The multi-million-dollar Superbowl ads, that dreamy travel blog, the "ear worm" jingle on the radio or TV, the bouncy mascot at the game, or the tempting special your favourite restaurant posts on their social media... Advertising is hard to miss, but what we often don’t see is the rest of marketing that went into it.
You can study the history of advertising, or you can just walk down a busy city street, and see that there has never been so many ways to advertise. As the methods continue to multiply, the marketing fundamentals have remained, well, fundamental. The foundation. These principals have staying power because they continue to prove their worth, make the most of marketing budgets, and help brands achieve their objectives.
Knowledge is power, so the Diagnosis or Discovery phase comes first. What is the company about, how did it begin, has it evolved from what it started as... there are a variety of questions that might be asked, but they’re all designed to help a marketing team gain a comprehensive understanding of the organization they’re there to help.
All this research leads to the Strategy. This includes identifying the target market and their buying practices, as well as the Unique Selling Proposition (USP) or what makes your company stand out to your target customer. The Strategy also includes the measurement you’ll use to know you’re reaching your marketing goals.
These first two steps guide the tactics you’ll choose to communicate your USP to your target market. This is often a combination of channels. An integrated-marketing campaign like this is designed to reach potential customers at different stages along the buying journey.
Here’s an example of how layers of different types of advertising can work:
Claire often hears Green & Growing Landscaping’s ad on the radio as she drives home from work each day. A few months later she comes upon their attractive and interesting booth at a local spring home show. Because she’s already somewhat familiar with the company through their radio ads, Claire is comfortable providing her email address to enter a draw. Now she’s receiving their newsletter and is quick to follow them on social media where Green & Growing regularly posts landscaping tips suited specifically for the area Claire lives. When the company advertises their Tidy Up for Fall landscaping special, which they promote through radio, their direct email marketing, and their social media channels, Claire is quick to jump at the offer.
Before they set the wheels into motion for any of this, Green & Growing had first identified their place in the market, who they were trying to reach with their messaging, and some effective ways to do that.
Ideally, you can use a combination of advertising channels, and today there is certainly no shortage of choices. But even with the very newest modern methods of advertising, successful marketing is still built on the same foundation—those fundamentals that are fundamental for good reason.
Ready to get started? If you’d like some help putting these proven marketing fundamentals to work, connect with our team today.
