The most under utilised element of marketing strategies
There is a simple fact in marketing that too many business owners ignore.
Medium.
You can write an awesome tagline, a brilliant spiel and give clients an offer they can’t refuse, but if they never get to see it, your hard work and marketing investment is useless.
The medium is as important as the marketing message
The medium via which you distribute your marketing message is vital, and for more than one reason.
Accessing your target market
I’ve spoken before about your target market – identifying and understanding your target market is essential to not only creating a relevant message, but also selecting the right method of distribution.
If you are targeting retirees, then sites such as Facebook and Twitter are not going to be your ideal methods of distribution. Why? That particular age bracket hasn’t yet flooded the social media market, although numbers are slowly increasing (Facebook has a greater pick-up than Twitter). Similarly, if you are targeting 18-40 year-olds, then online marketing, such as a website that is SEO-optimised to generate search results from search engines, will give you a greater return than advertising in the print yellow pages or your local newspaper.
Choose your distribution medium carefully
Think about it. Advertisers have more avenues of communication than ever before. No longer content with using TV, marketing and newspapers to communicate, they bombard us with direct mail, HTML emails, newsletters, social media, apps, SMSs, YouTube… the list is endless.
It’s no surprise that the majority of business owners lose their voice amongst the noise. A targeted campaign via a targeted distribution channel will ensure you stand out from the crowd.
Think about your audience and your message
Audiences are getting increasingly cynical about marketing and advertising. As a result, the local newspaper (which was once a haven for local advertisers) no longer delivers the results it used to. The answer? Change your medium!
Are you a small, local business? Don’t take out a newspaper advertisement in the local paper. Instead, write a press release on something relevant and newsworthy in your business, and increase your community profile. They are cost-effective (all it takes is your time, or a good business copywriter can develop one in less than an hour), and when done consistently you can develop your brand and a strong identity in your community. After all, it’s all about being front-of-mind when potential clients need you!
If you change one element of your marketing this month, ensure you focus on the medium you use just as much as the message you send.
Would you like a review of your Business-to-Business marketing strategy?
Contact CFO@Call now, and we can guide you in the right direction!
About Zoltan Szentirmay Zoltan is a highly-respected business development strategist, published author and CEO of CFO@Call. He consults to a variety of sectors, and works with small, medium and large businesses to develop their business, financial and IT strategies.