Are You Expanding Your Marketing Mix?
Austin, Texas: I just received an issue of Deliver, a magazine from the US Postal Service, which featured an excellent article on varying your marketing mix.
It’s core message was that direct mail coupled with social media, television advertising, radio and/or web can all play a significant role in one’s marketing mix.
There was a quote from Akin Arikan, from Multichannel Marketing that bears repeating. He said, The marketer who is able to ride on the coattails of the multichannel revolution has the opportunity to connect with always-on consumers, anywhere, anytime. Doing so, however, requires a new set of know-how”.
These days, too many companies are relying on web-only to deliver their message – without maximizing its reach – or more clearly identifying their database.
Direct mail can help continue a customer relationship, and it can help cut through the clutter.
As businesses look for ways to cut costs, SEO seems at first to be the biggest bargain. However, when a variety of media is used to reach out to clients, synergy is created that can be much bigger than any one form of media on its own.
The article in Direct magazine serves to reinforce how print can support any of the other advertising and marketing channels.
I always encourage my clients to test, test and test some more.
A postcard trade show follow up, coupled with an email blast, then a phone call and a catalog can be an excellent combination for many businesses.
Using your website to capture data for a catalog can be another profitable combination.
I like to send out postcards once a quarter to clients, in addition to keeping up with them in email, trade shows and on the web. I am often pleasantly surprised at the number of customers that call from the postcard, as emails can simply be ignored.
In this economy it is too easy to look at the initial cost of a new marketing opportunity without weighing its benefits.
How are you expanding your reach through other marketing vehicles?
How are you keeping your name in front of your clients and prospects?
Be creative. Your competition is probably thinking about how they can reach your customers right now.
Beat them to the punch.
