Which Marketing Channels Should You Be Using?

May 4

The more touchpoints you have, the better chance of converting your lead. Depending on your objectives, though, some marketing channels are probably better than others. Here’s a breakdown of a few of the most common ones.

1) Direct Mail

Most of our clients prefer direct mail to other channels because the respondents are already interested in the offer on your mailpiece. There are important things to consider with direct mail, including type of mailpiece, delivery speed, and cost, all of which can be adjusted to take your needs into consideration.

2) Outbound Calling

Outbound calling can be another good primary touchpoint, or it can serve as a great supplemental touchpoint to mailing. Our clients buy data to mail and then call on leads with phone numbers. Important things to consider here are DNC regulations and compliance, as well as effective scripts. It may also be worth looking into a third-party call center or internal agents to generate transfers for your team.

3) Email

The cost to email someone is very low, which makes this a good second or third (or fourth, or fifth) touchpoint if your data comes with emails already. If your data doesn’t come with emails, there are ways to obtain them, but purchasing email data can be costly compared to phone numbers or mailing addresses; the return on email doesn’t always justify the cost. Definitely worth testing, but make sure to do an ROI analysis.

4) Social Media

This is a great complementary touchpoint as it gets your name in front of your lead over and over again. This can help to increase the effectiveness of other channels of marketing (such as mail or outbound calling). The one drawback of social media marketing is that it requires constant management to be done well. It’s often worthwhile to partner with a company for this and keep your team’s focus on selling.

5) SMS Messaging

This channel requires a double opt-in to be compliant. What that means is 1) the lead must express interest in receiving a message and 2) the first message you send them should ask them to respond “yes” to receive messages. Depending on the type of marketing you are doing, the first opt-in may be difficult to achieve. However, this can be a great option as you work with them through your sales cycle.