You’ve heard of Hulu and Disney+. What you may not know is that they are considered OTT providers. OTT stands for over-the-top, initially named in reference to devices that go “over” a cable box to give the user access to TV content. In OTT channels, content is delivered via an internet connection rather than through a traditional cable/broadcast provider. OTT providers offer a vast library of content and know a scary amount of information about their customers, including their content preferences, viewing habits, age, income and location. 

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This leads to a highly targeted advertising machine that offers a richer and focused approach to reaching ideal local customers. Apart from targeted advertising, Hulu offers a new ad format called GatewayGo, which marries traditional TV ads with new prompts designed to increase the bond between viewers and brands. It uses technologies like QR codes and push notifications to reach its audiences regularly. According to Hulu, six out of 10 viewers would likely consider purchasing from an advertiser after they redeem an offer. Nearly 50% say they keep their phones with them as they watch TV. Knowing this can help influence how your future ad campaigns can be complementary to immediate phone use. While this type of advertising is easy for large companies, there are simple ways you can use this same concept to support your business.Advertising isn’t the only vehicle that has evolved to better support local markets. For years, Google and other vertical search engines have been quietly fine-tuning their algorithms, to surface local businesses based on location. If we embed the right type of markup code (Schema) to support specific types of content on our web pages, we are more likely to be found from general search terms, automatically. Phrases like “car repair” or “thai restaurants near me” automatically fall under the local qualifier, and rise to the top of search results, well above national players.

Online Marketing Resources

Here are a few resources that can help you with online marketing support that’s right for your business.

To harness this ability to show locally, services like YEXT help search engines maintain a consistent Name, Address and Phone Number (NAP) profile across a multitude of online directories. A consistent NAP, in conjunction with a claimed Google My Business listing, will ensure that you are ascribed to the geographic markets your business caters to. If implementing these types of changes on your website seems daunting, hiring a trusted professional can help you tie together all the local search engine optimization tactics.