Consider this. You’re watching TV and you see an Ad about a new mobile phone with an URL at the end of the advert. What is the probability that you’ll either go to the direct URL or search for that mobile phone on your handheld device then and there itself?
Pretty good chances right? Especially if you already are browsing the net on your phone like most people.

With an exponential increase in the number of smartphone users and people browsing the net not just on their PC’s but also on laptops, tablets and mobile phones, people are more online in the virtual world than they are alive in the real world!
Now, how can that be a ‘Eureka’ moment for marketers?

Answer: Keep your eyes open!

The audience nowadays can be divided into three tiers-

• Two Screen : TV and Computer
• Three Screen : TV, Computer and Smartphone
• Four Screen : TV, Computer, Smartphone and Tablet

And at the same time, tablets change the game, because they bring the app ecosystem together with the best usability aspects of the smartphone and computer. You can do plenty with your phone, but it’s not always easy. Most sites don’t work well with smartphones let alone mobile phones. In such a case, tablet users aided by their app world find it easier to access the web and its services. But then the question arises – Do marketers ‘make’ the audience do that?

It is important that the marketers understand the audience psychology. People are ready to move on to their 2nd or 3rd or 4th screen while watching TV! For marketers, there is an opportunity to create content and experiences which are complementary to that shown on TV. Why not put the URL to your website or Facebook Page if you’re running a contest? You’d do that on Paper Ads, why not do it on TV Ads too when you have the opportunity and platform to do so!

Online offers an immediate response mechanism for viewers of TV ads. It allows brands an opportunity to capitalize instantly off the effect of the ad. We know the attention and memory span of the Ad audience is very low unless and until you’re able to either catch up on their emotion factor or just purely have an awesome Ad no one can resist watching again and again. In such a case, if a call to action is given to the audience so that they can immediately continue the interaction with the brand even after the Ad is over, it’ll surely gain the brand a good number of new followers if they’re able to utilize this follow up path well.

If a URL is shown at the end of an Ad, it should be made sure that the URL is easy to remember and also that when the audience goes to that web page there is a clear path to what should be done next and if a sale or a step closest to making a sale in present, it should be achieved in as less clicks by the person, as possible. At the same time, if the person is searching Google for news related to the brand right after seeing the brand’s Ad, the brand should have done their homework well in advance and made sure that  brand and non-brand search terms are in high enough positions to capture the extra search traffic that TV Ads will generate. In short, after extensive keyword research, do the SEO well before getting into this aspect!

A couple of points I would like to emphasize upon when you design such a campaign would be-

• Make sure that if you give your Facebook page as the connecting URL, the person doesn’t have to search the page extensively to find the related post. It would be good to have related info in the Timeline pic, at the same time adhering to Facebook Guidelines of the same.
• If you are targeting a particular keyword or phrase, one guaranteed way to top the search engines around the time of TV ad campaigns is to buy the term.
• Make sure the landing web page is mobile friendly. A lot many people might still not have smartphones and would be accessing your page via mobile. DON’T fend them off!
• Have a clear call to action and path process to the end page. Also make sure that if the person is required to fill in some data, you don’t ask for too much data. It just might test their patience and might cost you a valid customer.
• Add direct social sharing options from the page.
• Provide a good range of contact options like phone, mail and contact forms and also make sure that you do respond to them as soon as possible when a query does come.

These are just some of the points that I have found to be right and effective. If you have any more points to add, would love to hear them out!