Can second screen drive revenue? Most companies turn to second screen because they understand this is a consumer trend, and it’s easier to connect with customers and prospective clients online. Moreover, given that a lot of user attention is in the online, brands know they need to adjust their efforts to strengthen and maintain brand-user dialogue and relationship and brand perception. But are second screen apps a revenue driver?
Photo source: Mailman Group
Second screen strategies are one of the most interactive engagement techniques that serve companies today. They are also a competitive differentiator that sets one company apart from another. Second screen strategies can build brand identity and stir users’ interest. But again, can they drive sales?
There are several stages before a user can generate revenue for a company. The user first becomes familiar with the brand. Maybe through a friend’s recommendation, personal inquiry, an ad he sees or some social media talk, he is introduced to the brand. The user is now interested and willing to interact with the brand. [We are talking about customers all over the world who may or may not have direct access to a company’s services.] The level of interaction a user has with the brand depends on the brand’s efforts and strategies to facilitate this interaction. If the user is satisfied with the brand, he may decide to purchase the products or services the brand has to offer. Ultimately, he may even decide to recommend these to other people and a virtuous circle is created.
When companies fail to implement precise second screen strategies around big events or in general, they may be missing out.
During this year’s Super Bowl, wywy found, TV inspired viewers searching for the advertised product or visiting the website in 1 out of 2 cases didn’t find what they were looking for. Analyzing 56 television commercials that aired during 2015 Super Bowl, the company concluded that the same brands that spend a lot of money on TV ads “don’t show the promoted products on their online and mobile presence at the same time, missing to drive many TV-ad-inspired Second Screeners to their websites.” In doing so, these brands discourage users from possibly making an actual purchase.
It’s thus important that companies ensure they have a consistent presence across multiple screens and on different channels. A TV ad today might not prompt viewers to make an instant purchase but they can surely capture the audience’s interest and send people to second screen where they can look for more.
So yes, second screen strategies can indeed drive sales. But the only way they are going to increase a company’s revenue is if that company is at the right place in the right time. Incorporating social features into second screen apps and maintaining a social presence is important. Social sharing is among one of the top user activities that increase TV ad reach and from thereon we’re back to the virtuous circle again.
