Choosing Marketing Channels Comes Down to Goals, Audience Location, and Trust Building

TL;DR: Which marketing channels to use is based on three factors: your goals, where your prospects are hanging out, and where you can build trust.

I talk a lot about how marketing has a simple task: build trust and relationships so when the time is right, prospects buy from you.

Of course, marketing is a more nuanced than that.

What topics do I need to cover?

What kind of content do I need to create – video, text, audio? Digital or print?

And which marketing channels do I need to be on?

I was asked that very question a few months ago. My short answer: It depends on your goals, where your prospects are hanging out, and where you can build trust.

Let’s break this down, shall we?

Choosing which marketing channels starts with your goals

Just yesterday, my neighbor Molly told me about a brand she loves. I went to their website and signed up to get a discount on my first purchase (aka, I am now on their email marketing list).

I’m not going to buy from them right now, even if Molly loves them and no matter how much I trust Molly. I need to get to know them myself.

Will I buy from them eventually? Probably.

But again, not right this second.

And this is a very typical process for a prospect when considering a purchase.

Now let’s turn the tables and look at it from your – the brand’s – perspective.

Marketing goals fall into three buckets:

Make sure more people know about you (brand awareness – thanks Molly!)
Make sure those people engage with your brand so you can capture their names and emails and keep in touch (lead generation – I exchanged my email for a future discount)
Make sure they buy from you, not the other guy (sales, eventually)

New companies (and established companies who are moving into new verticals) prioritize brand awareness. Only once people know about you can you work on generating leads and then … down the road … sales.

So glad we had this chat. Now let’s move on to where your prospects hang out.

Only use the channels your prospects use

You don’t pick a marketing channel because someone on Instagram said it’s the next hottest thing. You pick a channel because your prospects are using it.

Let’s say you’re an active LinkedIn user, and your target market is the CTO’s of Fortune 1,000 companies. They ain’t on LinkedIn.

Do they have a profile? Maybe. But I guarantee you that the company’s marketing department is repping them on LinkedIn, and the actual CTO never goes near it.

So where do you reach them? Important industry events.

(If you want more advice on how to get in front of the C-Suite, you can find it here.)

Or let’s say you’re trying to reach creatives – product designers, architects, fashion photographers, creative directors. You need to be on Instagram and Pinterest, which is where they go to find inspiration.

I don’t care how cool a new social network is or how much you like a certain app. If your prospects are not actively using it, don’t throw away your time or money on that channel.

And do not for one second think you need to be on every social media channel. A client came to me with a list of channels she was considering using (all for good reason!), and we quickly winnowed it down to the two where she’ll get the most bang for her buck.

Now let’s get to why we’re all here.

The best channels for each marketing goal

Building brand awareness

When you’re launching a new company, you want to get the word out as efficiently as possible.

You can do that on three channels: social media (consider boosting some posts you love for even wider reach), paid media (digital ads), and direct mail.

When I started out 17 years ago, I did things a little differently. Neither were super-efficient, but they at least started getting my name out there:

I attended lots of networking events and scheduled follow up conversations with anyone I thought could bring me business or make introductions.
I built an email list with the people I already knew.

Now, in all fairness, social media was in its infancy, and brands were just starting to experiment with it as a marketing channel.

I can’t emphasize enough that – no matter what marketing channels you use – you need a strategy to keep you in front of people on a regular basis. If you invest in paid ads or direct mail, then what?

People will only remember you – and start to trust you – when they see your name, ideas, and advice over and over again.

Lead generation

You might be wondering, “Hey wait, can’t you generate leads with the above marketing channels?”

The answer is yes-ish.

Remember, prospects convert into leads once you’ve given them reason to trust you. So let’s look at lead generation from the perspective of the best places to build trust.

Social media is a great place to start and join conversations and get to know each other better.

Likewise, in-person events are the perfect place to start a conversation and then continue it during a follow-up call or meeting. Every time I go to an in-person event, I walk away with a prospect and/or a strong referral.

Paid ads have a decent conversion rate (ROI varies by platform), but do they build trust? No – they really only support brand awareness. A full paid media strategy is designed to build trust.

Email marketing done right builds trust. Send out high-quality content on a regular basis, and prospects will convert to leads as soon as they need what you’re selling.

One other channel I love for lead generation is high-quality print pieces. I’m talking brochures that are designed like coffee-table books: striking photos, bold typography, attention-grabbing messages. People hold onto these print pieces and think of your brand every time they glance at it.

Sales

Will you hate me if I say in-person events or email again?

At the sales stage, people trust you. They’re ready to buy. They just need a trigger. Your regular monthly newsletter or special email promo can be just the push they need.

Case in point: Last year, I worked with a client on two promotions for two distinct audiences. I wrote the landing page and email copy, including headlines, subject lines, and calls-to-action. In less than two weeks, these promotions netted nearly $120,000 in sales!

I’ve also gotten many responses to my monthly newsletter from prospects asking to set up a call to discuss a marketing need they have. (The number of sales I’ve gotten from email marketing would be a fun one to calculate!)

As for in-person events, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve met someone and they’ve said, “I desperately need to update my website/get on social media/switch marketing agencies.”

And let’s not forget referrals. How many companies have initially grown based on word of mouth? Heck, it’s still my best sales channel.

Referrals rely entirely on trust. We trust recommendations from people we know and like. If someone I’ve known for years says, “You have got to meet Joe, the best accountant I’ve ever worked with,” heck yeah! I want to meet Joe right now.

And how do you stay in front of your best referral sources? Social media, email, and in-person events. Marketing can be such a lovely feedback loop, can’t it?

The best marketing channels are a Venn diagram

The best marketing channels for you combine your marketing goals with the channels your prospects are on, plus where you can build trust.

It’s a lot to sort!