In today’s technologically driven marketplace, the customer’s path-to-purchase features multimedia as consumers research the best options on where to spend their hard-earned money.
This process includes consumers actively gathering information about a product or service of interest including comparing prices, reading reviews, researching brands, and more before deciding to make a purchase. GE Capital Retail Bank estimates that 81% of retail shoppers research products before making a purchase.
This is no passing fad related to the pandemic. Inflation and an overwhelming amount of choice contribute to shoppers’ careful decision making.
Further, for consumers this path-to-purchase includes multimedia including print and digital advertising, social media, search, review and recommendation platforms, retail and manufacturers’ websites, e-commerce sites, and more.
There’s a whole lotta research going on about the products and services you sell.
To compete and be successful in this business environment, its important to develop a marketing and advertising strategy that includes touchpoints with these consumers throughout their multimedia buying process. Building awareness and trust throughout the journey is critical to being within the consideration set of consumers when they’re ready to buy.
As you develop your multimedia marketing plan it is important to recognize that all digital marketing tactics are not alike. You can optimize your marketing investment by recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of each tactic and incorporating them into your marketing mix appropriately. Matching tactics to your business goals is important to success.
Albert Einstein is often credited with the quote, “If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” What works for Einstein’s fish is also applicable to media tactics–utilize each for what it is designed to do.
Here is a customer journey map including some of the media most appropriate by purchase stage:
Here are some examples of various components of a multimedia marketing mix and how each tactic might be best utilized in your mix in relation to the customer journey:
- Print Display and Digital Display Advertising: Display advertising is most effective during the awareness stage of the customer journey, as it excels at creating broad brand recognition and introducing potential customers to a product or service for the first time, thanks to its ability to capture attention and communicate value.
- Social Media Marketing: Is most effective during the awareness and consideration stages of the customer journey as it excels at introducing a brand to potential customers, building brand recognition, and generating interest through engaging visuals and targeted messaging across various social platforms.
- Search Advertising: Is most effective during the consideration stage of the customer journey as this is when potential customers are actively searching and comparing different options, making them highly receptive to targeted search ads that directly address their specific queries and needs.
- Email Marketing: Works in multiple stages of the customer journey including the awareness stage where it is suited to introduce your brand and products to new prospects and make a memorable first impression. It is also ideally situated in the retention stage of the customer journey where it works to keep customers engaged with your brand after they’ve made a purchase. You can send emails with product recommendations, tutorials, and cross-sell other items.
- Review and Recommendation Sites: Customer reviews are most impactful during the consideration stage of the customer journey as this is when potential buyers are actively researching and comparing options, relying heavily on reviews from other customers to make an informed decision.
- Newsletters: Newsletters are most effective in the retention and advocacy stages of the customer journey as they are ideally designed to reinforce the sale by maintaining ongoing contact with customers on a regular schedule.
- Content Marketing: Content marketing is an inbound marketing tactic that involves creating and distributing online content. Content marketing can include blog posts, social media posts, and video content on YouTube, among others. A content marketing tactic works well in all phases of the customer journey by attracting, engaging, informing, and converting potential customers.
These are just a few examples of marketing tactics and their potential position in the customer journey and your multimedia marketing mix.
Ongoing measurement of the performance of your multimedia marketing strategy is critically important to ensure optimization of your marketing investment and alignment with your company goals. As you undertake this evaluation it is important to be mindful to measure the effectiveness of each component of your mix based on the job it is designed to do. Don’t measure fish on their ability to climb trees. Click here for a helpful post on measuring the effectiveness of your strategy.
Sentinel Solutions understand multimedia marketing and how to align various tactics into a comprehensive campaign that positions your business to engage with consumers all along their path-to-purchase. We can develop a custom and integrated multimedia marketing program to help your business grow.
Give us a call if we can help at 603-352-5896 or e-mail to Advertising@SentinelDigitalSolutions.com. We’re here to help you succeed.
Additional Resources:
- Understanding The Customer Journey Toward Business Success.
- Can Marketing Analytics Help Your Local Business Succeed?
- Why Does Your Local Business Need a Strong Digital Presence?
- What Does Your Local Business Need to Know about Social Posts and Social Advertising?
- What is the Difference Between Brand and Sales Advertising?
