How do you convince a person to take the desired action? This is the question that every business owner faces regularly. When your company grows large enough, that question eventually becomes the responsibility of the marketing department to answer.

Marketing is a critical tool that every brand has to employ to have a hope of succeeding. People need to learn about the brand itself, the product that is being sold, and how it benefits them to take that desired action of making a purchase or deciding to work there. For every business out there, there is a unique marketing plan that is being used to communicate these messages to an audience.

Marketing campaigns can take many forms. There is not one right way to do things, and the most effective strategy for your brand may be completely useless to another. The key is to understand who you are communicating to so that you can address their needs and pain points with your messaging. Here are a few types of marketing that you may employ to drive action from your audience members.

Digital Marketing

If you are running a business today, then you will probably have to implement some form of digital marketing to foster growth. Digital marketing encompasses all methods that require technology to deliver a message to recipients. This includes websites, social media, emails, virtual reality, and more. These tools are necessary for reaching younger audiences in particular who are unlikely to read a newspaper ad or pay attention to broadcast television commercials. The landscape of digital marketing is ever-changing, so even if you have been well-versed in its possibilities in the past, it doesn’t hurt to update your knowledge via digital marketing courses. To succeed in the 21st century, keeping up with trends is crucial, and digital tools give you the access needed to reach target audiences with your messaging efforts. Plus, many of these methods are extremely cost-effective.

Print Marketing

A more traditional form of advertising, print marketing takes advantage of physical elements to communicate a message to the audience. There are many types of print marketing, including direct mail, billboards, signs, flyers, brochures, and even business cards. These materials can be handed to someone personally or seen while moving about the world, like driving on the road or walking past a store. While all the excitement in the marketing world is all about digital strategies, this more traditional method still plays a significant role in convincing people to check out a business. Otherwise, you would never see a magazine ad or a billboard again. If your audience skews older, then print marketing might be your most effective campaign strategy.

Experiential Marketing

In a competitive industry, brands must find ways to stand out from the other businesses in their niche. One way to do this is with experiential marketing. This method includes one crucial factor that other marketing strategies are lacking; direct interaction. Most messaging is received by the audience member and then processed internally. Experiential marketing turns the message into a direct interaction with the individual. Some examples of experiential marketing include Red Bull’s Stratos skydive, Coca-Cola’s Fifa World Cup VR experience, and M&M’s flavor rooms. The idea is that the audience member participates in a memorable experience that allows the brand to stick in their brains more effectively. This method takes a high degree of creativity and opportunism to be successful, but it can lead to massive exposure for a brand.

Recruitment Marketing

Communicating with potential customers is not the only type of marketing that your business should be doing. You need valuable team members just as much as you need to make sales. Having a team full of productive individuals can propel your brand to new heights. But you can’t rely on posting positions on job boards to attract the best talent. Investing in recruitment marketing will give you a better chance of attracting the right people to your company. Some recruitment marketing tips include sharing employee testimonials, having stronger applicant analytics, and utilizing the right technology platforms. If you can build messaging that connects with the emotions of potential candidates and communicates the deeper benefits of working for your company effectively, you will be able to attract higher-quality workers to your team.

Avoid Cookie Cutter Campaigns

A marketing budget has a high potential for being wasted. You cannot perfectly predict when a campaign is going to be successful or fall flat. Sometimes, you need to be willing to experiment to find the best modes of communicating with your audience. To minimize the number of wasted resources, you should avoid cookie-cutter, formulaic marketing practices at all costs. These initiatives are less likely to connect with your audience, which is unique and can sniff out a low-effort campaign a mile away. Put your most creative and best people on your marketing teams and create space for innovation with these various marketing strategies.