The foundation of any business is a product, potential buyers, and the means to connect them.
Your product is ready, and you’ve identified your buyers. Now, let’s explore the channels that are the crucial link between the two.
Understanding Channel Dynamics
Types of Channels
Owned Channels
- Website
- Email List
- SMS List
- Phone List
- Address List
Paid Channels
- Search Ads
- Social Ads
- OTT/CTV
- Print/Offline Ads
- Affiliate Channels
- Directories
Borrowed Channels
- Search Engines
- Social Media Platforms
- Maps & Apps (Local Search)
- Streaming Platforms
- Blog/Vlog/Podcast Appearances
- Networking & Events
Understanding the distinction between owned, paid, and borrowed channels is critical. Owned channels are cost-effective but require time, paid channels demand a monetary commitment, and borrowed channels necessitate significant time investment.
Categorizing Channels for Optimization
Now, let’s delve into strategies for optimizing each channel type.
Different Strategies for Different Channels
Leveraging Owned Channels
- Be Consistent: Maintain a consistent brand, tone, and style across blogs and emails to preserve audience relationships.
- Show and Tell: Combine visuals and supporting text to create memorable content. People recall information better with engaging visuals.
- Bring Value: Reward your audience’s trust by delivering valuable content. Answer FAQs preemptively, ensuring your materials are worth their time.
- Include Clear CTAs (Call to Action): Regardless of clicks, the goal is conversion. Ensure your leads turn into paying customers or valuable contacts.
Leveraging Paid Channels
- Be Clear: People scroll past ads swiftly. Craft ads that leave a quick and clear impression of your product.
- Leverage Data: Use channel data actively to enhance reach and results. Don’t solely rely on platforms; their primary interest is revenue.
- Respond Actively: Platforms care about response time. Be engaged; it affects your ranking and informs consumers.
- Nurture Conversation: Encourage engagement that directs individuals toward your owned channels.
Leveraging Borrowed Channels
- Provide Value: Offer more than your product – sustainability tips, maintenance insights, and philanthropic efforts help people care.
- Be Consistent: Maintain consistency in design across various platforms to enhance brand recall.
- Optimize Constantly: Even in high-reach platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn, ongoing optimization is crucial for reaching the right audience.
- Respond Engagingly: Platforms like podcasts and videos allow personalized engagement. Be genuine; make your leads feel valued.
Crafting a Balanced Approach
With so many options, you may wonder which is best. The answer is some variation of all of them. All these channels and mediums work together like the pieces of a clock. Having a social presence, speaking events, and paid advertising work synergistically to increase your company’s visibility and grow your owned channels. However, your focus should vary based on your audience’s makeup, which leads to your next steps.
Tailoring Strategies to Your Audience
Next Steps
- Audience Analysis: Invest time in understanding your audience. This effort enhances ad placement precision and messaging effectiveness. Our Customer Connector service details your customer interests and online engagement preferences. Contact us for more information about Customer Connector.
- Customized Strategies: If you’re unsure or don’t have the time to create a plan leveraging all your available channels, contact us. We can create a tailor-made plan to optimize your channels and discover leads efficiently!
About the Author
Jason Otis is the president of Perk Brands and founder of Built for Home. Perk Brands is a digital marketing agency that partners with home product manufacturers to make their products easy to find and buy. Built for Home is a community of home product manufacturers and a resource for buyers to find products that make their lives better at home.
