Finding and Using the Right Marketing Channels

How are customers finding your business? Is it through your website? Are you promoting your products or services through social media? Or, are you taking a more traditional route and utilizing print ads? Chances are, your customers are finding your business through a particular channel of communication, so utilizing the right ones is imperative to the success of your marketing efforts.

You might be asking yourself “Why does this matter?” In short, different channels are more suitable for certain products, services, businesses, or audiences. You may find that your target audience is located on a particular marketing channel and, as a result, your efforts will benefit more there as opposed to another channel.

Email Marketing

Your company can use email marketing as another means of communicating with customers about new products, services, and educating them about your company’s value. What makes email marketing so effective is that it can be personalized to the people on your email list. These personalization capabilities make it a great way to remarket different products or services to your customers as they browse your website or serve them different types of content to fit their preferences. 

The versatility of email marketing makes it a powerful tool, allowing businesses to:

• Increase brand awareness
• Nurture leads
• Generate sales
• Build relationships and customer loyalty

Email marketing is a great channel for eCommerce and retail-based businesses because of its ability to remarket products to customers, update them on new launches and offerings, and even provide discounts and promo codes to those who are loyal to their business. Because of that, this works to build that strong relationship and further a customer’s loyalty.

Social Media Marketing

Originally intended to build connections and network, social media has since blossomed into one of the most utilized and well-loved marketing channels for both B2B and B2C. Social media platforms each have their own unique capabilities making them extremely versatile, allowing businesses to choose the platform that best suits their needs. Investing time in learning your audience’s habits or what they interact with will allow you to create content that will resonate with them. Being on social media is one thing, but being on the right social media platforms is a whole different discussion, one that you can read about here.

Because of social media’s extensive capabilities, there’s really nothing a business can’t achieve. With social media, you can:

• Increase brand awareness
• Increase engagement
• Increase traffic to your website
• Increase your reach to those outside of your current customer base
• Build relationships 

As mentioned before, social media is great for both B2B and B2C. Platforms like LinkedIn can allow your business to connect with other businesses, potential talent, or partners whereas a site like Instagram may help businesses reach customers while they’re leisurely scrolling.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

The internet is a melting pot of various types of information, from different people, from all over the world. On average, Google alone processes about 40,000 search queries every second and it’s extremely likely that a good portion of those searches are made by people searching for a business, product, or service. That means it’s crucial for your business to land itself on the first page of search results, and one way that can be achieved is through Search Engine Optimization.

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is the process of improving the quality of your website content in order to increase its visibility when people search for products or services related to your business. By writing intentional and relevant copy including researched keywords and continuously optimizing content, your business can rise to the top of search engines organically.

SEO is an important channel for any business that has a website as it can have an impact on:

• Increasing brand awareness
• Driving website traffic
• Maximize PPC advertising campaigns
• Maximizing ROI

In the age where people utilize mobile food ordering services, Restaurants can benefit largely from SEO by taking advantage of popular keywords to rank higher in search and making themselves known to customers who are looking for the food they offer. For businesses acquiring customers exclusively online, SEO is equally important as ensuring their website is mobile-friendly and optimizing their social media presence.

Both B2B and B2C businesses can find value in investing time into their SEO. Not only will you increase the amount of traffic your website receives, but you’ll also increase the quality of its visitors.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

The opposite of SEO is what is known as Search Engine Marketing, or SEM. SEM is a form of paid advertising channel where a business often invests in PPC campaigns to generate leads or traffic. Paid ads are shown at the top of search results, positioning your business better than those around it which can drive higher clicks and visibility.

Among the many uses of SEM as a marketing channel, it can be very beneficial if you’re trying to:

• Increase brand awareness
• Nurture leads
• Generate sales
• Drive traffic to your website
• Maximize ROI

Paid search is best suited for businesses that have a product or service with high intent, meaning that the people who are searching for your business offerings are intent on converting.

Word-of-Mouth Marketing

People’s words are powerful, especially those of a consumer when discussing their thoughts on a business, product, or service. Word-of-Mouth is a marketing channel that directly communicates the words of a consumer through their daily dialogue. Despite the fact that Word-of-Mouth is generally a free source of advertising as it’s triggered through an experience being shared, customers can be prompted to discuss these with other people in their everyday conversations. Just think of them as “honorary marketers!”

The importance of Word-of-Mouth marketing lies in the trust people place in the words and opinions of those close to them, which is why it can be a powerful strategy to:

• Increase brand awareness
• Promote your business
• Increase sales

While Word-of-Mouth might be classified as a B2C channel, B2B can also find value in adopting this channel, in fact, 91% of B2B purchasers are influenced by Word-of-Mouth marketing when making decisions.

Traditional Marketing

Think of traditional marketing as a way to help you connect with locals. This channel is inherently offline, often taking the form of mailers, radio and news broadcasts, store displays, print ads, or outdoor advertising such as billboards or signage. Despite the prominence of digital marketing channels over traditional marketing, this does not diminish its importance. Remember – not everyone is online and various types of people occupy different types of marketing channels. 

Because traditional forms of marketing are less targeted, this can be a great channel to:

• Increase brand awareness
• Increase your brands reach 
• Direct traffic to online channels (website, social media)

What Path Should You Take?

Not every channel is going to fit the needs of your business’s goals and objectives, and that’s okay! For this reason, it’s important to find and use the right channels for your marketing efforts.

Finding the right channel isn’t immediate, and there may be times when you find yourself trying different ones – maybe you’re interested in expanding your audience! 

If you can’t seem to find the right channels to distribute your products and services to your audience, it might be time to call in the professionals! Our dedicated team of digital marketers will develop a marketing channel strategy that gives your business the greatest chance of exposure to the right people.

About BOOST Creative

We are Southwest Florida’s proven design resource for digital and print marketing for over 15 years. Our specialties include corporate identity, advertising campaigns, website development, and content marketing. We also offer a range of other services including marketing consultation, print production, search engine marketing (SEM), and social media marketing. Our team is composed of creative-minded, forward thinkers. With solid multi-industry experience and a foundation in education…we are the real deal. We serve businesses all over the country and are the chosen outsourcing option for many other advertising agencies and marketing consultants. Learn more about who we are.

Interested in working with us? Send us a message or give us a call!