Communication channels and their functions in marketing, corporate culture and psychology

General concept

Let’s start with a general concept and understand what communication channels are.

Communication is the process of transmitting a message from one person to another, from a source to a receiver. A channel is a means of communication through which people transmit messages.

In the Process communication model, which we will discuss below, the channel is how we convey information and how it is received.

Communication can be verbal – the exchange of messages through speech (this also includes written communication) and non-verbal – facial expressions, gestures.

In marketing, modern communication channels are phone calls, instant messengers, social networks. Also, examples of popular verbal channels will be any website, email and various advertising formats.

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Marketing communication channels

If communication is the process of transmitting information, then marketing communications are any messages transmitted from a brand to a consumer, a client.

Types of marketing communications:

• Advertising – commercials on TV, radio, advertising on the Internet.
• PR — PR campaigns, press releases, press conferences.
• Sales promotion – special promotions, sale days and other marketing activities.
• Direct marketing – email newsletters, SMS newsletters, phone calls, direct communication with the client.
• Event marketing – festivals, industry conferences.
• Branding – logo, corporate identity, positioning.

Types of channels in marketing

Let’s list the types of communication channels. One company can combine different marketing communication channels depending on the characteristics of the product, audience and budget.

Media

This marketing communications channel involves traditional ways of delivering information to the consumer – television, radio, print media. Suitable for a wide target audience and mass-market products.

Touchpoints with audiences outside the home

This is outdoor advertising on the street and in any places where people gather:

• banners and signs;
• billboards with printed and video advertising;
• video and audio advertising in shopping centers;
• advertising in transport and so on.

Just like the media, for example, these communication channels help to increase the recognition of mass-market products and are designed for a wide audience.

Events

Participation in festivals, conferences, exhibitions, promotions. The company can act as an organizer, partner or sponsor of the event. Such events are useful when the target audience of the product is the guests of the upcoming event.

Using this promotion channel increases brand awareness and helps to highlight the company’s activities and  values .

Sites

The communication channel works for almost any brand. Different types of sites solve different business problems. For example, getting to know the company and its services, sales or collecting personal data to form a customer base.

With the help of the site, the user can form a primary idea of ​​the brand and product. He evaluates the content of the site, its interface and design.

Social media

One of the most effective communication channels that helps companies increase audience loyalty and become closer to consumers.

Here the audience is introduced to the process of creation and production of the product, its features and properties. Or they talk about news and events, conduct audience surveys, receive feedback and reviews.

This channel includes 3 more ways of disseminating information:

1. Messengers . Now they have become similar in their functions to social networks and the effectiveness of interaction with the audience in them is also high .
2. Influencer marketing. Influencer blogs are one of the effective sales channels, for example, for sellers with a product line on marketplaces or in online stores. To buy, it is easy to follow the blogger’s link directly to the product .
3. Targeted advertising. This channel allows you to select the desired segment of the target audience and show it the most relevant advertising message.

Media

We will separately highlight such platforms as companies’ own blogs, blogs on industry platforms, online magazines, and brand media.

Such promotion channels help the company to form an image of a strong player in the industry and show the target audience the expertise of the company and its employees.

Compass also has its own magazine . Here we publish articles advertising material and cases for entrepreneurs, managers and anyone interested in business and management topics.

Internet platforms

In this section, we have combined different marketing communications channels for online promotion:

• Search engines and website results. The content of the website and work on SEO optimization are important here.
• Contextual advertising in search engines.
• Review sites – paid reviews can also be placed here. It is important that they reveal the product’s useful properties for the consumer.
• Marketplaces – the channel involves placing and selling your products using the capabilities of trading platforms.
• Video hosting services help gather an interested audience and demonstrate useful and entertaining content on the topic of the product.

Email newsletters

Newsletters as a communication channel are a promotion tool that requires a clear understanding of your product and audience. This is one of the channels of communication with consumers. In addition, competent email marketing sets the following goals for the newsletter:

• remind about the product;
• increase traffic to the site;
• increase sales;
• collect a client base;
• form your own community;
• create letters for different segments of the target audience;
• analyze the effectiveness of advertising and entertainment messages, and so on.

For more information on how to achieve your marketing goals using newsletters, read our article.

Mobile applications

This marketing communications channel has been in demand for the past few years and its popularity is only growing.

People who use this channel to interact with the company are the most loyal audience, because they spent time downloading and allocated a place for your application in their personal list of programs.

In our article on mobile apps for business, we talk about how their development allows you to establish contact with a potential client:

• Firstly, the user will always see the application icon on his smartphone desktop.
• Secondly, after installation, you can send push notifications about promotions and discounts. They are perceived much better than SMS messages.

You can also increase sales through the channel. For example, if a person is ready to buy, he will first go to the downloaded application, and not search for the product on the Internet.

How to choose a communication channel

It is impossible to say that any one method is the most effective communication channel. It is important to choose those channels through which you can interact with your audience. There are no equally effective channels for all companies.

Typically, a customer has multiple interactions with a brand before making a purchase, so most companies combine multiple channels.

Define goals

Different channels can achieve different marketing communications goals.

For example, a newsletter subscription is used to collect contacts, and sales are conducted through personal communication between the manager and the client. Another ph numbers example: one of the goals of participating in an exhibition may be collecting contacts for a mailing list. The purpose of the mailing list will be to increase traffic to the online store. Sales will be made through the website.

Study the target audience

You need to find the channels that your consumers and users use in their daily lives. To do this, you need to understand what is important and interesting to the audience, what is the lifestyle and way of consuming information of your customers.

For example, promoting any corporate services via outdoor advertising or television will likely be ineffective. A more precise hit is needed here. For example, a company blog with useful and entertaining articles on business topics will be of greater interest to this audience.

Analyze product features

One or another communication channel should help to reveal the advantages of the product from different sides. But if you use social networks, there is no point in running communities everywhere at once. Consider the product features.