An appearance on national television can see website traffic skyrocket. This can work wonders for brand exposure and lead to an unprecedented increase in engagement. Here we look at how you can tailor your digital marketing to make the most of this opportunity to boost your brand online.

Our experience

At Key Digital we have been fortunate to have a number of clients experience national exposure on high profile television programmes and are well versed at preparing for such events. Most recently our client the Jurassic Coast Trust were part of a 3-part television series called Beach Live which, as the name suggests, was broadcast live on BBC 4 over 3 concurrent days.

As you will see from the figure below, on the first day there was a spike in traffic when the programme aired at 8pm. Interestingly, you will also see that that the spike in visitors was greater in the morning, when the show was featured briefly on the BBC breakfast show, which highlights the importance of PR surrounding the programme.

jurassic coast trust website referrals

Whilst TV exposure such as this does not come around often, it’s important to be proactive when it does. By taking a number of steps prior, during and after the television show goes live will ensure you can make the most of the publicity.

 

Preparing your website for upcoming tv exposure

Landing page

Consider editing the homepage of your website in time for the launch of the television programme so that your feature is immediately visible. Not only does this help in reassuring new users that they are on the correct page, but it can also improve search engine optimisation. Ensure there is a call to action to engage the audience with the sites content.

Blog

Compose a blog post in the lead up explaining what is about to happen and what the program is about. Ensure the copy is engaging and interesting and try to give readers an exclusive piece of information such as behind the scenes photos and videos. Make sure you include internal links to drive users to other relevant pages on your website to maximise the time these users spend on the site. If possible try to do this a few days before the programme is aired so that Google has the chance to index the page. This will also make it easier for prospective visitors to find it when searching.

jurassic coast trust blog

Google Analytics

The effects of media coverage can be short lived and can pass unnoticed unless you have proper measures in place to track website traffic. It is important to have Google analytics set up on your website so you can measure the effect the exposure has had on your online presence.

Spread the word

The most important part of preparing your audience for an upcoming television appearance is letting them know it is happening! Quite rightly, this advice may appear basic, but it’s amazing how many people don’t properly prepare and let the free exposure pass them by.

 

Plan and schedule social content ahead of time

Social Media

Plan ahead and prepare posts to go live across your social network channels in the build up to the program going live. Post across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to ensure that you do not alienate any of your audience. We recommend 3 Facebook posts in the week prior. You can also share any related marketing material posted by the TV channel. Sharing from large media outlets can do wonders for increasing your reach.

Jurassic Coast Facebook video post showing their TV exposure

jurassic coast trust facebook post

Eshot

If you are fortunate enough to have a database of customers email addresses that have signed up to receive marketing emails, this is exactly the type of thing they should be made aware of. 

 

Engage with viewers whilst the program is on air 

People have short attention spans and are commonly engaged with a secondary device whilst watching television. Utilise social networks such as Facebook and Twitter that allow for live correspondence with a custom hashtag. Be careful not to neglect the televisions networks social media channels, as this will often be views first point of contact.

Track mentions

It may be beneficial to set up a Google alert for your brand name so you can see what people are saying about your company during the program in real time. This will enable you to engage with your audience quickly and whilst the program is still clear in their mind. Conversely, if the appearance does not go as well as expected, negative comments may be left. It is important to have a strategy in place for addressing these.

Don’t rest on your laurels

Just because the program has finished doesn’t mean the hard work is over. With the rise in usage of streaming services and on demand television, people can access the program for months following the shows first showing.

Keep up the pace

Post regularly to keep new found followers engaged. Ask questions of your audience to engage them in conversation.

Analyse the data

Thanks to a number of handy tools, it is also possible to drill down into your users demographic, location and behaviour. Study this data carefully as may help you uncover a customer base you were unaware of previously and give you greater insight into the ways your customer base interacts with your website to help inform future campaigns.