We live in an era where smartphones are becoming the essential TV-watching companion for people use their devices to search for information about what they are viewing. The increasing use of this second screen presents a fantastic opportunity for brands to extend their engagement with consumers in a more interactive way.

Companies, and their communication teams, can build on the value of these real-time moments by ensuring they have digital content and assets in place to accommodate search traffic and consumer queries.

From IMPACT’s experience developing digital strategies for clients, we have devised a few tips to help your company better connect with second-screen searchers:

1. Make the presence felt:It is critical that brands have an engaging digital presence, underpinned or supported by an effective mobile platform. Companies also need to ensure their website and digital landing pages are aligned with their advertising creative and messaging.
2. Maximise spotlightmoments: If your company spokesperson [hyperlink ‘Why media training isn’t about avoiding the truth’], product or service is appearing on TV [hyperlink ‘The seven deadly sins of television interviews’], make the most of this opportunity by posting tune-in reminders or live tweeting during the broadcast.

IMPACT’s client Viridian Glass recently promoted their participation on Channel Nine’s TV show The Block by tweeting regularly throughout each episode to drive viewer conversations.

3. #Hashtag it:Brands using Twitter to engage consumers can amplify their message by using hashtags to encourage group conversation.

For example, organisations conducting a media launch, hosting an event [hyperlink to ‘Four steps to an unforgettable product launch event’], or appearing on TV should develop a hashtag to make it easy for consumers to find and get in on the conversation.

4. Get in sync: To further amplifyconsumer engagement, brands should consider TV ad syncing. This is identifying the exact moment your TV commercial airs and simultaneously timing an advertisement to run on a consumer’s mobile device. Implementing a consistent and cross-channel marketing campaign like this is an effective way to support your brand’s TV investment.
5. Assess your success: Evaluation plays a key role in every marketers’ job, and brands can use second-screen searches to measure the value of their TV spend through audience smartphone activity.

Analytics tools designed to measure search activity can provide insights on which advertisements or digital content is performing best and during which TV shows. This information can then be used to guide your company’s future strategies.

Second-screen search moments act as a barometer for what your customers are thinking about and what content peaks their interest. Organisations need to plan ahead to capitalise on these moments as they offer invaluable insight which will help them create more relevant campaigns with improved consumer impact.