How to Use the 19 Marketing Channels for Your Small Business

*NOTE: articles are posted to?SCALING:lab?three days before they go live here. Become a member to get support for your business sooner.*

Social Media has become a dominant force in our lives. We look to it for shopping, community, event planning, sharing life's milestones, and more. It's no wonder that small business owners default to thinking of it as their main marketing channel. But should it be??

The 19 Marketing Channels

There are nineteen marketing channels available to businesses. How many of them have you used? I guess only a few, and you likely didn't consider some of them as marketing channels. That means you probably didn't set up a system to track metrics like engagement and lead generation for them.?

I just completed an entire 21-episode series about the 19 marketing channels?on TikTok. Head on over to my profile to have an in-depth look at what they are and how you might use them in your business.?

Let's take a brief look at them here, listed in no particular order. We'll then dive into how to choose which works for you and how to measure success as you test them in your business.

1. Social Media

Let's just get this one out of the way. Social media includes all platforms but can mean anything from posting content to re-posting from other sources. I'm a huge fan of repurposing content, so I do suggest including social media in your plan?somewhere. However, you should consider where your target market is and how they use those platforms. No shotgun approaches, please.

2. Offline Ads

Billboards, posters, fliers in the coffee shop, magazines, and newspapers. Offline ads are still a powerful and targeted tool for those who are super clear on who their target market is and how they spend their time. If you're not sure, you may want to check out my free?Magnetic Brand Messaging Course?before moving forward with any marketing at all.

3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

I'm sure you heard about this ad nauseum when you were building your website. But SEO is not a one-and-done marketing tool. Staying updated with the latest search engine trends as well as trending keywords for your target market could be the difference between your search engine visibility and your competitor's. Take a look at my?Marketing Master List?for tools to help with this.

4. Blogging

Why, hello, thing I'm doing right now. ?? Blogging is a great tool to help with your SEO as well as provide deep value to your customers. A strong blog with regular posts also provides a reliable source for leads to look to for support or education, and a regular reason to send an email newsletter. Highly recommended.

5. Email Marketing

That's the email newsletter, baby! You may also use email marketing to send an invitation to a store sale, event invitation, company update, and more. Most marketing professionals suggest you build an email marketing list, and I agree. Social media might be fickle, but your email list is?yours. Not sure how to build your list? Come on over to?SCALING:lab?to learn how!

6. Viral Marketing

Don't we all want this? Thousands of people flooding our product or service because they are so enthused about it. You won't get this done without deep clarity about your target market, because you need to offer them something they want in exchange for sharing your offering. My favorite example is the early days of DropBox: you got extra space for each signup you brought via your invite link. Viral marketing and affiliate marketing can go hand-in-hand, the difference being viral marketing is a call to action to compound sharing. More on affiliate marketing in a moment...

7. Engineering as Marketing

Have a tool that you already use and your target market needs? Make it free and let your target market have access — in exchange for their email or other contact information. Done right, engineering as marketing is a fantastic lead qualifier. HubSpot is a perfect example. You get free marketing tools, and they get deep information about your business to understand if you're big enough for their paid products (and when to market them to you).

8. Trade Shows

Trade shows aren't just for physical products or corporations. It's likely there's a trade show for your target market and they're looking for you! My advice is to have a good plan if you're going to invest in a booth. Plan an after-hours get-together. Have an employee move about the space with swag while you stay at the booth. Consider what swag will be a powerful reminder to your target market that you exist once they get home (ie. a flier will only go in the trash but a reusable bag gets, well, used). Trade shows are also fabulous for a new company or product launch.

9. Business Development

This is what I call "strategic partnerships" and that is what?SCALING:lab?is all about. A place where you can reach out and network with fellow small business owners who have their sights on multiple income channels alongside more freedom. The key here is to find business owners who have your same target market, but who don't serve them in exactly the same way you do. That way, your services complement each other, and you can share the burden of marketing. Genius!

10. Sales

I've heard a lot of business owners say they hate cold calling, but it sure works. These days, we can use AI and Bots to do some of the initial work for us (see my?AI App Master List?for the tools I trust). If you feel like your pipeline just isn't full enough, it's time for you to learn sales.

11. Affiliate Marketing

I love affiliate links. It's a wonderful opportunity to both share a product you believe in and make money in your sleep. Affiliate marketing works well in combination with a community, course, newsletter, blog, and even podcast. If you are sharing any product, from your favorite app to a book that changed your life, look to see if you can sign up to be an affiliate, first. Amazon is an easy place to start. My favorite app affiliate marketplace is?PartnerStack. It's easy to use and quick to set up!

12. Existing Platforms

This one is rather niche, but hear me out. You can create a free custom app for Facebook, Google, and even Apple that provides a freemium service that leads to your business. You could even develop a Chrome extension. It could also be as simple as creating a profile picture overlay on Facebook that says your tagline or shows your logo. This works well with either Engineering as Marketing or Communities.

13. Community

Building a community can be as simple as opening a Facebook group centered around your product / service or providing targeted support to your customers. Think hard about this, however. There are enough dead communities on the web that the planning stage should not be taken lightly. Remember, you're building a marketing campaign — don't just open a Facebook group and call it done.

14. Unconventional Publicity

Also known as publicity stunts. This is where things can get a bit wild and crazy, like leaving a giant ice sculpture at the entry of South By Southwest when they won't accept you as a vendor. This is a great option if you have a new product launching because it draws attention and buzz.

15. Guest Blogging

Some of the bigger blog sites, like Inc. or Forbes, accept guest writers to help them maintain a high-traffic draw. This could provide you with an extra pipeline and deeper access to your target market. Start with analysis — do they have access to your target market? Is the time investment worth it?

16. Press

When was the last time you issued a press release? If you replied "never" then it's time to reconsider. The press is your friend. In fact, you should go out and meet your local press, now, before you need them. Freaking out about the prospect of writing a press release??I wrote an entire guide and template just for you.

17. Speaking

I heavily invest in the speaking circuit. My recent keynote speech (a month ago in Italy) had 1,500 live attendees, not to mention those who will see the recording. That's a huge splash into a new group of people! Be sure to be clear on your call to action. A nice speech is just a nice speech until you ask them to join you —?then?it's measurable marketing. PS — podcasting falls under this category!

18. Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

I know what you're thinking — what's the difference between SEM and SEO? I've gotchu. SEO is what is on your website. It's keyword-based and content driven. SEM leverages that keyword research to place ads on Google and other search engines in order to put you above the organic search results. By the way, YouTube is owned by Google and is the second-largest search engine in the world. They're a great option, too!

19. Online Ads

Not sure you want to run ads on Google but you definitely want to run online ads? This is where banners and retargeting ads on social media come in. Though a little bit creepy, they work. If you'll be running ads on other people's websites, make sure they have big access to your target market, and then track, track, track so you don't waste money.?This AI will help you hone your ad space even more.

Choosing Your Marketing Channel(s)

Okay, now you know about the nineteen channels, but how do you choose what to test in your business? That's where my?Bullseye Marketing Guide?comes in. Here are the basic steps:

1. Select 3-5 channels you think will work for your business

2. Brainstorm how you'll use them in?your?business (not just my examples). If you can make them work together (ie. a podcast that is repurposed to a blog that then gets shared in your newsletter) that's even better.

3. Choose a single one to test. Focus on it. Play with it. Tweak it. Watch the metrics. If the response is good, then keep at it! If, after a month, you're only getting a dribble, it's time to try a different channel.

So, which will you use?