I remember sitting in my Marketing class in college in the early 90’s thinking this class is going to be a piece of cake. How hard can Marketing be – companies sell products and people like to spend money so then they buy stuff case closed. I know if I want a Coke I’m just going to go buy myself a Coke – it’s not that complicated…
Fast forward 20-ish years and guess what I’ve learned – not so simple! Should my company use Print Marketing? Digital Marketing? Email Marketing? Content Marketing? Growth Marketing? Cross Channel Marketing?
Print Marketing upon first thought is outdated yet it has actually strengthened its position in the marketplace. The response rate to print marketing increased by 190% and 43% more customers responded to direct mail than prior years. (digitaldoughnut.com) Why?
- Print marketing is TANGIBLE
- You can see, hold, touch, smell, & feel print marketing
- Same concept applies when instead of reading a book online some people just want a good old fashioned BOOK in their hands
- Brochures, flyers, inserts, & catalogs can be left on a table or conveniently handed to your friend or business associate to share something on the spot
- Surprisingly 72% of people will judge a company just based off of their business card
Digital marketing is a more extensive process than just handing someone a flashy flyer you picked up at a convention. It’s almost not fair to compare the two since they both add value to a marketing campaign. Digital Marketing is promoting & selling products online using different avenues. Think of Digital Marking as the umbrella and Email, Content, Growth, & Cross Content Marketing will fall under this umbrella.
Email Marketing
- Send email directly to prospects & customers
- 99% of consumers check email daily
- You own your email list
- You have zero control over Social Media contacts that can disappear at any time due to deleted or suspended accounts
- Consumers who receive an email spend 138% more than people that didn’t get the email (I received an email yesterday from com marketing a “1 hour only flash sale to get 40% off one item with free shipping” and proceeded to spend $77 that I hadn’t even thought about spending before I received the email.)
- ROI on email marking is 4400% (yes 4400% – not a typo)
- Emails enhance relationships with current customers
Content Marketing
- Sharing informative material online to generate an interest in a service or product
- Create, publish and distribute to a target audience online
- Creates brand loyalty by building trust
- Free information – not direct sales
- Videos / Blogs / Tutorials
Growth Marketing
- Extensive process to attract more engaged customers
- Design & conduct experiments on a target area
- Handles the entire marketing funnel – not just brand awareness
- Strategies are highly data driven
- Used in many companies- most popular in technology company industry
Cross Channel Marketing
- AKA, Multi Channel Marketing
- Gives customers consistent experience across your brand
- Engages with all prospects & current customers via ALL digital devices
- CRM system is crucial to track all on & offline relationships
- Multi channel customers spend 3-4 times more than single channel
Print & Digital Marketing are both invaluable tools in the growth of your business when used properly. The Coca Cola company is KING when it comes to their strategic marketing plan… I’ll have a “coke and a smile” or maybe I’ll “share a coke” with Mike. If I’m ordering a drink at dinner & say COKE – everyone knows I want a soda whether or not they actually sell Coke products. Why? Because “Coke is it!” (I’m willing to bet 99% of people reading this article can relate to every marketing campaign I just referenced and maybe you even repeated “Coke is it” one more time because that’s what the commercial jingle did) Coke has turned branding, brand loyalty & the selling of happiness as a lifestyle into an art form that any business could learn from – but that’s a whole different blog. Coke please!
With all of the options available today, there IS a Marketing strategy that fits your business. Contact The Karlyn Group and we will research which strategy will work best for you! The Karlyn Group is a full service marketing & sales firm that is available to assess your business and growth needs. Whether you need guidance with social media, event planning, marketing & branding or website design & development, we will customize a plan to bring your business to the next level! Check out some of our work and contact us to set up a free consultation.
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