As some social media users say, if you went somewhere and didn’t take a picture, did it actually happen? The same thing goes for posting on social channels, and if you post something and no one in your target audience saw it, did the post have any sort of effect? The short answer is no.
The long answer surrounds the idea that in order for your content to boost your bottom line, the content needs to be relevant to your target audience and drive interest in your brand. This starts with making sure the right people receive the relevant information so they can act and buy your product or service. Knowing where the right place is to tap into your audience is important because different target audiences will use different channels. You need to be able to bring your advertising to your target audience in order to be most effective as they are not going to go looking for you.
There are a variety of channels to use that will reach the different audiences you need. Some target audiences integrate their channel use on multiple platforms and some just still rely on regular email. It's important with any marketing campaign to create a buyer persona that will help you decipher which platform is best for your ideal audience. Some of the different options for promotional channels include:
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Email marketing
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Instagram
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Facebook
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YouTube
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Traditional Advertising
Target audiences are broken up by a variety of factors including, but not exclusive to, demographics and psychographics. In order to sort through all the madness, it is important for your company to do some research and soul searching to figure out who your major customer is. From there, you are better able to see which channels will successfully put your content and marketing efforts in front of that customer.
After doing research on your target audience and selecting a channel that best fits who you are trying to reach, you can test advertisements to see what works best. You can perform A/B testing which allows you to see which version of an ad your target audience responds best to. After you decipher which ad is better received, you can funnel the rest of your funds into that specific ad to generate the desired engagement.
Email Marketing
One of the most effective forms of advertising is conducted via email marketing. Through email marketing, you have the ability to collect email addresses of already interested customers, entertain new leads, and also get new customers through a subscription type function. Always put emphasis on growing your email list and sharing relevant and creative information and content with them in order to keep them engaged. Using this marketing tool allows you to streamline your audience into different lists based on their interests. Email marketing allows you to deliver engaging content right to your customer's inbox, with little or not effort on their behalf to have to open it and engage with what you have to say. The fashion industry, restaurant industry, and universities benefit greatly from email marketing campaigns.
This photo and video sharing social media platform is great if you are trying to reach younger audiences. The average age of an Instagram user varies from around 18-30 years old. So if you are looking to reach older audiences, this channel is probably not the best option for you. Both B2B and B2C businesses can benefit from using Instagram because it helps your customers see what you are about and allows you to engage with the community. Virtually every industry can benefit from using Instagram, it just depends on the audience and buyer persona you are trying to target. Targeting your ads to the right Instagram users is an important layer on this platform and if not executed correctly, it will not be effective.
This social network site has become a huge hub for small business and corporate advertising. Facebook, now integrated with Instagram, allows you to advertise on their platforms for a very low cost. Like Instagram, their algorithm allows you to pick your audience based on a plethora of factors including demographics, interests, and much more. The average age of a Facebook user is 40, so if you are wanting to use it as an advertising platform, it is important to use targeting functionality in order to reach the kinds of audiences appropriate for you. Facebook can also be a great tool if you want to use remarketing to reach a customer that already showed a direct interest in your business on your website.
Advertising on the most influential search engine platform can be one of the best ways to generate actionable interest in your brand. Targeting your ads on Google is a bit different when compared to advertising on Facebook or other channels. Google revolves around your search ranking, SEO/domain authority, and how you appear on Google when users search various keywords you bid on. The key to advertising on Google is understanding what your audience is searching for. This can be complex and requires research. You need to step outside the box and consider what people would type or search when they are looking for your product or service. Understanding how your target audience thinks will help discern what they will search for and how you can optimize your ranking on the search engine. You can advertise in a variety of ways on Google including pay-per-click, banner ads via their display network and organically, via search engine optimization. This channel is particularly good for B2B businesses as they are more likely to proactively search for a service rather than stumble across it on social media.
Traditional Marketing
While the advertising landscape has shifted to more digital marketing, traditional advertising tactics are still seeing great success. It is important to touch the audiences that have not shifted toward the digital sphere. Using traditional tactics like print advertising, radio, outdoor advertising, and television can still be effective and should be considered when implementing an overarching marketing campaign. Everything boils down to getting your advertisement into the right hands with the necessary call to action.
No matter what channel you decide to use, it is important to do your research on what audience you are trying to reach. If you have good content and a channel but you are somehow missing the mark and not reaching the right people, then your message won’t drive any actionable results. It may be time to reconsider the channel you are using or the targeting parameters you have implemented. Whether you are using an agency or doing your advertising in-house, it is vital that you do the background research on your audience and on content forms that are most relevant to that audience. Throwing an advertisement into the cluttered space with all the other companies is like throwing a dart at a dartboard blindfolded - you need to carefully aim for your target audience before throwing in order to get best results.