WHICH MARKETING CHANNEL IS RIGHT FOR MY BUSINESS?

From direct mail to social media, today’s marketers have a lot of options when it comes to reaching their audience. Each marketing channel features different strengths, and when combined into a holistic marketing strategy, these channels can work in tandem to create a dynamic, engaging user experience that provides real results. But not every channel is right for every audience. Knowing who your audience is and where they’re at is crucial to deciding which marketing channels are right for your overall strategy. It’s also important to understand the strengths and limitations of each channel. While the channels below are some of the biggest players in the marketing industry, they by no means represent every option.

Email: According to smallbiztrends, 77% of consumers stated that email was their preferred channel for permission-based promotional messages. Two of the top factors that went into building this preference were the time-sensitiveness and easy access of promotional email marketing. For example, a message with important information about an upcoming promotion can be created and emailed out almost immediately. Now that smartphones are nearly ubiquitous, another benefit that email marketing has over other channels is how easily accessible messages are. Customers on the go can receive and reference your marketing message almost anywhere.

Social Media: The number of social media users appears to grow daily; these days, it seems more people are on social media than aren’t. Social media as a marketing tool offers several unique benefits. For starters, it’s where your audience is at – so it makes sense that you should be there, too. Social media is also a great place to offer tangible promotions and gain insightful data about the preferences of your audience; feedback on social media is instantaneous, making it easy for marketers to see how their messaging and promotions are faring. Social media is also an effective way to provide good customer experience, and it’s often cost-effective, too.

Direct Mail: With the rise of digital marketing and online efforts, it may be tempting to disregard traditional mail as a potential marketing channel. Don’t discount direct mail as a viable marketing channel. From targeting capabilities to inherent trust, direct mail has a lot of benefits that other marketing channels don’t. Learn more about why direct mail is still relevant – and still has the ability to affect your bottom line for the better.

SEO: Search engine optimization, or SEO, is an investment in your business’ website. Many of these other marketing efforts, such as social media for example, will eventually direct potential customers back to your website. Making sure that your website is properly set up to bring in new visitors and turn them into new customers is a crucial element of any marketing strategy. And unlike some of these other marketing efforts, SEO is relatively cost-effective.

Paid Search: Competition in the search results can be tough. Paid search can help you jump to the top – literally. Pay-per-click, or PPC, drives revenue and has been proven to work. PPC also allows you a lot of control over budgets and targeting, making it easy to reach the right person at the right time. And unlike SEO, PPC can be very quick, showing immediate results.

So which marketing channel is right for your business? Ultimately, only you – and your marketing team – can decide. Start by figuring out where your audience is. Different audience segments use different channels. It’s also important to evaluate how your business has performed in these channels previously, as well as what kind of message you are trying to send. Using a mix of different marketing channels together, such as email, social media and direct mail, can strategically maximize your marketing efficiency.

For more information on the benefits of different marketing channels for your business, give us a call and or send us an email. We can help get you on the right track.

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