If you are about to buy a Smartphone or a new evening dress, you might well shop online! Chances of buying online have gone high and so has the percentage of being influenced by various marketing channels online.

An online customer is given a fair dose of a variety of marketing media that play a critical role in influencing the buying behavior and final decision. They engage a customer as well as keep them hooked over a period of time as well. Remarketing is one of the suitable examples of this strategy. If you are looking to catch the eye of a potential buyer and need to know exactly what medium influences and how, read on!

Let’s Meet the Primary Marketing Channels

The main marketing channels that are critical to the success of a marketing strategy and play a factor in your buying decision include:

Email

The use of email marketing has grown in leaps and bounds over the years. With stringent laws in place now, there is a judicious use of this channel. Marketers can use it to their benefit to target their prospects who have given their consent to be entertained with emailers, flyers and other promotional material.

Direct

This is a wide form of marketing that encompasses the use of emails, websites, online display ads, mobile marketing and more to get the attention of the prospects. This is a direct way of reaching out to the consumer market to convey a message or educate them about a product, service or company.

Paid Search

Paid search is used in various forms such as PPC or Pay Per Click campaigns, ad campaigns etc. Ads placed at the relevant places help in grabbing the user’s attention and displaying an ad for a product or service that they are reading about in the content. Contextual advertising and remarketing are some good examples.

Social

Social media is now one of the most preferred and popular medium to discuss business. Businesses get up close and face-to-face with their prospects. Regular updates, sharing and exchange of information plays a major role in either encouraging or discouraging a user from buying a product or service.

Referral

A major chunk of the prospects directed to your website is generated from various third-party websites such as business directories, social bookmarking sites, blogs, article directories, forums etc.

How Do The Channels Affect a Purchase Decision?

Each channel has a specific role in influencing what to buy and what to leave out for a consumer. Not every channel works at the same time and they work at different pace as well.

Assistance

The consumer’s journey is influenced by different digital channels that create awareness about a brand or product/ service, assist them in considering an option or choice or also develop an intent. The purchase engine is fuelled with different media that help in inching a step closer to buying a product.

Last Interaction

The final interaction with the consumer is decisive in buying a product. This is where the purchase decision is made. There are specific channels that are highly influential at this point of purchase journey.

Which Channels Do What!

Recent surveys in the online media focuses attention on exactly which channels play what role and when. The timing of each channel is important to the success of a marketing plan. Which channel is crucial at what stage? How does it influence the buying decision of a consumer at the beginning or at the last moment?

Assistance

The brand awareness, consideration and development of intent are worked on by various form of marketing channels such as display ads, social, email, paid search etc. The beginning of the assistance phase where the awareness is created depends greatly on display ads. Moving on, a social media buzz helps in building expectations, email marketing works as a constant source of reminder and encouragement and lastly, paid search works as a final nail in the coffin to help move on to the final interaction stage.

Final Interaction

The final interaction stage is where the user finally decides over the fate of a product. Organic search generated through search engines and direct traffic is critical in this stage. Referral marketing is also important where your consumers have known you, read about you, searched for you and are now looking at your company, product and service for the final decision.

Conclusion

It is important to understand the need for balance between all the different marketing channels. Each channel is important to your marketing strategy and can help you earn the eyeballs and also the clicks in good time.