Make Your TV Ads Actionable with Paid Search

Paid Media / May 29, 2018

We’ve been hearing about multiple-screen activity for a while: users who browse or chat on their phone or tablet while watching TV. According to Nielsen, 84% of smartphone and tablet owners use one of these devices as a second screen while watching TV. Nielsen also reports that 29% of these viewers are searching for more information about shows they are watching.

Paid search makes TV advertising actionable

While TV ads are notoriously great for branding and reach, there’s still a disconnect when it comes to getting TV viewers to shift online and buy on your ecommerce site. Paid search is very effective at closing the loop, immediately enabling viewers to directly visit and buy the products or services featured in a TV ad.

If you are running TV ads, paid search is an essential part of your advertising mix. By focusing on keywords viewers are likely to enter to find your ad, products or services, you can extend the relevance of an ephemeral TV commercial and bring viewers directly into your sales funnel.

More sales for only a fraction of your TV advertising budget

Think of search as an echo that continues long after people have seen your TV ad. A paid search budget will be a fraction of your TV budget, but it will make the most of your TV investment by providing ways for viewers to engage and find your product or service long after they’ve seen your ads.

Read on for some tips and techniques for crafting keyword lists, ad creative and landing pages to capture the fickle attention of TV viewers.

With traffic you get data

Your paid search and analytics traffic will tell you a lot about the effectiveness of your TV ads. Track and measure your paid and organic search traffic to learn which time slots, creative and other variations generated the most online activity. You can take this further by testing keyword groups and ad copy to see which variations searchers are generating the best response.

Tips for running paid search ads that sync with your TV commercials

1. Expand your keyword list

Think beyond your usual AdGroups to create keyword lists that TV viewers may search for. In addition to running brand keywords, break out lists of non-brand keywords around product or service type and categories. Also consider keywords viewers may enter to find actors, themes, offers, music or taglines featured in your TV ads.

2. Match ad copy to your TV ad creative

Make sure your ads echo content featured in your TV ad. We recommend making several copy variations per AdGroup, using copy that references the offer, actors, storylines and taglines that people may associate with your ad. Studying which copy snippets generate clicks and sales will also help you understand which parts of your TV ad resonated with your audience.

3. Bid more competitively

If you’re going to take the time to run search ads concurrent with your TV commercials, make sure they are optimally positioned for people to respond. Bid to feature your ads at the top of the search results. You may also want to test Enhanced CPC, which increases your bids for searchers who may be more likely to convert.

4. Sync your landing page creative with your TV ad

Make sure you build dedicated SEM landing pages that match your TV ad. If searchers are inspired to look for you because of your commercial, you want to mirror what they saw on TV. What’s more, if people arrive on your landing page thanks to a product-related search, ad text that matches the message in your TV ad will help further brand recognition. Either way you win.

5. Make it easy for visitors to act on TV offers online

Eliminate all barriers or confusion on your landing page and website to make it as easy as possible for visitors to act on the promotion, product or service featured. Simplify and clarify; take visitors straight to the opportunity. This is standard advice, but it’s doubly important when you’re dealing with people who may be accessing your offer via a second screen while watching television.

TV ads: part of your digital ecosystem

By running concurrent search ads, TV commercials become a part of your digital marketing ecosystem, driving brand recognition and interest from a one-way broadcast medium straight into your ecommerce website. It’s an easy win, and one that is currently underutilized by many brands.

Sure, brands are syncing digital and social content with their TV ads, but they often overlook the potential for strategically targeted AdWords and Bing advertising campaigns. In other words, there are many creative opportunities out there for those who understand the true potential of timely, relevant targeted search. Don’t miss out.

How have you succeeded at using conventional advertising and paid search to draw visitors? We’d love to hear your stories, questions and recommendations. Feel free to comment below or contact us here.