Whether you run a digital publication and want to have video ads on your site, or whether you want to market your site effectively, you ignore television at your peril. The internet is the most rapidly growing medium for advertisers, but television is still the dominant medium. The goal for both TV and web advertising is increased audience engagement, and advertisers want to engage all audiences.

SEE ALSO: Study Shows Americans Ignore Online Ads: Here are 3 Ways to Improve Them

Television and the web can work together very effectively, and advertisers are increasingly developing integrated marketing campaigns to connect with consumers on every type of screen, from the 50-inch flat screen television to the smartphone. Combining TV and print advertising helps reinforce advertisers’ messages and maximize ad impact. Here are 4 reasons why television marketing and audience engagement go hand in hand.

1. Television Ads Can Now Be Targeted More Effectively

Cable television has produced a huge range of channels that address many specific audiences. To be effective, no longer do TV ads have to run during major events like the Super Bowl, because they can be placed and timed to address a smaller set of more targeted viewers. Targeting of video ads is one of the main reasons advertisers choose the web as another platform. Local digital publications can run ads aimed at local consumers, while niche websites may run lucrative ad campaigns that take advantage of the more intense audience engagement on these sites. Combine the broad reach of television with the targeted reach of websites, and the result is usually more effective marketing.

2. Television Is an Unmatched Medium for Demonstration

While text and static graphics can combine to make powerful and memorable ads, there’s simply nothing like television for demonstrating a product. Audience engagement is greater when viewers or site visitors see a new car in action or watch someone demonstrate a product. The proliferation of ”how-to” shows on television is evidence that people want to see for themselves how things are done, whether it’s painting a room or making a gourmet dish. Advertisers take advantage of this curiosity when their ads show products being used.

3. TV Is Still Considered the Gold Standard for Marketing

A study by Adobe on online advertising found that 30% of consumers in the US perceive online advertising as less effective than offline advertising. Although marketing professionals have more confidence in online ads than consumers do, the fact remains that more money is spent on television ads than on web ads. This is expected to be true for the next several years, with online advertising only expected to exceed television advertising in 2018 or later. Factors that keep television advertising dominant include the amazing reach TV ads have, its continued value to advertisers, and the predictability of the television audiences by channel.

4. Television Prompts People to Action

A UK survey by Deloitte last year found that 10% of respondents overall searched for products online after having seen a television sponsorship or ad. For younger TV viewers, this trend was even more pronounced, with 24% of viewers in the 16 to 24 age bracket hunting down products they’ve seen on TV. Moreover, television programs and ads were the third most common reason people gave for impulse purchases (coming in behind recommendations by friends or family, and seeing an item in a store). In contrast, seeing ads in mobile apps only persuaded 2% to take action, and seeing a product referred to on Twitter only drove 1% to seek out that product.

Advertising on television still has a huge impact on the public. It attracts a large audience that watches an average of four hours of TV every day. Even though the online world has been mainstream for over a decade, people only spend three minutes on YouTube or two minutes on Facebook for every hour spent watching television. Marketers are discovering that cross-pollination between the online world and television can help them create even more effective ad campaigns. So whether you want to advertise your website or whether you want to increase ad revenue on your site, you’re wise to look to the world of television advertising.

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