In today's landscape, you can reach customers in more ways than ever before. The never-ending list of platforms continues to grow and it can sometimes be quite overwhelming in trying to keep up.
You don't want to be spending time and money in channels that are not aligned with what your business is trying to achieve. No point in advertising on LinkedIn if you are selling homemade soap.
Firstly, let's determine what a marketing channel is.
According to Wikipedia, a marketing channel consists of the people, organisations, and activities necessary to transfer the ownership of goods from the point of production to the point of consumption. It is the way products get to the end-user, the consumer; and is also known as a distribution channel.
Here's the good news, it's not as complicated as that sounds. In essence, a marketing channel is any platform or method used for marketing activities.
Ideally, you want to focus on a channel where your target audience spends most of their time.
Examples of potential marketing channels include:
- Blog,
- Websites,
- Email Marketing,
- Social Media,
- Events,
- Television Commercials,
- Mobile Advertising,
- Press Releases,
- Print Advertising,
- Chatbots,
- Direct Sales,
- Print Catalogs,
- SMS Marketing,
- Search Engine Optimisation,
- Pay-Per-Click,
- Network Marketing and many more.
Generally, the four main types of marketing channels are paid, free, digital and traditional.
Free Channels
All free marketing channels fall into this type. Free marketing channels include social media like Facebook, LinkedIn or Quora.
Depending on your marketing goals, you will need to determine which free marketing channels work for you.
Paid Channels
Any paid-for marketing platform that you choose to use will be seen as a Paid Channel. This can include paid advertising on Google or social media or advertising etc. Although platforms like LinkedIn are free to use, advertising on LinkedIn is not. Thus, LinkedIn can also be a paid channel.
Digital Channels
Any marketing done online is known as digital marketing. Social media, search (SEO), paid search, emails, blogs, videos, sponsored content etc. are all examples of digital marketing or a digital channel.
Traditional Channels
Marketing not done digitally is traditional marketing. This includes direct mail (that hopefully doesn't end up in the bin), print, outdoor advertising, events etc.
As digital channels become more and more crowded, marketers are seeing growth in traditional marketing again.
Understanding which marketing channels to leverage will help you in marketing and selling to your target audience. It also helps prospective buyers find the right products or services they are looking for.
Keep in mind that channels change as buyer behaviour and needs change. You need to constantly measure the effectiveness of the channel and stay on top of your target audience.
