So Many Channels, So Many Choices.
Any marketer will tell you that the most common question asked, is where should a company market. Today’s marketing landscape comes with a massive amount of marketing channels, sometimes making it difficult to determine which method is right for your business. Deciding where to market is something even the largest companies struggle with.
Having worked in marketing in a variety of settings I have learned many insights about marketing, but the most significant one is that there is not a one size fits all approach to marketing. Planning the right strategic marketing plan to reach your current and ideal customers, will save you a lot of time and money. More often than not, I have found that it is not one single channel that can drive a successful marketing campaign, it is a combination of several channels that help drive business.
I recently had an experience with a large corporation. They had a power-house marketing department and were massively successful in their efforts. Yet, they could not seem to reach their ideal customer. I was asked what they could do to get that ideal customer. I had the person I was working with, describe this ideal customer, and it turned out that the age, and demographic wasn’t reading trade magazines in the way that older customers were. Social media, in addition to other communication channels, were what was needed to round out their efforts.
I share this experience to highlight that sometimes, all of us need a guided hand to bounce ideas off of. From traditional print marketing to email marketing, and the use of social media, there are so many options at so many price points. Mistakes can be costly and provide little return if you are not reaching your customers. As I always say, “let the why guide you.” Think about why you are marketing. Is it to build your brand? Increase sales? Build a social media following? Think about why you are marketing and follow that up with who you are marketing to, to build a successful marketing strategy.
