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The emerging trend in marketing has roots in traditional marketing but has evolved with the rise of web-based marketing. It’s called “cross-platform” marketing, which is simply integrated marketing over a variety of outlets. However, coordinating an effective cross-platform marketing campaign is not so simple.
If you have a product or business that appeals to a variety of people in different demographics, placing the same message on separate outlets is probably not the best solution. For instance, targeting Facebook and Twitter users would connect with the 18-45 year old demographic while traditional print marketing in a newspaper would be geared toward an older audience. To reach your potential customer bases, the marketing message needs to be shaped to fit the medium.
For instance, a couple of years ago, Pepsi gained a ton of press and brand-awareness in its Pepsi Refresh campaign. The social media centered campaign allowed the public to vote for individuals, businesses and non-profits who had a positive impact in the community to receive part of a $20 million grant. Meanwhile, Pepsi continued its traditional marketing efforts (albeit pulling out of Super Bowl advertising that year) to continue directing its brand awareness to audiences who would most likely not take part in the Refresh campaign.
Another example: Yahoo! Fantasy Football caters to nearly six million fans across mobile, tablets, personal computers and internet-connected televisions. Yahoo! created a connection with users while picking up major sponsors who are benefitting from the fans who use one or more of the technologies to follow their fantasy team.
Ok, your business may not be as large as Pepsi or Yahoo!, but the importance of marketing your brand with effective content across different platforms is still relevant. While you can’t be everywhere all at once, you can deliver your brand to a lot of eyeballs at once, using social media, email marketing and guest blogging/posting/article writing.
The ABC’s to follow as you begin to develop your cross-marketing campaign:
- Aspiration: Why spread your brand across multiple platforms? Do you want to build name recognition? Do you want to connect or reconnect to a segment of customers? Do you want to introduce a new product or service? Defining the objectives is the first step in launching a successful campaign.
- Budget: You may have outstanding promotional ideas and a plethora of advertising and marketing opportunities...but if you’re unable to afford it, you’re looking at not only wasting time and effort, but possibly money if your cash is spent on the wrong focus.
- Customers: Know your audience and know what message will connect to that demographic. Determining the profile of your customer and capturing the right voice for the platform you’re using to connect with them will help shape your message.
You’ve probably tried everything from A-to-Z in marketing and advertising to be “heard above the roar.” Today’s technologies allow you several options to be loud and today’s lifestyles dictate that the best place to start is online.
DBS>Interactive understands the online world like no other marketing business. Recognizing the appropriate platforms to market your brand and executing a campaign to aim the message to the target audience can build your business or enhance your reputation in ways the traditional marketing efforts will never touch. Contact us and let’s work together to spread the word about your business.
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