In the previous two postings,I’ve explored and shared Mike Mitchell’s distribution/marketing channel info-graphics, showing the potential pathways form building supply and technology originator to the end-user in business-to-business and business-to-consumer marketplaces. However, the story here may be a bit more complex, especially if you define “marketing channel” more broadly to encompass all of the vehicles you can use to market your business.
David Sealey has provided a list of more than 40 channels in google docs format in the BIG list of today’s marketing channels.?
The challenge is deciding which channels to pursue and emphasise, because you could spend countless hours (and huge budgets) directing resources where they won’t do much good. You can use market research, of course, to look into either consumers’ or intermediaries’ priorities. I think this research is vital before you spend significant sums of money on any budget-intensive marketing (such as major advertising campaigns).
An interesting thought behind Sealey’s list are the marketing channels that cover several activities simultaneously. “Door to doors” (canvasssing?) incorporates advertising, service, transactional and delivery simultaneously, as do microsites, partner sales, mobile apps, and street vendors. These multi-faceted marketing elements come at a cost (you know what I think about canvassing) or might be meaningless if your market hasn’t adapted or reached the stage of implementing them (mobile and tablet apps might be ‘cool’ but are useless unless your customers — or at least relevant people in your marketing channels — are connected.
This list, nevertheless, may be thought-provoking to give you some ideas about marketing options you have not considered, or perhaps over-weighed. Please feel free to share your own thoughts in a comment or email to me at buckshon@constructionmarketingideas.com.
