Choosing the Right Ad Platform in 2025: What Oklahoma Businesses Need to Know
When it comes to spending your advertising dollars wisely, not all marketing channels are created equal, especially when comparing national averages to what’s actually effective here in Oklahoma. A recent comparison of U.S. versus Oklahoma ad mediums for 2024–2025 offers insight into where your ad budget may go furthest.
Whether you’re a contractor, local service provider, or regional brand, understanding how your audience consumes media can make or break your marketing strategy. We break down the major platforms and how they stack up nationally versus in Oklahoma, with data to back it up.
Broadcast TV and Cable TV: Big Nationwide, Smaller Locally
Nationally, traditional TV remains a dominant player with a nearly universal reach among adults (live and time-shifted TV still reaches roughly 88% of U.S. adults weekly (Source: nielsen.com). Cable television isn’t far behind in providing broad exposure, as millions of households still subscribe to cable or satellite service.
However, in Oklahoma both broadcast and cable TV show a decline in cost efficiency. The cost to reach 1,000 viewers (CPM) via TV is higher locally than the national average – for example, national broadcast TV buys average around $18–$25 CPM, whereas targeting Oklahoma viewers can run about $26–$32 CPM. In other words, it’s more expensive per impression to reach Oklahomans through TV. This aligns with industry observations that local TV ad slots often carry higher CPMs than national buys (Source: tatari.tv).
While TV still commands attention with its broad reach, it comes at a premium cost in Oklahoma. For many small to midsize businesses, television may be better suited for broad brand awareness campaigns rather than cost-efficient direct response. The higher local CPM means you’ll pay more for each potential customer’s attention on TV, so unless you have a large budget or mass-market appeal, consider TV primarily for building recognition and trust (and even then, target big-impact moments or sponsorships to maximize value).
Radio Still Resonates in Oklahoma
Radio is a bright spot for local businesses. It reaches roughly 90% of adults on a weekly basis in the U.S. (Source: nielsen.com). This figure that holds true in Oklahoma as well, making it one of the widest-reaching media channels. Importantly, it does so at a far lower cost than TV.
Radio advertising is very affordable: nationally, radio ads often cost on the order of $6–$12 per thousand listeners, and in Oklahoma the rates can be as low as about $5–$9 per thousand (Source: hohumproductions.com). In fact, an ad buy in the Oklahoma City market can be delivered for just a few dollars CPM, depending on the station and time slot. This combination of high reach and low cost means radio offers an efficient way to build top-of-mind awareness.
Another advantage is listener trust and engagement. Many Oklahomans have strong loyalty to their local radio stations and personalities, tuning in during commutes or work days.
For contractors, home service companies, or local event organizers, radio remains cost-effective for frequent reminders and community presence. You can afford to run ads with high frequency on radio to ensure your brand or offer is heard repeatedly without breaking the bank. The medium’s saturation (people listen at home, in the car, at work) and its local flavor (DJs, news, talk shows relevant to the community) help your message come across as both familiar and credible.
Print is Aging and Costly
Newspapers and magazines, while still considered credible by some, continue to lose traction, especially among younger audiences. Print advertising carries some of the highest costs across all media. It’s not uncommon for print ad CPMs to exceed $30 or even $40 in cost (Source: adzze.com), which is significantly higher than equivalent reach on digital or broadcast platforms.
Meanwhile, the audience for print has been shrinking and aging. Younger consumers simply don’t read physical newspapers or magazines at anywhere near the rate their parents did. Only about 11% of adults aged 18–29 say they currently buy print newspapers, compared to roughly 20% of those ages 30 and up (Source: marketingcharts.com). In 2024, just 9% of U.S. adults said they prefer print newspapers for local news, with the vast majority now preferring online sources (Source: gradynewsource.uga.edu).
This means print’s reach is not only smaller overall, but its readership skews heavily toward older demographics. Unless your target audience is older and very locally focused (for example, readers of a small-town community paper), print should likely be a minor piece of your marketing mix. It can still play a role for credibility and niche targeting, but given the high cost-per-impression and declining readership, every print dollar needs to be justified by a very specific strategic purpose.
Digital Advertising: The Most Cost-Efficient Performer
Across the board, digital ads remain the most scalable, trackable, and cost-efficient option both nationwide and in Oklahoma. Whether through search engines, display networks, or social media, digital allows you to pinpoint your exact audience and only pay for the impressions or clicks that matter.
The costs are dramatically lower than traditional media: for example, paid search ads on Google/Bing or display banner ads can often deliver impressions for an effective CPM on the order of just a few dollars, most commonly in the ~$3 range (Source: helpdocs.turnitbluedigital.com).
Social media advertising is also inexpensive: Facebook/Instagram ads average around $5–$9 per thousand impressions in the U.S. (Source: fitsmallbusiness.com), and many advertisers see even lower CPMs in less competitive markets. It’s not unusual to achieve Facebook or Instagram CPMs in the mid single digits, especially when targeting local Oklahoma demographics with relatively little competition.
The beauty of digital is not just the low cost, but the precision and flexibility. You can target by keywords, location, interests, and behaviors, ensuring your ads reach the people most likely to become customers. You can also adjust campaigns in real-time by increasing spend on what works, pausing or tweaking what doesn’t. This isn’t possible with a locked-in TV or print schedule.
In short, digital advertising lets smaller businesses punch above their weight. You can compete with larger brands for consumer attention without the heavy overhead of traditional media. It’s also highly adaptable with relative ease. The low cost per thousand and high degree of control make digital the foundational layer of most modern marketing plans.
Outdoor/Billboard Advertising: Local Strength, Niche Results
Don’t overlook out-of-home advertising like billboards, especially in a driving-heavy state like Oklahoma. Billboards still play a strong role here due to our commuting patterns and highway traffic. Many Oklahomans spend substantial time driving each week (with relatively few public transit options), which means well-placed outdoor ads along highways or busy roads get noticed repeatedly.
From an investment standpoint, outdoor ads are quite cost-effective in delivering impressions. Nationally, the average billboard CPM is only on the order of a few dollars, and traditional static billboards often range roughly $3–$6 per thousand views, and even digital billboards (those LED signs) are typically under $8 per thousand (Source: broadsign.com).
In Oklahoma, costs tend to be on the lower end of those ranges (often around $4–$6 CPM for local billboards), providing a very affordable way to reach a broad local audience. In fact, out-of-home media has one of the lowest costs per impression of any traditional medium, while also being unavoidable in the physical environment (people can’t “skip” a billboard like they skip TV commercials or online ads).
The caveat with outdoor advertising is that while it’s great for mass awareness and reinforcement, it’s not a highly targeted or interactive medium. You typically use it for brief messages: reinforcing your brand name, tagline, or a simple call-to-action (like a website or phone number for an upcoming event). It works best when paired with other channels. For instance, a billboard may plant the seed by exposing drivers to your brand, and then your radio or digital ads give more details or prompt action. Outdoor is especially useful for event promotion (fairs, concerts, sales) and for geographic targeting (e.g. a billboard near your store exit on a highway).
So, What Should Your 2025 Media Strategy Look Like?
For most Oklahoma-based businesses, a hybrid approach will bring the best ROI:
Use digital (search, display, social) to drive action and track ROI
Layer in radio for affordable reach and brand lift
Explore outdoor as a complement to online or event-based campaigns
Minimize print and TV spend unless you have deep brand goals or specific audience needs
Every business is different, and your marketing should reflect that. Sooner Marketing helps Oklahoma brands find the right mix of media buying, ad creative, and performance tracking to get results that make sense for your goals—and your budget.
Need help navigating your 2025 advertising strategy?
Contact Sooner Marketing to get started on a custom media plan built for your Oklahoma audience.
