When establishing your business, no one can deny the power of getting your message out… But what’s the best way to get your business or product out there? What’s the best media?

There are so many questions to ask…

…Should you stick to online advertising?

…Wow everyone with a website, blog, or newsletter?

…Maybe run catchy ads on local radio or television stations?

…What about employing a skywriter?

…Is a direct mail blast a good way reach customers who need to hear your message?

Which one should you choose?

Well, how about all of the above?

Ok, maybe all but one of those methods, but if you know a pilot who can skywrite, more power to you!

Dominating the market means reaching the masses via media, and you need to take advantage of every method available to reach the maximum number of targeted people.

Just as not every fish takes the same bait, not every person responds to the same media.

So much of the focus these days is on Internet marketing and advertising – and it is an essential media for dominating your market…

But what about traditional marketing?

For some reason, people seem to have forgotten about it…

As a strategic marketer, leveraging these “forgotten” channels means less competition for you – and more opportunity for profit.

Direct Mail

The common theory is that direct mail is dead.

But that theory is as false as thinking the world is flat.

Millward Brown did an entire study on direct mail and its effect on the brain.

Among its findings:

Material shown on cards generated more activity in the area of the brain associated with the integration of visual and spatial information (the left and right parietal).

This suggests that physical material is more “real” to the brain. It has a meaning and a place. It is better connected to memory because it engages with spatial memory networks.

Inside of The Predictable Profits Playbook, Denny Hatch of Target Marketing Magazine sums it up this way:

“Direct mail is very much alive. First off, the 18-34 age group prefers direct mail to ecommerce. For one reason, these folks spend a lot of time online and are sick to death of spam. For another, with ecommerce, you (the sender) are one mouse click away from oblivion.”

Hatch continues by pointing out the physical handling aspect:

“Direct mail requires physical handling. You may open it over the trashcan, but you must handle it. Third, a physical envelope – with screaming teasers – can be a lot more exciting than the little subject line in your inbox, which you could miss in a massive influx of spam. Fourth, direct mail is testable.”

Newspapers

Plenty has been said about the death of newspapers, and while that may be true to some degree (consumers do get a lot of news online these days, after all), there is still a huge role that newspapers play in the advertising world…

Even if fewer people are subscribing to newspapers today, the local daily is still out there.

They’re in the break room with the crossword puzzle ripped out…

They’re in the doctor’s office, where people thumb through while they wait (and wait and wait)…

They’re available in the local coffee shop, and plenty of people pick one up to enjoy while munching a bagel and drinking a mocha caramel latte…

The Newspaper Association of America shows 66 percent of adults over 35 have read a print newspaper within the past week, and 49 percent of adults 18-34 have… So, the audience is there.

Don’t just look at how many are sold. In the world of newspapers, there is a term known as “penetration” – basically, how many people see one copy of a newspaper.

A newspaper may only sell, say, 40,000 copies in a day, but if there’s a high penetration rate, 10 people see each copy, meaning 400,000 pairs of eyes are seeing your message…

Television

Putting out a TV ad seems like a lot of work, not to mention cost prohibitive… But even TV is an easier form of media than you think.

Your local TV station has a production crew who will help you create your own masterpiece.

That’s right, wrapped up in your ad costs, you can get your own professional production crew, as well as creative professionals who will help you form an ad and get your message sandwiched into an episode of “The Blacklist” in the best way possible.

The TV station will also help you by providing demographic numbers, so you can decide the best time to run your advertisement.

Here’s a hint: Local news shows are often highly rated and will reach a wide-ranging audience.

Radio

And what about radio? In this world of iPods/Sirius/Pandora, do people still listen to traditional radio?

The answer is, well, yes… A lot.

Fred Catona first marketed his website using only radio advertisements. It’s this little site known as Priceline.com.

Did it work?

Considering how Priceline is now one of the travel top sites out there, I’ll say it did.

“I have two responses to people who say radio is dead,” Catona said. “The first is that the proof is in the pudding. I’ve made people millions and billions using it, and still do every day, plus they’re building brands with radio.

“The second answer is more scientific. Radio has never changed. It occupies eight to nine percent of all budgets. Approximately 93 percent of all Americans listen to radio every week for 17 hours. It’s never changed and never will.”

Like the wide range that TV can reach, radio does the same – and radio can go hand in hand with your digital efforts.

A 2013 study by Commercial Australia showed:

• People were, on average, six times more likely to visit a company’s website if they hear a radio ad that makes mention of a brand’s digital component than those who didn’t hear the ad
• 78% of those who heard the ads took a form of digital activity within 24 hours
• Commercial radio generates more visits to a web page if the site is included in a commercial

Catona points out that radio and TV are the only two forms of media that reach everyone. They both cost little to nothing to consume, don’t require fancy gadgets, and are transmitted to thousands of outlets.

People listen to the radio while they’re driving, while they’re working in an office, while they’re working on a car, while they’re working out, while they’re cleaning the house, and while they’re at the beach.

You may think it’s a dead medium, but it’s consumed constantly by people from all walks of life…

True, this venture into radio probably won’t be cheap for most people (that is, for “most” who don’t understand media secrets like buying “remnant space”) – but that’s the case for a lot of available media.

So, in this hyper-connected world, it’s easy to only think of high-tech ways to get your message out there, but that’s not the way to reach the widest audience, or the way to reach all of your target prospects…

Diversifying your media means reaching your ideal audience in the places they prefer, and not leaving out potential customers because they choose not to use a certain type of media…

PLUS, our own experience has shown that when you combine more than one media (such as radio AND direct mail… or email AND direct mail), you receive more sales using BOTH together than you would using either individually.

Just another way to help you dominate your market…

In your corner,

Charlie