A good marketer is someone who has the insight and the foresight to recognize those marketing tools which would best suit their marketing campaign – someone who throws caution to the wind and follows their own natural, finely-tuned marketing senses. At the end of the day, this comes down to confidence – and having the guts to follow your own instincts can often make or break your career, which is why it’s so scary. Half the battle is keeping up to date with the latest marketing tools to hit the marketing shelf, so what does your average marketing shelf consist of and what tools are available for use.

The marketing tools come in so many shapes and sizes, but we’re focusing on two different categories – online marketing and offline marketing. To give you an insight into what tools are available in both we’ve explored them below.

Offline Marketing Tools

It’s amazing how many businesses are overlooking the traditional offline marketing methods which are at their disposal. Many have opted to favour the digital marketing methods because of their novelty and newness, but this isn’t always the best thing to do. Does digital marketing appeal direct to your target audience, or in reality would offline marketing technique better suit your target audience? Offline marketing techniques are great for building a close, personal relationship with your prospects and will often rely on your ability to communicate and the quality of service you offer.

– Networking Events
– Meetings
– Leaflets
– Brochures
– TV Commercials
– Telemarketing/Lead Generation
– Appointment Making
– Sponsorship
– Advertisements
– Newsletters
– Word of Mouth
– Direct Mail

These some of the most popular offline marketing tools which you could utilise, and while it’s good to identify what would best promote your business, you need to establish a clear plan of action which outlines how you will use them, what investment your business will place into each sector and how you will measure results. Success is different depending on what business area you operate in – talking to experts and looking for key industry metrics will help in the search for ROI.

Online Marketing Tools

Digital marketing has become very popular with many marketers, and why not? Nearly everyone uses a computer or mobile phone and therefore you are able to communicate directly with your target market with minimum fuss and cost; which is why they are so appealing;

– SEO
– PPC
– Content Marketing
– Social Media
– Email Marketing
– Advertisements
– PR
– Newsletters

These are the marketing weapons which you have at your fingertips; however it’s essential you establish a thorough marketing strategy prior to choosing your marketing tools. This should give you an understanding of how your target audience perceives your businesses and what channels would best appeal to them.

Now you know what tools are on the shelf, all that is left is to pick the right tools.

Images: zzpza – CC BY 2.0