Here’s an updated list of essential marketing channels for 2024 that are both effective and economical:
Email marketing
Email marketing can often take a backseat, but this powerful tool, when utilized effectively, can have a huge impact on your bottom line, making it our number 1 marketing channel for small businesses and startups.
It’s so effective that it can drive a 4,200% increase in ROI, generating $42 for every $1 spent.
When you actively encourage your customers, followers and clients to sign up to your mailing list, you can nurture them directly, turning them from strangers into loyal customers.
Email marketing platforms allow you to personalize emails, tailoring them to both the individual, and their interests using segmentation, and you can utilize this even before you have a full website, through a landing page.
A great way to gain mailing list subscribers is to offer an incentive. This could be a valuable free download (like a checklist or worksheet) or discount code for your store.
Once you have subscribers, make sure to check in with them regularly and provide value to their inbox.
Inspired by: The Hustle newsletter by Hubspot.
Website
Your website is the digital home of your business.
By making it inviting, easy to navigate and thoughtfully designed for conversion, your website can generate sales, leads, and customers again and again.
Your website will often be one of the first places a customer or client will find you if you’ve implemented strong SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and once they’re there, your website needs to work hard to keep them there and convert them into customers.
House your products and services via an online shop, showcase your skills through a portfolio or testimonials, and build awareness of your brand voice, message and values through quality design and copywriting.
It’s important to make your website as accessible and user friendly as possible if you want to generate conversion and position your company as an expert within your field.
Invest in quality web design and on each page, focus on one single CTA (Call To Action) to help guide the viewer through the journey you want them to take, as simply as possible.
Inspired by: Click-up’s website.
Content Marketing
Content is highly effective at increasing awareness of your business, but it’s not a direct sales tool.
It may seem counterintuitive to create work that doesn’t directly ask for a sale, but this type of marketing generates something different; engagement, loyalty, and trust; by placing your business into the life of its target audience to solve a pain point.
There are many types of content marketing to choose from, including:
- Video content like YouTube
- Article writing via an online blog
- Audio content through a podcast
- Books and products related to your audience’s lifestyle
And more. But most importantly, content marketing allows you to tap into a wider market and bring more eyes to your business through experiential, indirect advertising.
You may be familiar with the Michelin Star haute-cuisine scoring system. But you may not know that this was created as a content marketing piece by Michelin Tyres, the auto tyre manufacturer.
They understood that their customers enjoyed driving their cars, and the finer experiences in life. So, they created the Michelin Guide to give their customers a reason to put their tyres to good use, by driving to restaurants for “food worth driving for”.
Content marketing expands your business into a lifestyle. What interests that your target audience enjoys can be linked to what your business sells?
Inspired by: Semrush’s content marketing strategy.
Social Media
Of course, social media had to make our list. As a mostly free tool (outside of paid advertisement), these online marketing channels can skyrocket your small business or startup.
With over 3.6 billion active users (according to Statista) across multiple social media platforms, this can be one of the most powerful tools to utilize.
Our advice when starting out with social media marketing is to start small, and expand over time, choosing one platform and creating consistent, valuable content.
Consider your target market: where do they spend their time online? Each platform has a user base made up of different demographics, so knowing where they are will help you choose the platform your business will do best on.
Social media marketing allows your customers to understand your business in real-time. You can show them the behind the scenes, the team, and bring them in on your journey to generate a connection.
Plus, you can have quicker, reactive conversations using direct mail tools within each platform.
Invest in quality social media graphic design that complements your website and other marketing efforts, and create a mixture of entertaining, educational, and conversion content.
Inspired by: Zoom’s social media strategy on TikTok.
Guerilla Marketing
Marketing can take place in unconventional ways, too.
You just need to think outside the box like water brand Fuji did at the Golden Globes. They sent a model onto the red carpet to ‘photobomb’ the celebrities, resulting in their product being photographed countless times, generating online buzz and huge amounts of press coverage.
What can you do offline, to generate engagement online, and get people excited about what you have to offer?
Inspired by: L’Oréal Paris reality-bending campaign.
Bonus tip: Leveraging Quality Design
In today’s digital marketplace, quality design is crucial. It enhances communication, user experience, and brand differentiation. Effective design across websites, email campaigns, or social media enhances professionalism and credibility, fostering trust and customer engagement.
Apple Inc. is a prime example of leveraging exceptional design. Their focus on simplicity, functionality, and elegance is evident across all products and marketing materials. From their intuitive website to sleek product designs and minimalist advertisements, Apple creates a seamless user experience that embodies quality and innovation. This commitment to design excellence helps Apple maintain its leadership in technology, attracting a loyal customer base
Inspired by: Apple products.
Are you ready to give this list of marketing channels a try? Once you’ve got yours, quality and consistent designs will elevate your business from your competitors. If you need guidance to design your online marketing assets or website, check Design Force’s services, we can help you with your on-demand design needs to boost your marketing campaigns with quality designs.
