What marketing channel should I use?

As a consultant and a mentor, 'what marketing channel should I use?' is the #1 question I get asked. And, with good reason!

It can be overwhelming with so many marketing channels out there promising results. Add to it that every day a new channel pops up that everyone in your network is insisting is the best - it's not easy to know where you should be spending your time and money.

A single marketing channel isn't going to be a solution for anyone's business. At the same time, being on all the marketing channels - unless you have a huge team and extensive budgets - isn't going to be the right solution either.

The question shouldn't be 'What marketing channel should I use?' but instead should be 'What marketing channel(s) are right for my business?'

Step 1: Before the marketing channel conversation...

I know you're excited to start talking about Meta versus Linkedin but before we can get to the channel conversation we have to take a step back.

First things first, let's chat about some key pieces of information:

• What is your overall business goal?

• What outcome do you need to accomplish with your marketing efforts?

• Who is your target market and what is their demographic?

Let's remember that marketing is a business function. Typically, you invest money (and time!) into your marketing to build awareness with your desired audience and cause them to take an action which then (hopefully) increases your revenue line.

Therefore it stands to reason that your marketing should be aligned to your business goals.

Step 2: What channels are your customers already using in both a professional or personal way?

Here are some more questions to research:

• Where do my customers spend their time online for work and personal use?

• What is my budget?

• What team do I have?

• What benefit am I offering? Am I selling a service or a product?

• Do my customers need education on my business in order to buy?

Marketing takes time and money. If your customers are spending all day on Linkedin, it doesn't reason to spend your time on X (Twitter). If your demographic is older you may want to invest in Meta (facebook) ads instead of TikTok. If you're selling a B2C product, you'll want to look into Google Shopping ads. There is no one truth for every business. Just because it worked for someone else, does not guarantee it will work for you.

Step 3: These Marketing Channels are the right ones for your business!

Once you've gathered all of that information you are ready to start testing channels and see which ones make an impact to your business.

Depending on the answers above you will also need to decide if you want to create video or static display ads, or both. Or maybe a strong content strategy is needed if education is key to conversion.

For example, if your potential customers are Gen Z, you might want to try TikTok but be prepared to spend money to create unique video content for the platform. This is the point you should also consider your team and your budget and the expertise you have available to you.

Still not sure? Let's chat.

Interested in learning more? Book a free consultation with Jess today.