Deciding what platforms are best for your target market
By Brad Buchanan – COO Prime Creative Media
Across the planet, the average person spends 492 minutes a day* consuming media. That’s more than eight hours surfing the net, watching television, reading magazines and newspapers, and checking email.
Never before in human history have we consumed media at this rate. For companies searching for ways to engage with their future customers, this presents remarkable challenges – and exciting opportunities.
Media consumption is no longer a clear-cut road. How people engage with media is impacted by a host of factors outside of your control: job title, personality type, education level, age range, and more. These are very personal factors that can’t be grouped or generalised in a marketing strategy.
While some people will prefer one medium, most will consume media across multiple platforms. The latest Deloitte Media Consumer Survey found that “consumers are maintaining a balanced digital diet. While they are embracing digital content consumers have not entirely forgone non-digital media.”
By choosing only one media platform, companies are limiting their market reach and customer acquisition effectiveness. Even more critical, they are losing out on the opportunity to reach one contact multiple times, decreasing their chance of a future sale.
The answer, then, of where to spend marketing dollars is fairly simple: invest in multiple platforms. Create content and display advertising campaigns that incorporate several trusted platforms in your target market.
This multi-platform approach allows you to capture the attention of potential buyers in a variety of ways, a variety of places, no matter their age, personality or job function.
Next, it’s time to apply an effective marketing strategy. Create clear, well-crafted messages in print, video, images, creative executions, white papers etc., communicating consistently across multiple platforms, targeted at frequent engagement with the market. Use the same consistent message to engage with your audience in different ways, at different times, on different media platforms.
By casting a wide net with a multi-platform approach to a highly targeted audience, marketing managers can be confident they are hitting the mark.
*Media Consumption Forecasts, ZenithOptimedia