(This article originally published on Eicoff.com.)
For way too long, TV and digital marketers have separated themselves into two different worlds. What happened in one was not connected or aligned with what was happening in the other. This divide only hurt both sides. To maximize advertising efforts, marketers need to have a seamless plan and a clear picture across all landscapes.
To help the cause, we’ve partnered with Dan Golden of BeFoundOnline, to offer some insights and best practices on how to bridge the TV-to-online experience. In this article, we will explore how to best convert the digital demand created by television advertising.
As we all know, a TV campaign will spark an increase in all digital activity related to your brand or company. Whether it’s direct site visits or Google searches, people will naturally go online to find out more. To take advantage of this traffic, here’s a list of important digital steps to take:
Test page speed
A slow-loading page can kill conversion rates. Web developers and techs should make testing a frequent practice before and during active campaigns. We recommend investing in AMP (accelerated mobile pages) to deliver the best user experience, as most digital demand from TV comes from mobile devices.
Optimize landing pages
It might seem that a simple form would work fine as the landing page of the URL in the ad. Don’t do it! In my experience, the landing page should reinforce the offer. It should also make buying simple. The most successful landing pages have:
• A clear, benefit-driven header
• A few short sentences that reinforce the value of the offer
• Bullets that highlight big benefits
• Relevant graphics or images
• A simple CTA form that collects all necessary data and reassures the user that their data is safe
• No links or navigation options
Create multiple calls to action
TV viewers may be at very different stages of the buying cycle. Some may be ready to purchase. Many others, especially website visitors, will still be early in the purchase funnel. While it may be tempting to drive everybody to a strong and simple call to action (“buy now” or “call now”), we’ve found the best long-term approach is to provide multiple paths for your prospects to convert.
This could include web chat, a phone number to call, email forms, newsletter signups and offer pop-overs (i.e., sign up for email and get 15% off). Some of these may improve conversions immediately; others will need remarketing to close later. All paths lead to revenue. Let the user choose their path.
Leverage remarketing
As TV drives an increase in website visitors, many prospects just introduced to the brand will not transact on their first interaction (despite all of the above optimization techniques or a strong CTA in the TV spot). Be prepared to close the sale by placing remarketing tags on all TV landing pages and across your web properties. This way, if a user clicks away, they can be reminded of the offer and receive a simple way to make the purchase. You can also leverage YouTube remarketing to reinforce the TV message to the same audience for increased frequency with a hyper-focused list of prospects.
When in doubt, test
A big benefit of digital marketing is the ability to test and test often. Test one element at a time with a simple process: Test. Analyze. Optimize. Test again.
For those who have ever run a DRTV campaign, one way to think about digital is to compare it to a call center. In a TV campaign that drives phone leads, it’s critical that your center is prepped for an influx of calls. The representatives need to be ready with the right message and prepared for a variety of callers, questions and outcomes. The digital space, while very different, should similarly and strategically be primed for the arrival of all kinds of interested consumers.
So, before you launch a TV campaign, take a hard look at your digital properties, and make sure they’re properly set up to help convert the traffic you’re certain to see.
