From podcast plugs to Google Ads, the last few decades have seen an influx of ways to reach your customers. But which works best for your business? There’s a lot to consider, such as your budget, industry, and of course, your audience. Here are four tips when choosing the medium for your marketing message.
What’s your marketing budget?
Before you choose the vehicle for your marketing, you need to consider what money you have to spend. But first, you have to change your mindset! Don’t think about your marketing budget as eating into your profits. Instead, think of it as an investment in your business!
Establishing a marketing budget is simple. You just need to make sure it’s within a range you can afford. So what’s a “good” marketing budget? According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, the average business spends 1.08% of its revenues on advertising, varying from industry to industry.
At the end of the day, you have to decide what’s most feasible for your business. Sit down and take a look at historical sales and profit. What can you invest in your business when it comes to marketing?
Pro Tip: When it comes to marketing, B2C businesses will have to spend more the B2B businesses.
What audience are you trying to reach?
Now that you have your budget, it’s time to choose your platform. But before you do, you need to know what mediums your audience will respond to. Now, I know what you’re thinking. “My audience is on social media!” But in reality, that may not be the case.
Instead, consider your audience's who, what, where, and why. Who are they? What do they do? Where do they live? And why should they buy your product or service? This feeds into your buyer persona, which describes your ideal customer based on market research and data about your existing customers.
When you have the information, it’s time to do your research! Begin with a simple web search. What age group is using TikTok? Would your buyer persona respond to email marketing? How about an ad on a popular podcast?
Pro Tip: When choosing your medium, think outside the box. Of course, consider social media, but also consider local advertising in newspapers and magazines, email marketing, radio ads, and more.
What’s the message?
And last but not least, you have to consider the message. What exactly do you want to say to your target audience? Is your industry regulated when it comes to advertising? It’s essential to really think about the vision, content, and goal for your message - and then choose a medium that works best.
Pro Tip: At the end of the day, it’s your audience that chooses the medium for your message. However, you need to consider how best to present it. Maybe your audience is on TikTok, but you don’t have the time to do highly-produced content or lengthy videos. It’s up to you to craft a message that best fits the medium, your audience, and your business's capabilities.
