your service area.

2. Cost efficiency

Pay only for impressions that matter with no minimum spend requirements.

3. Premium placement

Your ads appear on trusted streaming platforms alongside major brands.

4. Real-time measurement

Track performance and adjust campaigns on the fly.

Breaking Down the Barriers to Entry

Despite these advantages, many local businesses hesitate to dive into OTT advertising. Let’s address the common concerns:

“TV advertising is too expensive for our budget.”

Unlike traditional TV, which requires massive upfront commitments, CTV operates on an impression-based model with flexible budgets. Start with a targeted campaign focusing on your highest-value zip codes and most qualified customer segments for better ROI.

“The technical aspects seem overwhelming.”

Modern OTT services have dramatically simplified the process. User-friendly dashboards make campaign management accessible even for those without technical expertise. Take advantage of managed services that include media planning, segment building, and optimization at no additional cost.

“We don’t have professional video assets.”

The costs of producing TV ad creative have dropped significantly. Start with existing assets and repurpose videos from social media campaigns, product demonstrations, or customer testimonials. Many businesses successfully convert these into compelling television ads with minimal adjustments.

Five Strategies for Local Business CTV Success

Ready to take advantage of the power of OTT media for your business? Here are five actionable strategies:

1. Target Your Geographic Footprint with Precision

One of the greatest advantages of local TV advertising is zip code-level advertising. Unlike traditional broadcast, which reaches entire markets, CTV allows you to target only the neighborhoods where your customers live precisely.

Action Step: Create a tiered approach—focus your heaviest ad spend on zip codes within a 5-mile radius of your business, with decreasing frequency as you expand outward.

2. Utilize First-Party Data for Superior Targeting

Your existing customer database is a gold mine for CTV targeting. Using first-party data dramatically increases campaign effectiveness.

Action Step: Export your customer email list (with proper privacy compliance) and use it for lookalike modeling to find viewers who match your best customers’ profiles.

3. Develop Creative That Drives Local Action

OTT TV ads for local businesses should include clear, location-based calls to action that make it easy for viewers to respond.

Action Step: Include your address, neighborhood reference, or landmark in your ad. Consider featuring recognizable local elements that create an immediate connection with viewers in your area.

4. Implement Cross-Channel Retargeting

OTT advertising platforms work best when integrated with your other marketing channels, creating multiple touchpoints with potential customers.

Action Step: Coordinate your CTV campaign with geographically targeted social media and search ads to reinforce your message across platforms.

5. Measure What Matters for Local Businesses

The real-time dashboard capabilities of modern CTV platforms allow you to track metrics that directly impact your business.

Action Step: Set up tracking for website visits, in-store visits, and call volume during your campaign periods to measure lift. Compare performance across different zip codes to optimize future targeting.

Case Study: Local Retailer Success

A local furniture store implemented a targeted CTV campaign focusing on households within specific zip codes that showed interest in home improvement and had recently moved.

With a modest budget of $2,500 per month, they achieved:

• 200,000+ completed views on premium platforms.
• 22% increase in website traffic from targeted zip codes.
• 15% lift in store visits attributed to the campaign.
• 3.5x return on ad spend measured through sales tracking.

This success demonstrates how strategic targeting and measurement can make CTV advertising highly effective for local businesses.

Political Advertising Advantage

For those involved in local political advertising, CTV offers unprecedented advantages in precisely reaching voters. The ability to target by zip code and adjust messaging quickly makes streaming TV an ideal channel for local races with complete transparency through real-time reporting.

Getting Started with CTV

The path to successful local advertising through CTV starts with understanding your audience and setting clear objectives:

1. Define your geographic target

Identify the zip codes most valuable to your business.

2. Determine your audience segments

Beyond location, what demographics or interests define your ideal customer?

3. Set your measurement criteria

Decide what success looks like—website visits, store traffic, or direct sales.

4. Prepare your creative

Develop a clear, compelling message with local relevance.

Start small and scale

Begin with a focused test campaign and expand based on performance.

CTA and the Future

The barriers to television advertising for local businesses have fallen. Today’s CTV ecosystem offers unprecedented opportunities for businesses of all sizes to reach their ideal customers with the impact of TV combined with precision digital targeting.

By embracing this powerful channel and implementing strategic, locally focused campaigns, small and medium businesses can create meaningful connections with their communities and drive measurable results. The streaming TV revolution isn’t just for national brands – it’s ready for local businesses to claim their space on the biggest screen in the home.