TV’s impact on search
Another year, another festive season wrapped. Time to pack away the decorations, fairy lights and a lifestyle predominantly spent on the sofa (it really is a wonderful life).
Did you know that over Christmas, we tend to spend a staggering 62 hours watching the television? That’s a whole lot of ad breaks. But amidst all the TV watching both in and out of the festive period, it’s likely that half the time we’re not giving it our fullest attention.
With 9/10 of Brits admitting to being “second screeners”, it’s clear that for much of the time spent glued to the television screen, at least one eye is stuck to our trustworthy smartphone companions.
But have you ever thought what an opportunity this is for your brand?
TV and search are a match made in brand-discovery heaven and should be optimised to complement the lifestyle of the multi-screen loving audiences of today. It makes a lot of sense, and the proof is in the out-of-date Christmas pudding with this one - just look at what happens to brand searches and subsequent traffic on Google Trends or your own benchmark data when TV ads air.
What’s more, when TV actively encourages us to search, we do so. A study by Think With Google found that adding ‘Search Google for *insert product*’ on the final frame as the end-tag generated 1.27 more searches than without. So, it appears that TV ads can subtly point us in the direction that we were probably about to head in any way.
But we mustn’t forget the mindset that a person is in whilst watching television. When it comes to optimising search, remember that people are in a dreaming and discovery mode – CTAs should therefore be informative and educational rather than aimed at immediately securing a sale. Oh, and don’t let all your hard work fail because of bad UX – be sure to optimise your site for mobile use to ensure that people stick around after searching your brand.
So, when is the right time to think about these channels in tandem? Well, if your share of search is on a downward trajectory, then you should think about using TV to raise that brand awareness. TV is a great way to keep up that steady flow of people entering the top of your marketing funnel. What’s more, these efforts are probably going to save you money in the long term. Results from research and data agency Magic Numbers show that TV drives cheaper online journeys. This is because TV prompts people to search for the brand specifically rather than just the category. Generic paid search (Googling the category) costs advertisers more than brand paid search.
Working TV and search together offers both the here-and-now benefits, reaching your audience in real time with direct response, as well as long-term growth goals as your brand gains recognition and awareness. The Multiplier Effect is a wonderful thing and TV’s snowball impact on other channels is incremental to delivering stronger ROI. This phenomenon is not going anywhere, and smart marketers know why TV works so well with digital and create strategies that use them together.
So, as 2022 gets off to a flying start and your campaigns for the year ahead unfold, think about the last time you were scrolling on the sofa whilst the ad breaks were fighting for your attention. We’ve got our eyes on both of those prizes. To talk brand and to understand where and when best to air and optimise, our door is always open.
Eloise Pates
Contributor
