In the early days of Internet marketing, there weren’t that many channels for a small business to use for getting the word out about their business. Most businesses had a website. There were directories where those websites could be listed. There were a few primitive forms of search engines. And their were places where business owners could go to publish their articles. They were often called article directories. Then there were web rings and a few ways of advertising your website in hopes of driving traffic to it.
Eventually, pay-per-click advertising came along. People started blogging. Then forums morphed into social media. YouTube came along and provided a way for marketers to develop their YouTube video channels. Podcasting took off. Now, we’re seeing the emergence of mobile marketing in a variety of ways.
What does all of this mean for the online marketer in 2016? First and foremost, it means that online marketing isn’t linear.
Why You Need Multiple Marketing Channels
Not everyone thinks the same way. Not every method of communication appeals to every type of customer. Some people are visual learner and others are audible learners. Different marketing channels appeal to different types of people based on their learning styles.
That’s why every online marketer needs multiple marketing channels.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that you need to use every marketing channel at your disposal. Some of these channels might not be suited to your style as a business owner or to your audience. Sharing your fishing tips, for instance, might work better on video where you can take a camera out on the boat with you and talk into the camera than podcasting where you just talk into a microphone. But I’m no ace fisher, so I might be wrong. It’s worth taking a look at, though.
Bottom line: Multiple marketing channels allow you to reach different audiences in different ways.
How to Develop Multiple Marketing Channels
It’s easier to develop one marketing channel at a time. Maybe you can do two or three, but if you try to tackle too much at one time, you won’t do anything well. So I recommend picking one or two channels and focusing on developing the best content for those that you can. After the first year, add a third channel. By then, the content on your first two channels should have enough traction working in their favor that you can easily add the third channel without sacrificing quality on the first two.
After you’ve managed three channels for a while, add the fourth. When you max out on your personal production, hire someone to cover down on the channels where you have the most development before you try to add new channels. Follow this development protocol:
- Develop a new channel
- Delegate to a staffer, or outsource, a developed channel
- Execute and tweak
