Cross-Channel Marketing with Search Engine Marketing and TV

The goal of a well-rounded marketing program is to reach as many consumers as possible using a variety of different marketing methods.  In today’s digitally-focused world, many companies have taken television advertising completely off of the table, thinking it “old school” or ineffective.  This could be a mistake as TV ads have been shown to have an impact on search engine marketing in a variety of scenarios.

Getting the Most Out of Search Engine Marketing

First, let’s consider that adding another marketing channel could deliver a benefit to your organization.  Even if it’s just a one percent gain, that is additional money to your bottom line and a build-up of your customer engagement.  Using a cross-channel approach to advertising is one of the best ways to go after those untapped markets, and television advertising is an excellent choice.

Paid Search and TV

Yes, Google is big, but television is still the granddaddy when it comes to marketing channels.  It was discovered several years ago that the two are actually very much connected.  Google reported when people watch television, 84% of them do so using a dual-screen approach.  This means that they supplement what they see on TV with related searches and social media discussions on their tablets and smartphones.

These second screen watchers present search engine marketers with an incredible opportunity for both real-time ads and other relevant ads through paid search.   There is no doubt that these secondary devices are being used while those television ads are running.  A study published by 4C concluded that businesses who chose this route saw a 39.8% increase in click-through rates (CTR) and a 9% increase in conversions after their ads aired.  The impact on paid search due to competitor ads running was close to the same CTR degree, but the in the other direction.

Getting Started

Coordinating Search Engine Marketing with television advertising isn’t quite as simple as calling up the local television station and then scheduling your Adwords account accordingly.   Fortunately, some digital marketing companies have extensive experience with media buying and several also have the ability to schedule “TV-Synched Ads.”  As television advertising may require a larger investment than you’ve made in the past, it might be a useful idea first to experiment with aligning a marketing message across several channels.  Once you have accomplished this, consider moving forward with your media team to target those dual-screen television viewers.

There’s no doubt that cross-channel marketing works.  Yet, the companies that dare to venture into television advertising as their competitor’s site on the sidelines will be the ones adding additional revenue to their bottom lines.

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