Putting together a marketing strategy can seem like a complicated task – especially because there’s no such thing as a no-fail formula for success. But it’s this same variability that gives you the room to be creative, flexible, and unique, offering a wide range of options for reaching your target customers and growing your business.
One of the many ways you can tailor your business’s marketing strategy is by choosing your ideal mix of marketing channels. Marketing channels are the methods and platforms you use to communicate to your existing and potential customers, and they provide a virtually limitless world of possibilities. It’s up to you to decide which channels are most suitable for your goals and audience, because not all will be the right fit. Ultimately, your time, money, effort, and brand identity will go a lot further if you choose wisely – but how exactly do you know which marketing channels are right for your business?
Like nearly everything else in business, it all starts with strategy – so let’s dive right into creating yours.
Your Website: A Must-Have Marketing Channel
Before we go any further, let’s make one thing very clear: a business website is the one marketing channel that you absolutely must have. Because even if you successfully get set up on other marketing channels, if you don’t have a website, what’s the point? Without a website, your potential customers have nowhere to land, learn, and convert into paying customers.
An effective website serves as a home base of sorts, giving you a place to engage with your target audience, establish trust and brand identity, and present them with a variety of opportunities to take action and convert into customers and leads. So, make a smart investment and start your marketing strategy off on the right foot: with a high-quality website built by professionals.
Other Marketing Channels to Consider
Once your website is up and running, it’s time to start thinking about branching out into other marketing channels. And while the mile-long list of channel choices might seem overwhelming, it actually gives you the major benefit of crafting a perfect-fit strategy that suits your business and audience.
Here are just some of the many channels you can mix into your marketing strategy:
Social media
Tapping into the power of social media is a no-brainer, especially when you consider how much time the average consumer spends scrolling platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and more. Put thought into which social media platforms suit your goals; you don’t need to sign up for every single one.
You can also utilize social media advertising to help potential customers find you. Targeting technology now makes it easier than ever to get your ads in the social media feeds of your ideal audience, making social media advertising a channel with a solid potential for ROI.
Content creation (Blogging, downloadable eBooks, webinars, white papers, etc.)
Crafting valuable and relevant digital content, via blogging, webinars, white papers, and other routes is a simple way to put your business in front of people searching for your products, services, and expertise online.
SEO
SEO is one of the behind-the-scenes aspects of marketing that has a large impact on whether or not you have a presence in the digital landscape. It requires time and expertise, but it also allows you to design content that’s more easily accessible for your target audience – so it’s more than worth the effort.
Video
As one of the most engaging forms of marketing, video offers serious potential. And best of all, you can create a high-quality video without maxing out your budget, whether you’re interested in making tutorials, informative shorts, or other types of video content.
Publications (Newspapers, magazines, journals, etc.)
Getting your business published is an excellent route to getting noticed by the right people; specifically, those who fit the parameters of your target audience.
Reviews
It’s easy to set up profiles on major review sites and directories, and there are few things more powerful than the words of a happy customer.
Events and trade shows
Events can run the gamut from your local small business fair to a national trade show, and the time and cost vary dramatically – even so, they are an opportunity to interact face-to-face with potential customers.
Email marketing
Email lets you reach customers on a regular basis, but effective email marketing means having a platform that suits your budget and goals – so keep that in mind.
Search engine advertising
Using this paid marketing channel means you’ll need to be prepared with the right keywords and an understanding of how your audience moves through the digital world, but done well, it can offer great results.
Print ads, radio, television, billboards, and direct mail
Don’t assume that the old ways of advertising are dead and gone – even in our digital age, traditional advertising methods like print, billboards, radio, and TV are still a pillar of marketing strategy.
Sponsoring
Sponsoring a local event, team, or charity is an offline channel that can help you get connected with your community.
Giveaways
Rewarding your audience for their interest presents a fun, memorable way to grab their attention – and if your giveaway items are emblazoned with your business name, even better.
Display advertising
Display advertising involves placing branded, visually dynamic ads on websites relevant to your website. It’s definitely a more complex process, but one that is an excellent addition to a more advanced marketing strategy.
Retargeting
Want to keep your brand fresh in the minds of customers who have previously visited your site? Retargeting allows you to set specific ads to pop up for these individuals, reminding them of exactly why they should keep your name in mind.
Influencer collaborations
Yesterday’s celebrity endorsements have evolved into today’s influencer collaborations, making it possible for even small businesses to be represented by trusted personalities in their niche industry.
How to Choose the Best Channels to Suit Your Marketing Strategy Plan
Ready to jump into the task of selecting the top marketing channels for your marketing goals? Here’s a handy breakdown that helps walk you through the process.
Step One: Define your marketing goals
It’s impossible to measure your marketing success if you don’t start with well-thought goals, so your first step in selecting channels is to determine what you want to achieve. Ask yourself this: if you could paint the picture of excellent results from your marketing efforts, what would that look like? Once you have that in mind, you will have a clear idea of what you’re working towards – and what you’ll need to get there.
Step Two: Establish a budget for your marketing efforts
A basic part of running any business is sticking to a budget, and that includes the money spent on marketing efforts. You want to make sure you get a good return on your investment, and that means setting a realistic limit while still aiming to get the best bang for your buck. Setting a responsible budget doesn’t limit you; rather, it helps you make sure that you’re investing what you have where it counts.
Step Three: Research your audience and where they spend their time
It’s probably not surprising to learn that your target customers are bombarded with content every day of their lives, so you need to be smart about when and where you reach out to them. Learn more about your customers and where they hang out (both digitally and in-person), pinpointing when they’ll be most receptive. Then, use that to inform your process to choose marketing channels.
Step Four: Investigate your competition and see what is working for them
One of the best ways to craft a successful marketing strategy is to scope out what’s already working for the companies that you’re in direct competition with. Spend some time diving into the marketing channels where your competitors are most active, exploring how they’re using them and which ones they frequent most.
Step Five: Craft authentic strategies and messages for the channels that suit your company and customers
Once you’ve picked a handful of marketing channels to start with, it’s time to start creating content. Avoid taking the easy route with overly generic or bland messaging – today’s consumers are far too smart to not see right through that. Instead, aim for authenticity and true connection.
Remember that your audience isn’t just a faceless grouping of potential profits; instead, remind yourself that they are true individuals that you believe can benefit from your products or services. Then, design strategies and messages that represent your brand in a genuine way, and you’ll be far more successful in reaching the customers you truly want.
Step Six: Measure progress and results and adjust as needed
Once you have your marketing strategies and channels up and running, it’s time to sit back and take a break, right? Wrong! Marketing is all about constantly evaluating your progress and results and adjusting the sails as needed, empowering you to recalibrate appropriately.
Kickstart Your Marketing Strategy with Help from Page Design
The reality is that choosing the best marketing strategies for your business can’t be done with a one-size-fits-all approach. With so many types of marketing strategy to choose from, a highly-tailored plan is key – now is the time to blaze your own path to success, not simply follow blindly in the footsteps of others. When it comes to partnering with a trustworthy marketing agency, Sacramento businesses have spoken: Page Design has the traditional and digital marketing expertise to propel your organization forward. If you’re ready to expand your business’s marketing reach and surpass your most exciting goals, reach out to Page Design for marketing help today.