Marketing is a fickle thing. At first, it’s a bit like gambling ( My Product/Service + This Strategy = ? ).
After a while, it becomes more like educated guessing ( My Product/Service + This Strategy ≈ C ).
Then, it evolves into a reliable way to forecast sales ( My Product/Service + This Strategy = C ).
This evolution in expectation is realistic. It acknowledges the fact that there is no sure bet when it comes to having people accept your product or service. From the most fundamental standpoint, marketing is establishing your target market and the media they use, then presenting your product or service and its benefits to your market in a digestible manner.
The typical types of media used for marketing are:
- Newspapers
- Magazines
- Pamphlets
- Brochures
- Flyers
- Directories
- Direct Mail
- Billboards
- Mobile Billboards (sides of commuter buses & more)
- P.O.S. promotions
- Display
- Product Placement
- Other promotional strategies
- Television
- Commercials
- Infomercials
- Product Placements
- Sponsorships
- Celebrity Branding
- Radio
- Ad-libbed
- Live read
- Product Placement
- Sponsorships
- Online
- Search engine optimization
- Pay per click
- Social media
- Banner
- Remarketing
- Affiliate
- Sponsorships
- Celebrity Branding
Although this is not a comprehensive list of media, it gives the impression that there are a lot of choices out there when it comes to marketing your product or service. However, the nice thing is that marketing can integrate with one another.
Take for instance the Nike commercial below. This commercial is available for viewing on YouTube – an example of television integrating with online marketing.
Another example is when a radio station streams their shows online. Rather than just leave their listeners to the car radio or boombox (seriously, who carries those anymore?), radio stations can stream their shows online and retain a higher percentage of their listeners throughout the day. Print media post their stories online and integrate reader feedback with Facebook, Twitter, Google + and more.
It’s common practice to integrate marketing strategies with one another to form strategic marketing plans. Today, it is important to reach your market online due to the medium’s versatility. It integrates easily with almost all other forms of marketing, and your website is open 24/7, offering a place to go for those seeking to research your products or services. Today, the answer doesn’t get more easy. Online marketing requires strategy and research, but it is a valuable resource for any business looking to gain exposure, build brand awareness and potentially increase sales.
Out of the gate, online marketing doesn’t provide an exact answer to the equation, Your Product/Service + This Strategy = C, but it adds a variable to the structure (we’ll call it “OM”). When OM is added to the equation, Your Product/Service + (OM + Print Media) + (OM + Television) + (OM + Radio) = C, it supplements other strategies and fortifies them. This creates a stronger, more organized marketing plan that addresses both your online and offline needs.
