Connected TV platforms stream on-demand video libraries. Unlike cable, connected TV is internet-based and only requires an ethernet or WiFi connection. These digital platforms generate a wealth of audience data that advertising campaigns can use to target specific audiences.
Some popular platforms include Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and Roku among countless others. These applications can deliver movies and series to the TV, smartphones, tablets, video game consoles, and more. Others run strictly on subscriptions without ads. Others offer multiple membership tiers that may include or exclude ads.
Regardless of the membership structure, one fact is certain: Connected TV is the television of the future. In 2020, over 195 million Americans consumed content on connected TV platforms, growing to over 200 million in 2021.
Healthcare organizations should consider adding connected TV to their digital marketing strategies. Why? Connected TV campaigns can provide advanced targeting in ways that legacy media cannot.
Connected TV Can Help Healthcare Organizations Reach Local Communities
Your healthcare organization serves multiple local communities. Using connected TV targeting, you can cut through the noise and reach people within specific geographic regions. Want to target people within a 20 minute drive? You can set campaign parameters to ensure your ads do not extend beyond that zone.
How OTT Advertising Works
Connected TV (also known as over-the-top TV or OTT) ads are digital-first, non-skippable, and serve a high-engagement content environment. Combine these features with robust audience targeting and you can broadcast your brand to ideal audience members with greater certainty.
Some best practices for OTT advertising include:
Know Your Audience Before You Launch
Before you launch your ad campaign, it is critical that you understand the audiences you want your message to resonate with. Identify these target groups prior to pressing “play.”
Use High-Quality Creatives
Your targeting strategy helps you reach the right audience. Your ad’s creative quality ensures your message sticks with them. Here are some tips for outstanding creative elements:
Include your brand’s logo
Focus your messaging on the audience
Match your message’s tone to its topic
Create multiple versions of your ad at different lengths to take advantage of a platform’s full ad inventory
Include the URL for your website, a phone number, and a clear call-to-action
Check each OTT platform’s creative requirements to see if there are application-specific guidelines you need to account for
Other Benefits of an OTT Strategy
Beyond strategic targeting, OTT can offer other benefits, such as:
Big Screen Impressions
OTT campaigns target the biggest screen in the house during moments where viewers are most engaged. Because these ads are non-skippable, you can ensure that everyone sitting in front of the TV will see your ads.
Brand Exposure
Connected TV platforms like Hulu and Roku are often used by multiple members of the same household. You will also be reaching people who no longer use cable. This positions your messages in front of ideal audience members who may not have seen them otherwise.
OTT impressions are also charged at a one-to-one rate. This means you only pay per single commercial, not per number of viewers. This can maximize return on investment when multiple pairs of eyes may view your ad simultaneously based on a single impression.
Highly Engaged Viewers
Connected TV users stream content they actively want to watch on an on-demand basis. Your ads will reach people who are more engaged with their screens.
Higher ROI Potential
Connected TV advertising strategy places your ads in front of people more likely to complete conversions. This means that you are budgeting to reach people more likely to perform intended actions and boost campaign performance.
Actionable Data
Connected TV advertising campaigns generate actionable performance data. You can monitor your campaign and gauge its effectiveness in real-time. Use these insights to recommend changes in strategy, perform optimizations to enhance performance, and much more.
A Natural Pairing for Traditional TV Advertising
Unlike traditional advertising, connected TV can be leveraged to target specific audience groups relevant to your business goals. Combine with traditional commercials to send both broad and targeted advertisements at the same time.
How Healthcare Organizations Can Leverage OTT to Reach Their Target Audiences
Connected TV advertising is an ideal strategy for healthcare organizations looking to reach their local communities.
Healthcare Targeting Restrictions
Federal laws place restrictions on certain targeting tactics with OTT. These include, but may not be limited to:
HIPAA - Cannot target individuals with medically sensitive conditions (cancer, drug addiction, etc.). This extends to practices and/or facilities that treat conditions implying specific diagnoses such as oncologists’ offices. Geo-fences also cannot be established within a one mile radius of these addresses.
Facilities such as hospitals, dentists, urgent care centers, nursing homes, and general medical practices are acceptable for targeting. These places provide general medical services and do not imply a distinct diagnosis.
COPPA - The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act forbids targeting minors under 13 without consent from parents. Advertising campaigns cannot target pediatric practices, children’s dentists, or other similar businesses dedicated to serving minors.
PII - Cannot target based on personally identifiable information (PII), such as a person’s name. For example, your OTT advertisement cannot target “Dr. John Smith Family Medicine”, but you can build a geo-fence around its street address.
Campaign Targeting Capabilities
Connected TV advertising allows your business to target audiences on multiple levels. These can range from geography to personal characteristics and online behavior.
Geographic Location
Reach people in specific and desirable areas. Two of the most effective strategies to reach location-based audiences are geo-fencing and geo-targeting.
Geo-Fencing - Also known as point-of-interest (POI) targeting. This tactic establishes a digital “fence” around a specific address. When a person enters the fence, you can retarget them later with ads for your own business.
Geo-Targeting - Geo-targeting allows you to target audiences based on specific geographic data. This can include country, state, region/county, city, zip code, DMA, IP address, and more. For example, if you are a healthcare organization serving Middlesex County, you can target viewers specifically within the county.
Demographics and Personal Interests
Harness first and third-party platform data to target users based on demographic information. You can reach people based on attributes like age, gender, marital status, etc. or interests like physical fitness or video games. You can also create custom audiences based on more than one demographic trait.
In-Market Audiences
Reach people that are interested in the products/services you offer. If someone is searching for “dermatologist near me” and comparing options, you can reach them through OTT!
Retargeting Site Visitors
Did someone recently visit your website but not convert? You can implement a retargeting strategy to reach them via connected TV and spark their interest again.
Retargeting Email Subscribers
Reach people who have subscribed to specific email lists or newsletters. Join the conversation with your own targeted connected TV campaign.
Retargeting via Purchase Receipts
Target viewers through online shopping history. These audiences are created from email addresses that received purchase receipts. You can reach people who have already purchased products relevant to your industry.
Dayparting (Time of Day-Specific)
Want to avoid reaching audiences outside of peak hours? A dayparting strategy can ensure ads are being served at times where viewers are more likely to be intentionally consuming content.
Launch Your Own Connected TV Advertising Campaign
At nj.digital, we partner with local healthcare organizations to help them communicate the value of their services to their communities. If you are looking to reach digital audiences through connected TV advertising, reach out to see if we are the right solution for your needs.