Is your marketing strategy reaching everyone it should be?
Consumers have never been as connected as they are today and yet it’s getting harder to reach them effectively in an increasingly fragmented media landscape.
To get the most firepower out of your marketing strategy, you’ll need to employ a mix of marketing activities at the same time to strengthen the message and reach a broad range of customers.
Take an online article or blog post as an example. Sure, it serves its purpose on a website however, you can squeeze more out of a post by sharing it on social media channels and including it in an email newsletter.
This means there can be a lot of moving parts that need to work together for a truly effective marketing campaign to take off.
So, before you start chopping and changing your strategy, it’s important to understand the key components of a marketing mix and how they can complement other activities that are already in play.
Digital advertising
Digital or online advertising covers an array of ads featured on the internet, whether it’s a display ad on a website, a paid search on Google (AdWords) or a pre-roll ad on YouTube.
Paid social media ads fall into both the digital advertising and social media buckets but there are slight differences in approaches.
You can buy a social media ad to tell your audience about a new product or you might use it to amplify your own content — in other words, you can use it for a hard sell or a soft sell.
Social media
Social media is a powerful tool for marketers, allowing businesses to connect with customers through platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Businesses can broadcast updates and events across their social media channels or boost the exposure of a piece of content on their website through paid advertising options.
Social media has also become a common platform for businesses to develop a community of loyal followers whether it be through discussions in a Facebook group or direct private messages on Instagram.
Email newsletter
Email newsletters are regularly-sent emails to inform readers with news, tips and updates. This differs from email marketing, which may overtly push a certain product or service.
Readers generally need to opt in to receive email newsletters, meaning they can often hold value for the subscriber.
Bolster your social media presence by encouraging email newsletter readers to follow you on Facebook and Twitter and get the latest updates between newsletters.
Print advertising campaign
A print ad campaign might feature flyers, brochures and newsletters that can sit in-store for customers wanting further information or mailed out directly to strike up new business.
A case in point is a letterbox drop of flyers that could coincide with a television advertisement running at the same time to reinforce the message.
Radio advertising
Radio ads are audio advertisements placed on commercial stations.
There are different types of ads, including live reads, where a radio announcer reads the ads in real-time, and sponsorships for specific segments like the traffic update or the weather.
To leverage the ad on other media channels, marketers might want to use parts of the radio script for the text in their Facebook advertising campaign or on their website.
Television/video advertising
Television and video are still hugely popular forms of advertising formats thanks to their broad appeal.
To get more bang for your buck from your TV and video ads, make a shorter version of an advertisement to run on video-friendly social media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube.
Everything else
Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg. We haven’t even highlighted public relations, outdoor advertising, point-of-sale, search engine optimisation (SEO), trade shows, direct mail, websites and landing pages.
Not to mention marketing automation, podcasts, directories, marketing collateral and sales tools — the list goes on.
That’s why you really need a solid strategy to make sure you’re choosing the best mix of activities for your marketing.
Getting the mix right
Studies have shown that people need to see a message seven times before it sinks in so it’s important to have a mix of activities taking place at the same time to reinforce the message and capture a broader spectrum of consumers.
Assemblo is a full-service marketing agency based in Melbourne and can help brands and businesses develop a marketing mix to achieve the most effective results possible.
To find out how we can help you create the right marketing mix, give us a call on (03) 9079 2555 or drop us a note via our contact form below.