When you hear of a channel, what do you think? Something you change on the television, or a frequency band used for radio transmissions?
These channels have one thing in common; they are used to communicate a message. Your marketing channel is the way that you get your message out to the people in your target market.
Throughout history, there have been a number of traditional channels used to distribute your message. None more timeless than the newspaper. In fact, the newspaper is perhaps the most enduring professional channel of all time.
The Enduring Power Of Great Content
The first recognised British newspaper was the London Gazette which began in 1666. For a whole generation, it was the only edition that was officially sanctioned. Despite there being a number of other periodicals available, the London Gazette was the only one that passed the strictly controlled printing regulations in Britain for quite some time. That meant that they had a huge advantage over other periodicals in getting their message across and influencing the people with it.
Reading the newspaper was extremely popular as it gave the reader a huge amount of educational value and useful information. There was news on politics, the state of the economy, entertainment, sports results, information on business, industry and trade, as well as general knowledge. But the messaging was always controlled by the press and governing bodies.
For a good many years, the newspaper was one of the only faithful sources of information. Then the 90s hit with the arrival of the internet and what could be termed the information revolution. Suddenly, it was so much easier to access information, and you didn’t have to wait for a newspaper to print it. You could quite literally satisfy your curiosity by learning about anything and everything.
But not only that, the information revolution has helped people like you, and I realise our dreams. Many of our businesses would not have been possible without this vital advancement in marketing channels, and we certainly would not be as successful in getting our message in front of the people that matter.
Distributing Your Message
Throughout history, there have been a number of traditional channels available when it comes to distributing your message.
The ‘old way’ included methods like…
- Newspaper
- Radio
- TV
- Outdoor signage or vehicle signwriting
- Direct mail
- Speaking to the public in Church or Gospel, or other public forums
- Print advertising in Magazines
- Telephone and Party lines
The information revolution opened up a whole list of new options via the internet. Suddenly the messaging was not as controlled any more as there were fewer regulations on who could distribute their message.
The ‘new way’ of distribution became…
- Your Website – the central hub where you can drive traffic to and tell potential viewers what your business is all about
- Video channel such as YouTube – where you can post your own branded content to educate your audience
- Social media channels – Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, Snapchat etc
- Pay per click advertising through Google Adwords or Facebook
- Mobile phone – simply calling, via text, or through an installed app
- Search channels – increase your chances of being found on search engines like Google, Bing or Yahoo by optimising your content
- Database & Email marketing – via regular newsletters and various other campaigns
What Is The Channel You Can Control?
As we mentioned above, sanctions have been placed on certain channels to ensure the right kind of message is conveyed. That still exists in many of the modern methods of communication. But the one channel it does not apply to is Email Marketing. Which is why I think it is the best channel to use.
Here is why:
- You control the list – by adding or removing subscribers where appropriate
- You control the medium – your list is an asset that you own
- You control the message – you choose what you want to send to your list
Not only do you own and control this channel of communication, but there are other advantages of the channel too:
- Cost-effective
- Time efficient – it is a one to many method of communication
- Below the line activity – the rest of the market or your competitors won’t know what you are sending or how frequently you are doing it
- Personal – you are communicating to your warm market, the people that know like and trust you already
- You can begin to see instant results and gather feedback from your audience
Utilising The Marketing Channels
So how many channels are you broadcasting your business message on?
Yes, email marketing is the most effective method, but it works best when you combine it with the power other of the other channels. You can use those other channels to build your list and increase the reach of your message.
Are you utilising…
- 30 or 60-second pitch at a networking event each week
- Regular email newsletter to your list
- SEO methods on your website
- Social media posting
Where else are you distributing your message?
The thing to remember is that there is no point screaming your message to a stadium if there’s nobody there. You need to think about where your warm market is and talk to those people.
Sometimes it can be hard to know where your warm market is located and which channel is best to reach them on. Would you love 10 places that you can look for them? Then you should definitely join my FREE 10 day challenge designed to build a great email list from a range of marketing channels. Join the challenge here.
Or, if you would like to discuss your channels of marketing then borrow my marketing brain for 30 mins absolutely for free! Book your spot here.