Inlast week’s blogpost I talked about what media mixing is and why you should be doing it. This week, let’s dive into how to go about it.
Though I’ll break it down more as we go, the KEY to determining the right mix of media is to think about who it is you’re trying to reach and uncover how they like to get their information. There is NO sense spending money on the wrong channels and sending your message/offer where no one will pay attention to them.
It’s a Customer-Centric Strategy
When you start to think about whether you should use OOH, TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, email, social media, or mobile, make sure you know which channels will be the best at getting your target audience’s attention.
Stop Asking the Wrong Questions
So often our clients will ask questions like, “Should we advertise on Facebook?” or “How much ad spend should we put toward inserts?” These are the wrong questions to ask. The most important questions to ask yourself before developing a mixed media campaign are:
- Who is my target audience?
- Where do they go to get information?
- Where are they in your sales funnel?
- What time of day are they most available to hear your message and take action?
Discovering these answers will make the difference between a campaign flop and a campaign homerun. At the end of the day, you shouldn’t want to use a channel because it’s the new media darling; you should use a channel because it will reach the right people at the right time with the right message.
Understand Human Behavior in General
While it is evident that consumer behavior can and does change over time, it doesn’t necessarily change that fast or that much.
Case in point: David Ogilvy made a name for himself as a master of print advertising during the heyday of radio and TV. While most people were touting the benefits of these newer, shiner channels, Ogilvy successfully launched print campaigns for brands like Dove, Rolls-Royce, and Shell, and he became a legend in the process.
The same trends are happening today. While social media and mobile are getting more and more attention, consumers have adopted these new trends slowly. Plenty of consumers still read print publications and use desktops.
The moral of the story is, always consider new trends that come along, but don’t neglect those prospects who are slower to adopt them. Reach out to them the “old fashioned” way and be handsomely rewarded.
Mind Your Business
When it comes to taking the advice of advertising experts – us included – you should take lessons with a grain of salt. Just because Moz publishes a case study about their latest success with search engine optimization (SEO) tactics, doesn’t mean your company will be successful with SEO. Why? Because you most likely have a different target audience and different messaging.
By all means, take a look around to see what’s working for others – particularly your own competition – and listen to what the experts have to say, this will definitely expose you to possible channels and strategies.
But ALWAYS understand that your business is unique and what really matters is engaging your customers and prospects in a way that is effective.
Test
Focus groups and marketing gurus are helpful, in theory, but the only way to tell what media will work for your business is to test the waters. It’s always a good idea to use a 10% - 20% of your marketing budget to run exploratory campaigns to determine if a channel you suspect will be effective, will be. Never roll out a new mixed media campaign without testing small first. This is the only way to safely determine if a new media will capture your audience’s attention.
Understand the Rules
Once you’ve determined your target audience and which channels they prefer to receive information, you’ve got to clearly understand the rules of those selected channels. For instance, you don’t run a Facebook ad campaign in the same way you run a direct mail campaign, and vice versa.
Before you launch, study your channels and know how best to leverage each platform. Your ultimate goal is to adapt your messaging to what your audience expects on each different channel.
Embrace a Long Game Approach
You should think of each separate channel as your short game and your overall integrated multi-channel campaigns as your long game. Though delivering messaging across a range of channels is more effective, it takes time to select the right channels and strategies, test them, tweak them and roll them out. Remember - have patience. You won’t see results overnight.
If you follow these rules, you will see success. Just make sure your overall message and brand image is recognizable over all channels so your audience can recognize you.
Now get mixing.
