Options. They’re great, and come in many forms in the world of marketing. But when there are so many, it can get a little overwhelming and, well, confusing. What channels will serve your brand? And then, what content will perform well on those channels? We’re here to help answer these questions, by bringing you the top marketing channels for 2024.
The 5 Top Marketing Channels (and why)
Let’s get right to it. We’ve curated the most current and up-to-date list of the 5 top marketing channels below, with a little explainer as to why this is for each. Beginning with…
- Your Own Website. If you’re a brand, the first thing to create is your own domain. It’s as we just said, YOURS, and is one of the few channels that’s look, content, and feel is only dictated by YOU. Plus, if your customer doesn’t see it, they may struggle with trusting your brand’s credibility.
- Social Media. Over 60% of the global population are social media users (equating to a little over 5 billion people as of January this year). Talk about potential customer reach! In short, if your brand doesn’t have a social media presence, again, your customer may not only struggle to find you but also trust in your legitimacy.
- Nurture Emails. Did you know 1 in 3 marketers use email to engage with customers? From promoting your product, offering exclusive deals to your clients, or providing valuable info that’s relevant to their industry, nurture emails are a great way to foster relationship for the long-term.
- Blogs and Podcasts. This is a two-for-one! Whether your brand can tackle one or both of these, they are worthwhile. Currently, 77% of internet users globally read blogs, while the market value for podcasts is predicted to hit an impressive $30.3 billion in 2024 (up from $23.56 billion in 2023). Need we say more?
- Influencer Marketing. Consider this the new form of “word-of-mouth”. Online consumers find influencers both an inspiration as well as a source of trust. And to top it off, Statista reports the global influencer market has more than tripled since 2019, at a current whopping 24 billion US dollars. So, get those collaborations rolling!
Types of Content on These Channels
Ok, you’ve found the channels you want to navigate. But what sort of content performs best on them?
To begin, let’s start with the king of content: video. If you exist in this world at all, this fact probably won’t surprise you. Video has been making an ever-growing rise for some time now, and only continues in that direction. Currently, the most popular form of video is short-form, with up to 73% of consumers preferring it when learning about a product or service.
Next up is the oldest of content that’s been around for literally AGES. Text. Yep, you read that right. The old-fashioned written text will always be a solid form of communication, whether that be in blogs, emails, or video captions. And, as a reminder, search engines recognize text, so including as much relevant text in your content as possible will help boost your SEO.
Omni-channel Marketing or Not?
In a perfect world, your brand will be represented on as many platforms as possible. However, is it better to be consistently invested in just a few vs. inconsistent but present on several?
Opinions vary on this. But we believe consistency is always going to be key when building your brand. After all, inconsistency sparks distrust (or, at the very least, doubt), which is not going to help grow your audience. This is why we suggest taking a realistic view of your company’s capabilities when it comes to both creating and publishing content. A few good questions to consider when deciding this would be:
- What type of content do you need to post on your desired channels?
- How long and how much budget/effort will creating this content cost?
- Time-wise, what do you (or your team) have to devote to investing in these channels? If you’re a one-team-wonder, for example, time is a huge factor when it comes to your daily tasks.
At the end of the day, whatever channels you decide to invest in, it’s all about staying active and present within them, so customers not only can find you but also find that you’re currently doing business and available to them. As the old saying goes, “quality over quantity” any day.