By Larry Stopa, President of E-Power Marketing
The world, including technology, marketing and consumer behavior, has changed rapidly through the years. Television grew from four networks into hundreds. Then countless websites further fractured mass communications channels. Users are flocking to Social communities, which are rapidly proliferating on the Internet. How are you going to reach your target audience in such a splintered media environment? You can do it. But you have to do it with a fresh perspective.
There is no choice but to integrate your communications through multiple channels. This integration of your marketing is necessary if you are going to have the reach to be in front of your audience when they are ready for you. To make this multi-channel marketing approach effective, you need to integrate your efforts to reinforce and complement each of the channels. Do that successfully and you will generate more results than the sum of the parts.
Where is Your Audience?
First you need to find out where your audience spends its time. You cannot effectively market to your target audience unless you know where they are. Different marketing channels present different data for helping brands determine where their target audience is spending their precious time.
Television networks and print media have demographics data so that you can target your audience and compute cost per thousand of eyeballs. While these traditional advertising channels offer impressive stats and data, the world has evolved and the demand for new and emerging marketing channels has grown.
The overwhelming majority of websites and Social communities lack updated, easy to find demographic data. How will you find your audience on the web?
A good part of your audience is likely to be active on Social Media. But which Social communities should you target? Demographics of key social networking platforms from Pew Research Center can help you sort out which Social communities you need to consider. Narrow your list then explore them. Are you or your competitors being discussed? If so, you need to be active there.
One problem with Social Media is that it is harder to measure the results from activities and purchase influences. Nonetheless there are Unignorable Stats About How Social Media Influences Purchase Behavior.
Beyond Social Media, there are other websites that your target audience uses on a regular basis. Finding them can be tricky. Search topics of interest to your audience on Google, then research the websites that come up. Are they relevant for your products? Do the websites accept advertising? Can you contribute to the content? The great part of digital marketing is that you can measure traffic and conversions generated by your advertising and content contributions.
A Beneficial By-product of Multi-channel Marketing
A big plus from multi-channel marketing is that your brand will more likely be found on Google. That means your audience will more likely find you. To see what I mean, look at Google search results. You’ll see videos, Social Media posts, ads and much more. As a matter of fact, a study found 34% Of Google Search Results Have Rich Media, 9 Organic Links & 9 Search Ads.
Media and marketing continue to become more complicated. Understand the possibilities and you will take advantage of the opportunities. Keep in mind that your competitors are also having trouble navigating the complexities of today’s media. That means there is an opening to do it better and gain a competitive advantage.
About the Author:
Larry Stopa is President of E-Power Marketing. E-Power will offer a free Digital Marketing Q & A Sessions at the2014 International Home + Housewares Show. Discuss your Search Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Pay Per Click Advertising and other online marketing initiatives while at the Show! To sign up for your Digital Marketing Q & A session, please sign up here: http://www.epower.com/iha-signup.php
