Marketing Monday 3: Choosing the right channels

When designing your digital marketing strategy, it is important to choose the right channels because that is exactly where your audience is.

With the target audience that you have chosen for your business, find out where it is that these people are spending their time online. Yes, although Facebook may have the most active users at more than 2 billion worldwide, this should not be your only channel of choice nor should you choose it at all if your target audience is not using it.

Also figure out what purpose you want each channel to serve in bringing together the bigger picture of your business.

Each channel has its own characteristics, so it is up to you to use it to your advantage and optimise the experience for your business. Here are a few examples.

Social Media

Since there is no one-size-fits-all approach to social media marketing, your approach needs to be tailored to each network.

Facebook

This platform can be used to give a broad perspective of your brand and messaging, where extended content mostly in video format can be presented. Facebook’s events section is also useful to keep the community engaged with any upcoming occasions you want your audience to be involved in.

Instagram

Instagram has the highest per post engagement out of any social media network. Other than for posting aesthetic pictures, Instagram has a more relaxed environment where you can also post behind-the-scenes footage of your company culture or quick polls on stories to gage audience interaction. You can also share event highlights both in posts and as stories.

LinkedIn

Think corporate vibes and a professional image when on LinkedIn. Especially, it is all about the visuals where posts with an image receive 200% more engagement than text-only. LinkedIn can also help with recruiting efforts by sharing your company culture and executive leadership.

Twitter

This channel shows your character and that you are ‘in the know’. Due to it’s fast-paced nature it is important to move quickly to stay top of mind. Live tweeting and polls are also a way for your audience to engage in real time.

TikTok

TikTok has seemingly exploded from nowhere to become one of the most downloaded apps in the world. With the average video being about 15 seconds long, the key is to grab the audience’s attention with simple and entertaining content that can get the message across in a short period of time. Currently, 66% of its users are under 30 and a similar percentage of users are female.

Email

Although you may be thinking that this now an older form of marketing, it is a ‘tried but true’ digital marketing technique. Email allows you to create content in many forms from newsletters to invitations, product updates, personalised offers, and the list goes on. Emails are permission-based, so if your customers are subscribed it’s because they want to see this content, as well as being easy to measure engagement. Make sure you have a catchy subject line, personalised touch and call to action for effective email marketing.

Website

Finally, your website should NEVER be neglected as a digital marketing tool but should be at the very core of your digital marketing strategy. Whether you use social media, email or other forms of marketing, these should all lead to your website as the central location for all information and content relating to your business. Make sure the website is easy to navigate and find exactly what the audience is looking for, that it can be adapted to any screen size from mobile to desktop, and that the load time is reduced as much as possible.

And if you didn’t take away anything from this post, then just remember this:

It is important for your channels to be integrated seamlessly to create a cohesive message and a strong brand image.

Now you've selected the right marketing channels for your business, read our fourth Marketing Monday to learn about how you can use content marketing to boost your entrepreneur career! Don't forget to voice your thoughts in the comments below and in our Discussion Forum!