9 Ways To Implement Online TV Marketing Campaigns

Gap has done it. So have Dove, Nissan and Honda. Cross-channel campaigns have exposed hundreds of products and services to more consumers. These days, print and broadcast media are not the only methods you can use as a marketer. Thanks to online tv, you can reach an audience who is more likely interested to concentrate on internet searches than wait passively for marketing campaigns to find them. If increasing awareness for your company and brand is your goal, why not use an online tv marketing campaign? Here's how to implement one:

Have a good plan and design.
For seasoned marketing pros, this is a no brainer. Unfortunately, not all internet marketers have this in mind when implementing marketing campaigns for online tv. Determine how you want the campaign to look, what it will say, what the content will include and convey. More importantly, determine the audience you will be promoting it to. Oftentimes, a solution can be lost if it misses the right target.

A good plan and design can also help you expand from an original idea and create related marketing campaigns. Even if you'll be using new themes, you can introduce these seamlessly without confusing consumers or making them think it's a completely new direction that has no relation to the previous campaign.

Provide premium content.
Uploading your video content and having it viewed via online tv is not cheap, so if you're using a video as part of your marketing campaign, make sure it has quality content. That way, you're more assured of reception in better sites where you get exposure to more consumers who will find your campaign relevant. A more targeted content will have better impact to viewers.

Short is the word.
The internet thrives on speed and when there are thousands of other tv marketing campaigns competing for attention, it can be extremely difficult to convince enough people to view your online tv campaign.

A survey conducted by Advertising.com showed that about 60% of consumers prefer tv ads that are shorter. It's a fast paced online world, further aggravated by user-controlled features. This is why it is important that you keep your online tv marketing campaigns short. Fifteen to 20-second spots are best or if you need to push it, 30-second spots will do.

Include contact information.
Always include your company's or site's contact information – business name, logo, address, URL or e-mail address – in your marketing campaign and make it easy for your audience to get in touch with you. This helps increase your chances of conversion and also help in company and brand recall.

Integrate.
Do you have an offline marketing campaign? Make sure it is integrated with your online tv campaign. That way, if potential consumers happen to view the two campaigns on different media, they know that these are one and the same. A cohesive experience is more likely to reinforce awareness for your brand than a marketing campaign that uses different themes.

Consumer experiences should be consistent regardless of what channel they are using and this includes your business policy and customer service. Use unique promotions in one channel only if you want to increase purchases through it. Otherwise, make sure the online tv marketing campaign is unified.

Continue the story.
Some of the best marketing campaigns live on in our heads, not only because they were creative and innovative but also because they were episodic. Marketing campaigns that offer new episodes on a similar theme have a viral appeal and if executed effectively, can promote expectation among your audience. That way, they will look forward to your next installment.

Allow your audience to participate.
If possible, provide an opportunity where your audience can become involved with your product or service. Here's a good example:

Nike used a participatory marketing campaign during the 2006 World Cup, where soccer fans got to communicate with one another through a website, NikeSoccer.com. This online community attracted visitors who signed up to get access to exclusive online content and contests. Nike's example will mean a lot more work and cost, but if it's possible for you, why not try it?

Test your marketing campaign.
Remember that once you put out your marketing campaign on online tv, there's no going back. It will be very costly and wasteful indeed if you pulled out your campaign to make adjustments or redo the whole thing. By testing your marketing campaign first, you will find whatever it is that needs improvement and determine its potential to succeed or fail. You can also use effective measures to optimize it.

Furthermore, testing your marketing campaign for online tv will help you learn about the process and its attributes. You can use this information later on to learn about your strengths and weaknesses and improve your future campaigns.

Measure the results.
Gather data to help you study past results and don’t let it go to waste. Find out how it performs across different customer segments. Remember, data doesn’t lie and measuring results will help you determine your marketing campaign's success, value and profitability.