Want to know how to reduce your reliance on social media marketing. For many small…
Do you want to know how to choose the right marketing channels for your business?
When it comes to marketing your business there are so many options and it can be massively overwhelming. Maybe you’re just starting your business and fixated on picking the right marketing channels or maybe you’ve been in business for a while and are wondering if your current mix of channels really are the best for your business. Either way, I’m here to help you. Keep on reading to find out how to choose the right marketing channels for your business.
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What is a marketing channel?
A marketing channel is a method, platform or tool that is used to enable you to communicate information about your services or products to other people (ideally your ideal client or customer).
What marketing channels can you use in your business?
There are lots of marketing channels that you can use for your business and with the rise of digital technology and social media new channels are being created all the time. However, here are some marketing channels to get you going.
- Social Media Marketing (such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Clubhouse)
- Email Marketing
- Content Marketing
- Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Marketing
- Video Marketing
- Podcast Marketing
- Affiliate Marketing
- Radio Advertising
- Social Media Advertising
- TV Advertising
- Print Advertising
- Direct Mail
- Outdoor Advertising
How to choose the right marketing channels for your business?
As you can see from the list above there are lots of options when it comes to selecting your marketing channels (and that isn’t even all of the marketing channels available to you). Given all the options it can be difficult to know which channels are the right marketing channels for your business. Every marketing channel has nuances and there are pros and cons to every marketing.
Choosing the right marketing channels for your business is key. The right messaging on the wrong channel will not be effective. To help you to choose the right marketing channels for your business you need to consider the following.
CHOOSE YOUR MARKETING CHANNELS WITH CONFIDENCE
Your marketing channels set the foundations for your entire marketing strategy so why risk choosing the wrong ones.
With over a decade of marketing experience, I’ve used virtually every marketing channel going and understand inside out what channels are best for different businesses and audiences. When you book a power hour with me, you’ll be able to share information about your business and your audience. By the end of the call, you’ll leave with a list of marketing channels to use and know why they are right for your business and how they all work together.
1. Does my ideal client or customer use this marketing channel?
For a marketing channel to be right for your business it needs to be a channel that your ideal client or customer uses. I know this may sound obvious, but you need to ensure that you have properly checked that your ideal client uses the channel. Also, for a channel to be as effective as possible you want to ensure there is a large volume of your ideal client or customer using that channel. This is particularly true when it comes to social media. It is easy to say everyone is on social media and therefore your ideal client or customer must be on there, but it is likely that your there are some social media platforms that have a higher concentration of your ideal client or customer than others.
2. Does the marketing channel showcase my business in the best way possible?
Now a channel might be filled with your ideal client, but that doesn’t mean it is the perfect option for your business. There are more factors to consider and one of those factors is does it allow you to showcase your business in the best way possible. If you are a personal trainer (PT) then it is likely that you want to use marketing channels that are visual and enable you to show through photographs and video the results your clients have achieved. This is also true for photographers. You will want to be able to show your great photographs and therefore a podcast might be the best way to showcase your business as opposed to using Instagram, a blog or running print adverts.
Finding marketing channels that your ideal clients use and showcase your business well is a great place to start. Essentially if a channel ticks both of those boxes then you can use the channel with confidence. However, that might still leave you with more options than you can manage. So if you want to dig even deeper into choosing the right marketing channels for your business here are some other questions I work through with my client when deciding what channels they should use.
3. Do I understand and like the marketing channel?
From the first two questions, you might have a marketing channel that you don’t like or have little knowledge of. Technically, it is a viable option for your business, however, if you don’t truly understand the channel or don’t like the channel then is it really the best fit for your business, especially if right now you are managing your own marketing. So often I come across solopreneurs and small business owners who are using a social media platform that they hate because it is the right thing for their business. However, for the majority of people who make that choose it makes marketing feel like a chore and this often results in a lack of consistency or creativity. If right now you are running your own marketing my advice is to choose marketing channels that you understand (or are happy to improve your knowledge on) and a channel that you like. Save the other channels for when you build your team and can outsource.
4. Does the marketing channel work with my current resources (financial and physical)?
At the beginning I mentioned about how each marketing channel has its own nuances. One thing you need to seriously consider is the time and money that is required for a marketing channel and whether that works with your current resources. For example, I work with a lot of coaches and consultants. When they start their business, they focus is on organic marketing (aka free marketing). They’ll put a higher emphasis on using social media, content and email marketing. These are marketing channels that are time-heavy but budget-light. However, as their business grows, and they work with more clients, they realise that time is their most precious resource and will shift the focus to use marketing channels that require more budget but free their time. This could be running social media advertising, affiliate marketing, digital advertising and print advertising.
There you have it! You now know how to choose the right marketing channels for your business.
Congratulations! If you’ve asked yourself all four questions you should now have a list of marketing channels that would all be great for your business. You can now start or continue to use these channels with confidence that it makes sense to invest your time and/or money and into these channels.
Choosing the right marketing channels is an important step in marketing your business, but it is just the beginning. You’ll now need to work out the best way to use each channel and ensure that all of the channels are working together in an integrated way.
Having read this entire blog post I would love to heat what marketing channels you have decided to use in your business going forward.
READY TO MAXIMISE YOUR MARKETING?
Marketing channels form the foundation of your marketing strategy but there is so much more than you need to consider in order to ensure your marketing is as effective and efficient as possible.
I work 1-to-1 with solopreneurs and small business owners to create integrated marketing strategies that can easily be managed by one person (whether yourself or a VA etc). If you would like to find out more about working with me 1-to-1 fill in my contact form or if you would prefer to discuss your situation (I love a good chat) then you can book a call here.
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