So, you have a business, and your business has a problem: growth – well, lack of it. And you wisely decide that a well-thought-out marketing strategy can give your business the ROI boost it needs.
There are so many types of advertising available to a marketer, so just choosing the right media mix can be a challenge in itself.
It is helpful to think of your advertising as a fire and of your marketing mix as the different fuels for that fire. These fuels burn at different intensities and at different speeds, with some costing more than others. Faster-burning fuels like direct marketing make great fire starters as their effects are almost immediate, while slow-burning fuels like content, though slow to produce results, cost less and burn for much longer.
The marketing agency and ideal marketing mix for each business will vary, but all marketing strategies need a mix of different fuels to ensure that their advertising techniques satisfy their immediate and long-term goals.
Broadcasting
TV advertising still has the widest reach and it is the best medium to reach the masses when advertising strategies call for instant results, but radio advertising can also be effective for certain demographics and regions. It helps to think of these two media, specifically TV advertising, as fire starters. They burn with great intensity almost immediately and, as I'll explain a little later, cause other fuels to burn even hotter.
Display advertising
Generally, display advertising is not very cost-effective. Changing consumer behaviour means that you are more likely to be killed by a falling coconut than to click on a banner ad! Pay per click ads can, however, be a good fast burn option if they are lower in your sales funnel and contain effective calls to action.
Email marketing
Email marketing should be a staple in any marketing strategy, but emails sent out of the blue are no more effective than most display ads. To be really effective, your email marketing has to be automated and incorporated into a content or inbound marketing strategy, where email workflows nurture lead generation with the goal of making sales.
SEO
As a traffic-generating online marketing strategy, SEO is a cost-effective way to drive lead generation, but because it attracts consumers lower down the funnel, volume is limited. Also, as Google changes its algorithms, some questionable SEO tactics – those known as black hat SEO – will become less effective or even counterproductive. If you are practising SEO – and you should be - you need to ensure that all is above board and that you are doing just as much to raise your organic rankings.
Content marketing and inbound marketing
Today, the most important driver of web traffic is content marketing. Content will produce results years after it is written, improving SEO organically and pulling traffic to your site. It is one of the longest-burning and most cost-effective of your fuels. What makes it even better is that it is even more effective when used in an inbound marketing strategy. As experts on inbound, Hubspot can shed much light on how inbound uses content to both attract visitors and convert lead generation into customers. Though slow-burning, this fuel should be an essential part of any marketing strategies with the goal of driving positive ROI.
Social Media
Social media platforms are the best way to create brand awareness amongst millennials and they allow brands to give their otherwise faceless businesses a bit of personality. Still, the most effective marketing strategies are those that use social media in combination with other digital marketing platforms. Content marketing, in particular, is very effective at using social media to drive traffic to blogs and other online marketing resources.
Online video
The digital marketing tool of online video advertising is set to take off in the coming year, but its full potential will only be realised by those who use it in conjunction with a TV advertising campaign. Most consumers still trust TV ads more than online marketing, so digital marketing that reinforces what the consumers already know about an offering will have the greatest impact. The two media combined are far more powerful when they convey the same message.
To combine these elements in the optimal marketing mix, you need to know what kind of ROI you are getting from each. The measurable nature of digital marketing is well understood, but performance TV advertising can provide data analytics that are just as insightful. As an advertising agency at the forefront of optimised TV marketing strategies, we have much experience in getting the most out of the hottest-burning media in your marketing mix. Click here, to see how we can assist you.
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