It can be a challenge to know which communication channels or networks you should use for effective digital content. Do you want to use email, text message, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Youtube, Slideshare, Quora, or any number of other choices? There are two ways to know which communication channels will serve you best:
- Line up your choices with your customer preferences. If they use it, you should use it too.
- Growing companies use a lot more communication channels than those that aren’t. That’s another reason you should be using a marketing system and not trying to manually wrangle lots of communication channels.
Marketing Channels are Unique.
It’s important to note that every communication channel has its own unique style and best practices. And every channel aligns with different kinds of buyers. You should not be taking the exact same content and simply pushing it out online. Many communication channels are designed to be 2-way. Make sure that you aren’t just using them as broadcast channels. Someone needs to be watching and listening on your end.
What’s changed about Radio and TV - (it’s all about the search that follows)
The old way of thinking about "channels" (TV and radio) has changed. Now TV and radio have to be used in conjunction with your website and digital presence. The biggest reason for that is what people do if they are actually interested in a radio or TV ad - they do a google search. If you are marketing “quality care for mom,” they are likely to put that exact phrase into their phone later, and they will connect with whatever listings show up on Google - whether it’s yours or someone else’s listing.
Radio and TV should be built into the overall marketing plan with a strategy for ensuring that what people search for will lead them to you. Don’t forget social networks; people search there too.
A cost comparison of targeted social network marketing and traditional media will demonstrate the power of social networking.
Radio and TV salespeople know that digital follow-up is essential and so they often try to sell digital ads to go with their mass marketing. However, that is not their business and often they just place some ads on their own websites or other low-traffic locations, so be careful with this promise.
Get an Evaluation.
It’s important to evaluate your entire marketing approach since so many elements are dependent upon one another. Branding impacts all your marketing, and your website platform makes lead capture, email marketing, and customer acquisition possible. Every time you shift the brand experience to a customer, you have to start building trust from the beginning. It takes at least eight marketing "touches” with a consistent experience to help a customer reach a decision. In your institutional referrals, there are multiple decision makers (5 for most organizations) and reaching them with the same message requires various marketing elements - once again, multiple marketing “touches.”
Many marketing approaches are, in reality, single strategy efforts, and you don’t need to evaluate just one thing (website, SEO, or social) in isolation. Get an evaluation that covers your marketing comprehensively, so you can make decisions that impact more than one strategy.
Develop a Strategy that Works.
The Magic Bullet Myth - There is not just one approach that will create sustained growth for your organization. There is no “magic bullet” that will solve all of your growth needs. Look for strategy instead of just a tactic.
A comprehensive marketing approach keeps you in the role of General rather than a Platoon Sergeant who is simply executing tactics. In the fight for market share, a bigger plan is critical.
