There is a good chance that the new Google TV—just announced in May of this year– could have a much larger impact on the Internet than we can imagine at this point.  If you feel like you’ve been left out of the loop, and are wondering what the heck Google TV is, well….Google TV is essentially a software platform which, for the moment, Logitech, Sony, and DISH will support. Google TV will sit on top of your existing DISH satellite, etc., and should be compatible with whatever you presently use whether it is cable or satellite box with all relevant subscriptions. Once you start the Google TV device you will be greeted by a simple search bar, much like the search bar on your computer. You type in what you want to watch, whether it is a television station, or a particular show.

Should you wish to watch something that only exists on Amazon’s streaming service, you’ll be taken to Amazon’s webpage through Chrome where the video will stream. With this hybrid mixture of web and television, you can view multiple sources of information in multiple panes on your television screen. Google TV’s hardware specs include Bluetooth and Wi-fi, enabling you to load a webpage on your Android phone and beam it directly to your television set. And speaking of Android—Google TV includes complete access to the Android App Store, and believes that most any app will run fine on Google TV.

Online Advertising

So now you know what Google TV is, just how does it affect your law firm and your legal firm’s website? Well, Google is placing their search at what could possibly be the best place to reach us in our own homes—the television set. Google TV puts the entire web right at your fingertips any time you watch TV; if you happen to see a commercial for an item, or hear something interesting mentioned in a television show, you can then flip over to the web, find the item, and buy it—without ever leaving your couch.  Google TV will put national advertisements—your ads—right in front of multitudes of eyes.

What to Expect With TV Advertising

Television allows you to reach a much wider audience than virtually any other advertising medium, allowing you to expand on the benefits of your law firm’s services, building a trust in your firm’s name, while generating awareness and demand for your services. Television ad campaigns require time and commitment to allow you to reap the very best results; typically ads should air for no less than 3-4 weeks to get your message through and register an impact. Television advertising is a bit different than other types of advertising, and requires a few tricks to ensure your advertisement is noticed.

• Understand that content is everything; get your users to the content in the most expedient manner possible. Users will abandon a screen when the navigation frustrates them, or they can’t seem to get to the point quickly.
• Remember you are in the living room or bedroom of your viewers, so think about what viewers would or would not want to do while watching TV with family and friends. Television is a social activity, so consider how groups might use your website as well.
• Make it as easy as possible by offering simple choices and making actions obvious and easy to select—your navigation must be easy enough for a remote control. Take out anything non-essential, and make the primary action reachable in one click. Make it simple for users to return to their previous location, and limit vertical scrolling as much as possible.
• Use simple, highly readable fonts and limit each paragraph to no more than 90 words. Break your text into small chunks which can be read at a glance, and remember that light text on dark background is slightly easier to read.

While Google TV may not yet change how your law firm’s website operates, the possibility that it will, in the future, is very strong. With the average American watching over 150 hours of television per month, Google TV will allow you, the advertiser, the opportunity to engage with your potential clients while they are consuming entertainment or information. You will be able to convey your firm’s  message through sight, sound and motion, and build the crucial credibility and trust in your business at the same time. Television advertising can be an incredibly successful way to grow your business, and Google TV is set to make television advertising literally explode.

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