Thursday, December 8, 2011

Why You Need to Take a Multi-Channel Approach to Your Marketing

By Angie Tewis


You will need to think about marketing if you want to foster interest in your business, and keep your business going for the foreseeable future. How you present yourself in your marketing will influence public perception of your business, whether or not it's going to attract any customers, and the type of customers that walk in the door.

So, marketing is fundamental to your business and probably the most crucial aspect to consider (alongside excellent service and products, of course).It's vital that you have at least a basic knowledge of marketing. Knowing how to take a multi-channel approach to your marketing is also important.

Identifying Your Audience

Think about who your business customers are. Before commencing your marketing tactics, ask yourself the following questions:

- Who are my desired customers?

- Where do my customers live?

- What do they drive?

- How much spending power your customers have.

- What do my customers value?

In anthropology this process is called ethnography. In marketing terms, you are analyzing who your target customers are, and coming up with key information on which to base your marketing strategy. Whatever this process is called, it is an important tactic to put your marketing into action.

In simple terms, your target customers will be the people you want to buy what you're selling, combined with the people who will buy it. Knowing more about these two types of customers is necessary before you plan your next marketing idea.

Taking the Multi-Channel Approach to Marketing

How do you listen to music? For most of us, it's a healthy blend of iTunes, YouTube, the radio in the car, the television and Pandora. Musical artists know this, which is why they work so hard to make sure their work is featured on all of these platforms.

You should adopt this strategy with your business. While it's a fact that many people nowadays go first to the Internet for information, this doesn't mean that your business can't feature on Main Street as well. You also don't want to ignore your potential local customers in order to attract international customers, who may not be paying full attention to your message.

Adopting a multi-channel marketing strategy can reap benefits for your business. If you're savvy at marketing, you can use many different tactics to enlarge your customer base. Web marketing can include organic SEO methods, natural platforms and paid PPC marketing. More traditional marketing methods such as post flyers, specials, coupons and business cards can also be effective. Multi-channel marketing helps businesses maintain their profile in the local area.

Make Sure Your Brand Stays Steady

If there's one thing I can't overemphasize, it's the importance of creating a consistent image. You want your company to be recognizable across each and every one of your marketing channels. It can be tempting to be "hip" for your younger audience and "sophisticated" for their parents. But, you must remember that everyone sees these ads.

Determine your business identity and promote it as much as possible.




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