Many people watch TV with their phones in hand, or they’re watching it on mobile devices themselves. Ninety-five percent of consumers report using their smartphones in some capacity while watching TV. That creates constant feedback between TV and the internet, where people check messages, emails, and social media during programs. It also means they’re looking up information, products, and ads while watching. 

Taking advantage of this by integrating your TV and digital strategies extends your reach to resonate with your audience. When using two or more marketing avenues in concert with one another, the likelihood of engagement infinitely increases for your brand.

What is Integrated Marketing?

Integrated marketing is a multi-pronged approach to advertising that makes your message available to consumers no matter where they receive content. A TV ad may include a link to your website or social media page. You can place your ads on the channels where your audience will likely be to increase viewership. 

An integrated strategy reinforces your brand’s ultimate message and stresses the importance of a consistent, seamless customer experience. You use it to develop your branding across platforms and reach consumers at all stages of the customer journey. As with any marketing effort, you want to maximize your ROI while maintaining cost-effectiveness. Here are a few tips for successfully integrating your TV and digital advertising to capture your market share.

1. Plan Your Strategy Using Your Funnel, Not Channels

Coordinating multiple channels can be challenging. To keep track of your campaign and get your entire team on the same page, you should think in terms of the sales funnel rather than the channels themselves. Together you should determine what aspect of the overall message is most effective at every stage of the journey. 

Your content should focus on informing and being helpful to increase awareness in the early stage. Increase mid-funnel engagement using content that assists the buyer in taking action to make a purchase. Your integrated marketing works hand-in-hand to move the consumer through the funnel. 

2. Let Your Employees Work Together

Creative teams should not be separated. Coordination is crucial, especially if different teams are assigned to handle different channels. You want your campaigns to complement and strengthen each other without repeating or contradicting the message, regardless of whether they’re making ads for TV, digital, or print. Your digital or TV creative teams must work closely together. At the very least, make sure representatives from each team attend all planning meetings. 

3. Plan Your TV Spots and Channels Based on Your Customers

Knowing and understanding your target audience is essential in reaching them. Figure out which channels they're on and where to reach them on social media. That lets you place your ads alongside the content they consume online.

Find out what times of day they’re active to time content when they’re receptive to take action. You can time your social media posts where they’ll see them, but also when they’re watching TV. You can increase the likelihood your ads will be seen by the same people on multiple channels. 

4. Create Consistent, Quality Content

Your content builds your brand identity. A consistent message creates a powerful brand image, helping your customers know your business better. Ensure your channels have quality content that’s posted consistently and is thematically cohesive across all your channels. You’ll hold your customers’ interest and reinforce your message.

TV ads can lead to your website, but that site needs to offer wanted information. Additional products, like eBooks, are a good idea as incentives to further engagement.

5. Track Your Successes

No matter how well you plan your campaign, you’ll need to adjust your messages over time to ensure your ads will be effective. Tracking how successful your plan is at engaging your audience is essential to indicate your strategy’s health. Identify your marketing goals and the specific metrics you can measure to gauge your content’s effectiveness. It saves time and money as it allows you to change course if something is not working as well as you expected. You can grow your campaign and find new opportunities to keep your business growing.

Some of the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) you should track include:

• Marketing Revenue Attribution-- Shows how your marketing efforts connect to actual sales
• Customer Acquisition Cost-- Represents the total sales and marketing costs required to retain a new customer
• Customer Lifetime Value-- Indicates the expected revenue generated from one customer during their relationship with your business
• Digital Marketing ROI-- Shows the return on investment you get from the digital side of your integrated marketing
• Traffic-to-Lead Ratio-- Shows the percentage of buyers who come to your website and then convert to a lead
• Mobile Traffic, Leads, and Conversion Rates-- Represents the success of your mobile-optimized marketing 

Integrated marketing campaigns increase your exposure. When implemented well, it increases your brand’s success. All your campaigns should work together and complement each other while presenting a consistent message. You can better improve your chances of success by working with a media partner. They are well equipped to help you with their experience in implementing and integrating advertising campaigns.