The key to a successful business lies in finding your own personalized marketing strategy with meticulous analysis of target audience and a crystalline understanding of your own marketing philosophy. Technology has opened up a whole new world of possibilities when it comes to digital marketing medium, and this world has been on a perpetual expansion since its conception; the digital marketing industry was worth $62 billion in 2012.
While the significance of digital marketing cannot be understated, traditional advertising still holds its merits. As there are also various digital marketing channels and digital marketing mediums that helps to grow business online. In this article, we will discuss 10 ways businesses can increase the effectiveness of their marketing strategies by different marketing mediums.
1. Email Marketing
The internet is a chaotic, wild, drunken revelry compared to which the digital mailbox is your home. That’s why the key to a successful email campaign lies in asking for permission before ending if you do not want to get kicked out. Sharing the details of what the viewer should expect and how often in a catchy way is one way of making sure you get the permission. The user choosing to subscribe to emails is an obvious reaffirmation that they are interested.
To sustain this interest it is important to keep the emails short, attractive and useful. Uber is an example of a company that has mastered the art of email marketing: succinct explanation of offer with a single touch access to the offer. By strategically utilizing these digital marketing channels, businesses can create a cohesive and effective marketing strategy.
2. Videos Marketing
The budget spending on videos marketing has been a constant increase of at least a billion dollars each year this decade and the reason is obvious: it works! Videos are entertaining and more appealing to viewers than text. They help in building a personal and unique connection with the brand. YouTube has more than 1,000,000,000 monthly viewers with top brand channels averaging more than 800, 000 monthly viewers. The click-through rate, an effective measure of marketing success, goes up by 13% in emails that mention the word “video”. Android’s video ad was the most shared ad in 2015 because it appeals to our instinctive appreciation of cuteness by showing a bunch of animals hanging out.
3. Podcasts Marketing
Podcasts offer numerous advantages when it comes to marketing. It is one of the prime ways to create brand loyalty. Podcasts are a series of mostly audio files that are broadcasted over time. Podcasts are interesting, informative and increasingly popular. Hence, if utilized properly they are the way to gain the viewer’s trust and build loyalty. Native advertising, the idea of marketing embedded in seemingly unbiased entertainment or information content, has never been more powerful than it has become with the use of podcasts.
Repeatedly hearing well-incorporated recommendations of a brand through a podcast you regularly follow allows the marketers to tap into the comfort and trust the audience feels and harness it to create loyal customers. Moreover, it is extremely cheap. IBM’s podcasts are filled with informative and gripping content about the ever-changing world of technology.
4. Blogs Marketing
Blogs are an effective way to generate traffic for your business’ website. This is perhaps the most convenient way to find new leads because well-written, informative and helpful blogs rank highly on search engines. Moreover, blogs generate long-term benefits because even though the rate of new viewers declines with time it never really disappears if your blog entry is good. Lastly, it helps in establishing brand authority if you provide useful solutions that may or may not be unique to your brand: if a customer finds the solution to their problem on your company’s blog, next time they buy a product they are more likely to approach you.
5. Online Display Ads
The essence on good Return on Investment in marketing lies in knowing your audience and targeting them. Online display ads are precise in hitting their mark because you can place them according to areas of interest of your customer base. Furthermore, you can look up statistics about your ad to find out what kind of people are attracted to it and evaluate its efficiency. They are also cheaper than traditional printed advertisement substitutes. AirBnB’s partnership with Google Search Ads is a legendary story of how a struggling business became an international brand.
6. Public Relations
A prime example of success in this marketing medium is Yoplait’s “Save Lids to Save Lives” campaign in which Yoplait donated $10 million to breast cancer research for the total pink yogurt lids returned by customers. Was this worth the marketing benefits though? Yes, because it helped put Yoplait on the radar and helped them build a very personal connection with the customers that is necessary for brand loyalty: thus, the company’s sales soared. Good PR with reviewers and critics helps in creating the necessary objectivity which customers are looking for which cannot be substituted by self-promotion, too.
7. Search Marketing
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and paid searches are two elements of Search Marketing, which is a very effective tool in precisely targeting your audience. Google is our benefactor and advisor whenever we need to take new decisions about what brand to choose for our needs. By looking up the most commonly searched keywords on famous engineering and centering your marketing content around them such as blogs you can increase the likelihood of your product being discovered. Carat’s research showed remarkable changes in customer behavior inside outlets as well as a boost in sales which was the reason for Vodafone’s success.
8. Print Advertising
The internet has been noted to decrease the attention span and recall potential of readers in several studies. Hence, printed advertisements have greater attention of the reader besides creating a sensory appeal and harnessing the reader’s natural faith in printed content. Moreover, printed content remains longer in customer circulation. A brochure with scenic pictures of a resort by the beach may be saved by the reader for the future even if they don’t plan to go on a trip right now. Historically successful enterprises Nike owe their success to printed media.
9. Sponsorships
Sponsorships are a valuable way of reaching specific audiences. They establish trust for a company because it’s seen as a fulfillment of the company’s corporate social responsibility. It is a chance to display the brand uniquely since competitive advertising is absent in the setting of a sponsored event. Moreover, the events sponsored can be used for customer evaluation through sampling booths for new products. Coca-Cola is one of the leading investors in this form of marketing.
10. Direct Mail Marketing
Direct mail has incredible statistics to justify your investment in it. InfoTrends reports that 66% of direct mail is opened with 62% of people who responded making purchases. Digital direct mail can further enhance the chances of creating customers when combined with some of the aforementioned tools such as embedded video players in emails for your promotional video. In 2012, KitKat ran a phenomenally successful direct mail campaign for its KitKat Chunky where they said in the delivered card that the KitKat could not be delivered because it was too chunky.
All in all, technology has revolutionized marketing by providing companies with nuanced tools and making potential consumers around the globe more accessible. The aforementioned digital marketing mediums, and conventional tools, are necessary for businesses of all sizes to reach new heights in marketing platforms.