In a world with hundreds of channels and thousands of websites, how does anyone ever decide on any single entertainment option? Marketers endure the same dilemma in establishing communication with their marketplace. Marketing campaigns have innumerable options to connect with influencers, prospects, and customers. Determining who to talk to first is just as important as what to stay. So much media, such limited budget! Consequently, the marketer’s key question is, “Which communication channel delivers the best revenue results?”. Setting priorities is a great strategy, deciding the best path to maximize value is much, much trickier.

Connection
Tactically, connecting with a designated target audience is a proven first step. Realize that connecting requires two-way communication. For instance, readers accept information in written form. Alternatively, talkers thrive in interpersonal exchanges and best receive information verbally. Something as simple as understanding the specific industry’s acronyms and buzz words can dictate effective communication. Regardless of what media a marketer uses, successful communication depends on the listener being able to receive information in the same manner the speaker delivers.

However, connection gets harder when communicating a similar message across multiple media. Explaining superior benefits during a sales call is much different than on an Instagram video. A message as straightforward as communicating pricing can easily be received much differently across any two channels. The message must be consistent with the connection to create the right emotional bond so that both facts and credibility transfer from the speaker to the receiver. Benefits may be universal, but messaging gets very specific regarding prospects. Connection demands sending information such that it is received properly.

Value
Superior communication helps transform followers into prospects. Nevertheless, business only happens upon transitioning prospects to customers. Value dictates this step. Superior marketing uses various communication channels to ensure that the journey concludes with a mutually satisfying deal. Fundamentally, every customer wants more satisfaction from their purchase, than they would have enjoyed had they spent their money elsewhere. Whether acquiring commercial raw materials or personal luxury items, the value comes down to doing better because of the purchase, instead of holding onto the money. Consequently, the seller must input as much utility into the product or service as possible.

Superior marketing establishes terms so that sellers benefit from that dynamic. The multi-media component means that consistent, or at least complimentary, messaging resonates across airwaves, through websites, and via influencers so that diverse buyers can emotionally justify buying. Marketing across various media works best when consistent themes inspire specific audiences to extract individual benefits. Communicating exclusivity appeals to a specific target market regardless of the media. That customer simply wants to be satisfied that they have something that most people do not. This target, regardless of marketing channel, wishes to buy obvious evidence of their superiority.

Takeaway
Regarding successful marketing strategies, what gets targeted first: followers, customers, or values? The specific target audience depends on how effectively the seller can communicate with them. Any marketer who answers the question, “Who is my target customer?”, with the answer, “Everyone”, fundamentally loses! Multi-media marketing helps solve that riddle. The target customer is no longer a person, it is a mindset. The magic is in the message and how it reaches the individual. Marketers that communicate consistent attributes to an audience who clearly hears what they personally find attractive will succeed. Consequently, effective messaging uses superior storytelling so that each customer hears exactly what they want. Then, they are willing to buy.

By Glenn W Hunter
Managing Director of Hunter And Beyond, LLC