In 2018, there’s no shortage of channels, platforms, and avenues for advertising your business. Option overload may prevent you from choosing any of them, or you may be stuck in a routine of what you’ve always done; weary of rocking the boat.
Today we’re sharing the approach we use with our own clients to give you an idea of how you can cover your bases and get the best outcome for your efforts.
We like to call it a “media mix”.
What is a “media mix” exactly? Here’s our definition:
Implementing a combination of marketing channels, tailored to your specific audience/customer, to holistically and successfully meet your desired business goals and objectives.
On a practical level, that means advertising through various mediums like TV, print, radio, and digital media in conjunction with one another.
Although there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, there are formulas and strategies that suit a lot of industries really well.
Implementing a Media Mix in Your Marketing Strategy
For starters, by advertising on a number of channels, and sharing similar but not the exact same messages, we can affirm a positive outcome for the metric of ‘frequency’ – or how many times your audience is being served your message.
Frequency is needed to get in the mind of your audience and be their first pick when it comes time to make a purchase. Frequency is effective for branding, as it creates consistency, builds credibility, garners trust, and eventually, it can even earn brand loyalty.
Did you know it can take up to 7-13 touchpoints before a potential customer becomes an actual customer? 7-13!
Now, you can’t just show the same ad on the same channel, over and over and over again. You have to mix it up!
We’ll be the first to admit – it’s a careful dance to not ambush your audience with tons of ads that end up closing them off to your message, and instead, build their interest over time.
That’s why it all starts with careful planning and creation.
By determining factors like audience profile, demographics, location, etc. we can then determine an estimated reach – another key media-mix metric.
We can then recommend an appropriate budget and begin developing the various ad creative – suited particularly for the individual platform and timing/seasonality.
What works in one location or time of year, won’t exactly work in another.
With a pulse on the historical data, latest trends, reach, and budget, we can also get a good idea of the ROI.
Our best outcomes for clients have always come from an integrated mix of channels.
Once a plan is in place, including the chosen platforms/channels, timing, and budget, it’s time to execute.
As an agency, it’s our job to work on our client’s behalf for the best rates and professional expertise. Whether it’s a local TV station, Facebook ads, or email marketing, we’re working to maximize the spend within each medium.
Other Considerations
Another important thing to consider when using a media mix strategy is where each customer is in the buying process. Some are being introduced to the brand for the first time, while others may have already visited the website multiple times.
This, again, effects the type of ad creative, copy, and timing of each ad; ensuring we’re taking the customer on a journey and not abruptly pushing products or services on them that don’t fill a need or interest.
By closely analyzing the results of each medium, and providing our clients with hard data, we can fine tune, adjust from cycle to cycle, and continue to make recommendations that enhance the overall strategy.
Here are some of our favorite paid media to intermix:
- Local television networks during primetime TV shows/events
- Digital streaming radio like Pandora
- Valpak coupons
- Direct mail
- Facebook ads
- Email marketing broadcasts
We’re curious – what channels have brought you the most success? Which ones didn’t? Which ones most interest you to try next? Let us know in the comments below!
If you need help creating your own marketing strategy that includes a media mix – get in touch! We’d love to see how we can show you the performance-driven difference.
-The R&A Team
