How To Choose The Right Marketing Channels For Your Business

Now that the world is slowly easing back into normalcy, businesses have also sprung into action to try and make up for whatever they lost during the height of the pandemic. Most businesses have adopted different ways of marketing and advertising in an attempt to increase profit.

Despite the rush, many businesses still need help transitioning into the digital space and making their voice heard. One of the probable reasons is that not all brands are visible where their audiences are. Simply put, they don’t hang out in the same place as their prospects. Visibility is essential in any business, and ensuring that you are visible to your prospects is the springboard to your success.

To many, social media has become a go-to trend in marketing for those who want to immediately build a digital presence at zero cost. However, marketing is not a cookie-cutter type of approach. Not one marketing strategy is the same as the other. Therefore, ensure that your go-to-market techniques are set up according to your key audiences and target market.

Find out how your brand can make the most of your marketing efforts, and also talk about what types of businesses or brands are best for which channels.

Email Marketing

Direct Outreach

If you have email content that’s direct, precise and specific, we have found this type of marketing channel to be very effective. This is a great way to start a warm conversation with contacts or potential customers you have spoken to. We recommend this channel and method if you are to send an email about a product or service you’ve already talked about and that they have somehow confirmed interest.

In addition, this is also an excellent channel for building customer relationships.

Recommended for: Professional services or SaaS

Mass Messaging

With the proper permissions in place (GDPR laws, email marketing laws and permissions), mass messaging or mass emails can be a great way to reach your audience and tell them about who you are and what your services are. Although sales are not guaranteed in this channel, it serves as an easy way to reach a broader scope with a few clicks. You have to consider ensuring that all the permissions are set in place because many countries (Australia included) take GDPR and marketing permissions very seriously. Your business could get into serious trouble if you email someone who has opted out of marketing emails.

Recommended for: Products and Services

Automated workflow

Can be best for your marketing team and your prospect. Wonder why? Creating an automated workflow in your email marketing tool removes the manual work of having to send emails one by one to each group. It also prevents your team from tracking whether the email has been opened and having to send the following email in the sequence.

This is also beneficial for your customers because whatever action they do with an email automatically triggers a series of emails. So, whether they choose to opt-in or out or want to progress to the next step, those are all done automatically without the pain of looking for ways to reach you.


Recommended for: Professional Services such as legal services, consultancy services and other services where relationship building is essential.

Social Media

Facebook Business

As aforementioned, social media has become one of the mainstream go-to markets of most businesses. Although trendy and, in most cases, cost-effective, not all businesses can build a strong presence on social media. A brand’s social media presence can be determined primarily by its target audience and products or services. To some people, social media is where the buzz is, but to others, it is merely for keeping their digital presence and brand awareness.

Personal Facebook

Although not highly recommended this channel seems to be popular among small and startup businesses that are product based rather than services based. There have been multiple online brands and sellers who make use of this platform to reach out to their audience.

This channel is straightforward to navigate for those who may not be too fond of websites and other marketing channels.

Facebook Ads

Great for the general public and those who are “impulse buyers”. A Facebook Ad usually randomly comes out of the feeds of those whose profiles match the brand’s target market. As a result, the “viewer” of the ad could click on it and potentially lead to a sale.

Recommended for: product-based businesses, professional services

LinkedIn

Linkedin Business

The most significant and helpful gain from this channel is mainly credibility and ownership. Although not many marketing efforts can be made here, Linkedin Business is great for your audience (and even competitors) to see whom your brand has interacted with and what you’re interested in. Like a resume or a CV when applying for a job, your Linkedin Business gives you authority and claim over your brand.

Personal Linkedin Profile

The engagement made over personal Linkedin profiles is higher and much wider compared to Linkedin Business pages. This is where professional service providers can create thought leadership and build networks. The great thing about Linkedin Personal profiles is that it allows your brand to connect with other like-minded people with whom you may not have crossed paths yet.

Linkedin Ads

Although Linkedin Ads is an expensive digital advertising channel, many professional service brands, such as legal services and consultancies, opt for this channel because of its geo-targeting capabilities.

Linkedin Ads can include small details such as job titles, cities, roles in the company etc. With these filters and specifics in place, the ad is displayed to audiences and viewers who have been specifically included in the targeting.

This channel can be most effective for B2Bs.

Linkedin Direct Messaging

This is a powerful way to engage with someone directly. If you are incredibly well-versed in what you do and can immediately strike up a conversation with a cold contact, this is indeed for you. To some, this could be a saturated space, but again, if you know what to say and when the right time to say it is, then we say go for it.

Remember, though, that this is only for brands in the B2B industry who can send out accurate messaging; otherwise, this can be a waste of resources for your business.

Instagram, also known as “IG”, is fast-paced and highly engaging. Instagram has become best suited for consumer products and has a high rate of impulse buys, mostly from B2C engagements. In some cases, Instagram usually attracts the younger audience and those who are attracted to product aesthetics through photos.

Instagram

Instagram Ads

Like Facebook Ads, Instagram Ads work best for the B2C sector and “impulse buyers”

This is best for product-based brands such as jewellery, food, clothes, etc.

Influencer Marketing

Most prevalent on Facebook and Instagram, influencer marketing can be very engaging if your brand’s influencer matches your brand’s voice and personality. In some cases, influencers do not have monetary gains over marketing your brand but settle for an “ex-deal” type of agreement.

Typically, in an ex-deal agreement, you ask the influencer to promote your brand, particularly on their page, while you give them a free product or service in return. Other influencers who have already built names for themselves could charge you for their marketing and advertising efforts.

Recommended for B2B and B2C businesses

Instagram Direct Messaging

When done from a B2B account, this channel is an excellent way to ignite a conversation around a partnership or affiliate opportunity. It can be an accessible access channel when done right but can also be saturated and ineffective when not correctly done.

In this channel, you must have a compelling copy to cut through B2B or B2C Marketing barriers.

Tiktok

This channel is considered one of the fastest-growing social media platforms with high engagement, especially for the younger generation. However, no significant proof or study of commercial use and stability exists.

This channel can be used for brand awareness, thought leadership and digital presence.

This could work for B2B but is best for B2C.

Twitter

This channel is best for thought leadership and personal commentaries on trends and events.
Like Tiktok, this channel has had no significant commercial output or marketing results.

Pinterest

This channel is best used for mood boards during creative planning, marketing strategising and brand guidelines. There have been no commercial results from this platform, but great to display your brand's images, mood boards, guidelines, etc.

Direct Mail (physical mail snail)

Flyer Drop

Flyers are used for special promotions by physically mailing them to addresses that could either be subscribers or not. To some brands or businesses, flyer drops can be done by leaving a stash of their flyers in some establishments that have a similar line of business as they do.

For example, someone with a food takeout business might leave their flyers in an office where employees could find it helpful to order and pick the food up at their convenience.

Most flyer drops are considered “physical junk mail” where there is no specific target but an endless sea of opportunities is at hand.

Recommended for B2C types of businesses

Letter Drop

A letter drop is a targeted approach where your business directly sends a physical letter to someone whose profile fits your target market. If you invest in quality messaging that captures the interest and attention of the recipient, you're off to a great opportunity that could lead to a sale.

Recommended for a B2B set-up.

Above-the-line marketing

TV Ads and Radio Ads

Just like all other marketing channels, the key to using this medium is ensuring that your audience is in these channels. When you want to capture your audience through TV and radio, ensure that your material or marketing effort is visible during peak hours.

TV and radio ads are usually consumer focused and recommended for B2C brands.

Outdoor advertising

AKA out-of-home advertising and marketing, this channel is effective if your target audience is people who spend most of their time outside their homes. This could be best for people who are constantly mobile and seldom at home. For example, commuters who go to work by train, bus and other forms of travel could be a part of this channel’s target audience.

Newspaper and magazine

Newspapers are still relevant when marketing to particular consumer categories thus, they are not obsolete. When you choose a newspaper to be your marketing or advertising channel, your audience will likely pay attention to your message because of the already existing trust they have in the newspaper.

The decision to make is which newspaper or magazine you’re going to put your advertisement in. Choosing a highly credible newspaper and one that has positively proven to be where your audience is strongly recommended if you choose this channel.

Online Media channel

YouTube

Next to Google, YouTube is the second-most visited website worldwide. It has had approximately 2 billion active users globally since it first launched. YouTube marketing is an excellent avenue for your brand if you want to diversify your traffic sources or just get your brand in front of your target demographic through videos and ads.

Compared to other platforms, YouTube receives a lot more traffic. Therefore, you may still easily reach an audience even if your company doesn't produce many videos by placing advertisements for your content on other people's videos. As long as your content solves their problem or is largely beneficial to the audience, you'll attract potential clients on YouTube, thanks to its high traffic volume.

Podcast

Brands may communicate with a captive audience through podcasting. With today's mobile lifestyle, podcasting on demand gives businesses and brands the freedom to share their story whenever and wherever they want.

Stories and hearing others talk about their lives, advice, and other thought leadership topics help build authority in your field and brand champions along the way.

Podcasters usually share an email address and a social media page where they can collaborate and share their views. Sometimes, a podcast can create a forum where people can freely express their thoughts on specific topics.

Affiliate Marketing

With fewer resources, little time and effort, and limited risk factors, affiliate marketing enables businesses to sell products successfully while ensuring a high return on investment, increased brand recognition, and business expansion.

This type of marketing entails recruiting people to advertise your products/services and compensating them for their work on a commission basis. Brands use this tactic to increase sales, and it works best when combined with other marketing outreach techniques consistently.

To encourage the sale of a company's product, a business and an affiliate link up, with the store agreeing to pay the affiliate marketer a commission for each sale they help generate.

Events

One of the most effective ways businesses build and expand their brand is to host or participate in events. According to 64% of event marketers, the primary motivation for holding events is to raise brand recognition for their businesses or products. Based on a 2020 Bizzabo study, 93% of marketers think in-person events give attendees a great chance to network in the digital space.

At events, engaging consumers and potential customers start conversations with people. These one-on-one, intimate exchanges foster consumer loyalty and assist in humanising your business. 

Events also give attendees a break from the day-to-day, which makes it easier to engage a client in person rather than through a phone call or online meeting. 

By using event marketing, you can give an otherwise digital business a tangible identity and appearance. Similar to pop-up stores, events offer a completely immersive experience that provides visitors with a true sense of your brand and how it appears in person.

SEO

Web presence

Without a website, customers could doubt your company's credibility. A website gives you a chance to make a solid first impression and reassure potential customers that you are a legitimate company. One of the most crucial things you can do is present your brand to potential buyers through your website.

By letting the audience know who you are and what you stand for, a website aids in establishing your brand. A website gives users trustworthy information, which helps your brand and business stand out from the competition. Your website should always match the voice and personality of your brand so that your audience keeps your brand at the top of their minds when they're ready to make a purchase.

Blogging

Every month, 70 million new posts are made, and WordPress alone powers 42% of the internet. As a result, blogging continues to play a significant role in online marketing plans. Blogs are a great way to slowly nurture your audience and prove your expertise in your industry and product line.

A recent survey found that 90% of firms used blogs to promote their brands in the past year, out of all the content marketing formats available, including videos, infographics, ebooks, and online events.

SEO

Google Ads is great because it lets you control where your money goes. If you want to spend more or less on something, that can be controlled in Google Ads.

Most marketers like Google ads because, like YouTube, the reach is very wide, and billions of people use it. Putting your ad or marketing efforts in front of a billion potential people means you have a greater chance of achieving the best results.

Ultimately, there is a barrage of different marketing channels suited for your business. We recommend that you first identify where your audience hangs out and put your efforts in front of those channels.

Allow the Ucidity Team to work with you in crafting your brand's go-to-market strategy!

Need Help Gauging Your Marketing Performance?

There are a lot more success metrics for inbound marketing that can be measured. Expert opinion from the industry shows that the above ten are good starting points for business owners to gauge where their marketing efforts are at. It is important to look into the channels that are working best for you. From there you can make changes and adjustments to low-performing channels or stick with the good-performing ones and focus on that.

To help you with more specific and targeted results, you need to tie your website into a good CRM. Ucidity uses Hubspot because of the many possibilities you can do with it. Here are some reasons why Hubspot is our CRM of choice and how it has made things easier and delivered more accurate results for us:

• Ties into your website
• Enables you to track a buyer’s journey
• Manage all your social media
• Schedules all your newsletter
• Stores all your contacts
• Records all the calls that you make to any contact

 Let’s talk about the best options to gauge your business’s marketing efforts.