3 Ways To Determine Your Best Marketing Channels

You ever get that feeling that you’ve got too much going on in your head that you’re afraid it may burst somehow? The only way you can get rid of that feeling is by actually doing something about it. Every business idea comes from a single drop of thought – a “Eureka” moment! Although taking a step towards it is not as easy as you have it in your head. It’s not like you think about something and voila, it appears before your eyes.

When you go online and look for the best way to start a business, you might get a tad bit frustrated with the millions of information appearing right before your eyes. Mind you, this information could turn you blind or make you go insane!

Before you hurry on to try any of the different marketing channels, you may need to relax a little bit and explore your options. Here are the things to consider in choosing the marketing channel that best suits your needs:

3 Ways to Determine your Best Marketing Channels

(1) Identify your Target Audience

Identifying your target audience goes with identifying the purpose or objective of your marketing strategy – whether you want to boost sales or promote awareness of your product. Knowing which people are your target consumers will enable you to make a proper plan and layout which marketing channels are fit for your business. It can also determine how you can start with a certain demographics and work your way on to the new set of culture and target audience to broaden your scope. You can also audit your online brand reputation with these 3 steps that are essential aspect every online business.

Why is it important to know who you wish to serve?

Because this is how you determine how feasible and marketable your business is. You wouldn’t want to be selling winter jackets in countries that have 122 Fahrenheit temperature 365 days of the year.

Research on your target’s needs, and even their vanity! Look into where they hang out, what they do, and who they go out with. That is how you find out which set of demographics will tear down your services/supplies and will demand more.

If you are selling programs for families, then it is obvious that your target audience is families or parents; and if you are selling sports goods, you would be looking into tapping the groups of young people. It’s like going to a party where you have a certain set of people in your mind with whom you wish to impress.

(2) Identify Your Budget

You’ve first decided to pursue an idea you wish to market and you’ve decided on your demographics. However, you will also need to decide on how much you are allocating for the marketing channels you intend to pursue. There are a number of marketing channels available for your grabs, but not all of them come cheap. It’s best to first contemplate on these questions:

1. Will you manage your marketing channels by yourself or will you hire someone else to do it?
2. Are you capable to handle a marketing channel or do you feel the need to first get a comprehensive education first on how to go about it?
3. How much do you have on hand and how can you maximize your capital for marketing?

The budget depends on the target demographic and the attack on marketing channel/s you wish to pursue. Consider your options and go for whatever suits your budget. Study on the different platforms of marketing channels and consider those that you think can generate more leads so you can avoid spending more than you’ve allocated on marketing. Cop on the fact that the first marketing channel you might go for may not work the first time around but always prepare for the worse and have a backup plan and be adaptive.

(3) Identify How to Reach Your Audience

The time when going house to house on the street and relying on the ‘word of mouth’ has long lost its touch. Nowadays people have built a community within the comfort of their own homes or even just part of their homes – their rooms.

Now, you have a certain set of demographics and have identified your monetary allocation for marketing, it is now time to decide which channel you would want to use.

Reaching your audience is easy enough nowadays because humanity has created the world of Social Media. Almost every person from every age group has one; may it be Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or even YouTube. Nothing is more intimate than what people post on these platforms and nothing can help you more in getting to know your audience than these platforms. You get a personal insight into your audience’s needs and desires, you get to have a full understanding of what makes them tick and how you can approach them with what you have!

You will have more reach when you’re facing the computer rather than walking a mile an hour with the anticipation of having doors getting shoved in your face. There are a lot of ways to get started on digital marketing and the moment you know whom you serve is the moment you can start to establish a digital connection from the tips of your fingers and on to the rest of the world.

Promotional campaigns can also be done thru newspapers and magazines. Digital games are also popular where consumers get the chance to win prizes, like mobile phones, cars or holiday packages, with minimum purchase amount of any of the brands’ products. This can be helpful in boosting sales or promoting product awareness. Following the right digital marketing strategies can grow your startup via different types of marketing channels or campaigns.

Instant Cash discount coupons can also be used, whether you partner with a shopper marketing company or a retailer. On-pack and In-pack coupons that are valid on their next purchases can be inserted in all of your products to promote return sales.

Deciding on which channel to use, however, is critical in a business strategy – you could end up knocking on the wrong digital door or trying to persuade the wrong audience.

Conclusion

Determining the best marketing channels for your business is not just about the platforms you use or how talented you are in selling and marketing. It takes research, time, and investing in educating yourself about your consumers, their needs, and your action plan. You will need to be more insightful and buyer-centered rather than product-centered. You are dealing with people and there’s nothing more fluid than people’s perception. It’s best to study them, get to know them on a personal scale and relate to them. Put your feet in their shoes, where would they go, what would they do and how much are they willing to spend for themselves or for people around them and that’s where you come in – holding their hands and telling them exactly what’s right for them.

 

About Me
Deepak Chauhan is a digital marketing consultantand CEO at VOCSO, a creative digital agency based out of India, USA & UAE. The web business strategist, who has 12+ years of experience, has worked with many small businesses and startups across the globe to help them build successful websites/applications and launch them online with his strategic consulting. When not working, he enjoys traveling, photography and satisfying his taste buds.