What’s A Good Media Mix?
by Noah & Tori Taylor
First off, let’s define what a media mix is and why you would want one. A media mix, by definition, is a combination of advertising mediums used in meeting the promotional objectives of a marketing plan or campaign. I like to think of a media mix as a recipe. One definition of a recipe, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “a formula or procedure for doing or attaining something” (a recipe for success). A media mix is a recipe that includes a combination of varying amounts of individual ingredients or advertising mediums and vehicles to achieve a set of marketing objectives or a campaign.
The objectives or goals have to be clearly defined to be able to put your media mix together. For example, if you were going to make chicken fajitas, (this would be your clearly defined goal) you would need vegetables, chicken, and seasonings. First, you would need to sauté the vegetables, than the meat, after which you add the seasonings and let it all simmer in the same skillet for a while and then you have created chicken fajitas (objective).
You may be asking yourself,”What are the ingredients that are going to make my marketing a delicacy instead of a flop?”
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There are so many ingredients when it comes to marketing with variations upon variations. Below I have listed (on a broader scale) the ingredients that are most commonly used; * In order from least expensive to most.
Word of Mouth/ Referrals: Customer referrals are great for several reasons most of all because they are free and secondly because it is a testimonial of your hard work. However, many businesses rely solely on word of mouth and although this is a great form of advertising they must ask themselves “What words and in whose mouths?”
Social Networking: Websites like MySpace and Facebook are fast becoming powerful marketing tools due to the fact that they are now attracting an older audience to compliment their already younger one. Social networking has created new ways to communicate and share information amongst all ages.
Search Engine Optimization/Usability: Over 80% of consumers and businesses used a search engine to find what they were looking for last month. Are you ranked on the 1st page? If you are optimizing your web site to get those first page rankings don’t waste your efforts with a cumbersome site. Website usability is just as important as optimization. By enhancing the consumer experience on your website you will significantly increase your conversion rates. Click on the coupon on the front page of this newsletter for your free website analysis or call us right now at 866-589-9201.
Print: Print media consistently outperforms other media in terms of advertising. For that reason, for most every product or service it should be a consideration. Print comes in many forms. Consider the target audience of the publication or print vehicle to determine if this is the audience you want to reach.
Newspapers: Newspaper circulations have been experiencing steady declines for years now. As mentioned above with print you must consider your target audience. Newspapers tend to attract a much older audience. People pick up a newspaper for the news not the ads so, if you are going to run an ad in a newspaper make sure it is an event such as a three day sale or something that is timely and with a strong call to action.
Direct Mail: Direct mail should be the workhorse for any marketing campaign. It can be expensive so you have to weigh that out but the return is typically the highest as well. Direct mail comes in many different forms, shapes and sizes including letters, post cards, and other material sent through the US Postal Service.
Radio: If you have an event or sale coming up, radio is a great way to announce it to your market quickly, at one time, even on the day of the event. Appearing on a radio program will also get the public thinking about you as an industry expert. Technology has created challenges for radio such as mp3's, iPods and satellite radio; it's tough to get a large enough audience. Radio is the theater of the mind so the commercials have to be very creative.
Television: Reaching the public with sound and pictures gives you credibility quickly. However, like radio, the consumer has the ability to "channel change" during commercial time or skip commercials altogether with DVR. Still, for products that are very expensive or beautiful to look at, it should be a consideration. However, don’t buy the leftovers. TV and Cable reps are notorious for selling you what they need to sell not necessarily what you need.
When combining the right ingredients with the proper measurements you can create a five-star marketing masterpiece. On the other hand if you are off on any of the above mentioned instructions your efforts might go completely unnoticed.
After finding the perfect recipe for success it is important to execute it correctly. The right timing, with as many stirs as needed (frequency), and remembering to always use fresh ingredients will ensure that proper execution. With timing, it is crucial to remember your product's sales cycle and understand that you are not the consumer’s first priority. You do want to be who they remember when they are in the market for your product or service and depending on your price or product this could mean a longer cooking time (ramp up time). Stirring (frequency) may seem repetitious and pointless but serves an important function. It allows you to create a want for your product or service by constantly pushing. Lastly, fresh ingredients such as fresh and creative ads and with strong calls to action will complete your recipe.
More seasoned chefs know that in cooking it is not all about reading a recipe out of a cook book; sometimes you must season to taste.
This gives the chef the opportunity to make a more necessary ingredient changes for better results. Performing a taste test in marketing is not impossible. If you know how to track and measure your results you can change your cooking time, how long you need to stir, add ingredients, or when it might be a good time to throw it out and start over. TNT Marketing has developed a proprietary tracking system that can do all of these things and much more. Your marketing is no longer a guessing game.
If this sounds like a lot to remember and execute, the chefs at TNT Marketing and Design are ready to get in your kitchen. Call us at 866-589-9201
