These days, there are quite a few ways to market a business online.
From search engine optimization campaigns to advertising on all of the different social media channels, there is no shortage of options.
The term “holistic marketing strategy” is often used to describe an approach to digital marketing that incorporates all viable channels in order to meet certain goals.
In this article I’m going to dig into this concept for anyone interested in understanding the value of a holistic marketing campaign.
Holistic Marketing at a Glance
A holistic marketing strategy can best be described as one that covers multiple different marketing channels.
The question arises, why is it even necessary to market in more than one channel at the same time?
In a sense, this reveals the current complexity of marketing, as no one avenue is going to turn your business into a household name.
True success is usually found over time, aided by a holistic marketing strategy that covers the full range of different opportunities that are available.
There are several reasons why a holistic strategy is often better than single-channel marketing campaigns, which I will cover below.
Top Reasons Why Holistic Marketing Drives Results
To understand why an holistic approach is typically more effective than any single-channel campaign on its own, it helps to understand the nature of digital marketing as a whole.
Think about it like this: even if you are a big fan of one particular platform online, you are still likely to use other services from time to time.
For instance, even if you are a TikTok diehard and are on the app 24/7, you likely still use Google to get questions answered or to look up reviews for products, and so on.
Or you might be someone who loves watching Twitch and YouTube live streams. You’re still going to hop on Facebook from time to time to check out what your family is up to.
The point is, multichannel marketing works because it reflects the nature of our digital experience.
It’s somewhat more nuanced than that, however.
There is a difference between marketing across different channels and putting together a truly holistic marketing strategy, and that difference is synergy.
The way that different marketing channels synergize is what makes an holistic strategy so effective.
- Many marketing channels are naturally complementary: an SEO optimized product page that is informative and relevant will help to increase PPC conversions; Pinterest Boards that are properly optimized will show up in Google search results; well-made Facebook ads will improve organic Facebook metrics such as page likes and comments. There is no such thing as a marketing channel that works in complete isolation.
- A holistic approach increases trust and brand awareness. If users see a page ranking high in Google but the respective Facebook page is a ghost town, that could be a red flag for some people. Likewise, a business with an active Instagram but zero SEO is losing out on market share and brand visibility to the competition.
- Results are more likely to support each other and snowball under an holistic strategy. Consider how Google Analytics tracks assisted conversions: many shoppers do not purchase on the first visit to your site. This means that you need to have other platforms in place to help to ensure you make that conversion. Through an holistic approach, you “assist” all of your marketing channels uniformly, resulting in a much greater chance at drawing traffic and landing conversions.
What Marketing Channels Do You Need?
This is going to be different for everyone. No two businesses are the same, even ones within the same niche.
Here are some points to consider:
- Where is your current customer base? Start here.
- Where are your competitors? Expand here.
- Where would you like to be?
- Where are people spending the most money in your niche?
- What is trendy and popular in terms of apps and platforms? (Yes, this does matter!)
- What age bracket does your audience fall in?
There are other questions like this that you should ask yourself in order to get a good picture as to where you should be in terms of a holistic strategy.
Your focus should be capitalizing on what makes the most sense.
In eCommerce, this means doubling down where people naturally shop and spend money: the Google search results (SEO and PPC), Facebook, Instagram, Emails, and to a slightly lesser degree TikTok and Pinterest.
Depending on what makes the most sense in your particular niche, or what your goals are, platforms like Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, Snapchat, Bing, and Tumblr are all potential options. While you want to form an effective marketing strategy, you also don’t want to spread yourself too thin if you lack the time and resources.
This is an important element to consider when building an holistic marketing strategy: you have to put the work in, on each platform.
Analyze where you see your business making the most inroads and then attack that channel through the scope of an holistic strategy. Don’t bother halfheartedly working on a platform, as this will yield lackluster results.
Note: it doesn’t hurt to be present on social media platforms if you can’t spare the time to manage a full fledged marketing campaign on them, just don’t expect any dramatic results if you’re only posting once in a while with no strategy involved.
Building Your Marketing Strategy
The sweet spot for most eCommerce businesses seems to be between 3 and 5 platforms and 2- 3 advertising channels.
A smaller business might want to focus on eCommerce SEO, email marketing, and a strong Facebook presence, while advertising on Facebook and Google as well.
A larger business with more resources might want to consider layering on Bing and Instagram ads while maintaining an organic presence on TikTok and Pinterest as well.
It depends largely on the niche and what makes the most sense for the goals that are trying to be achieved.
It’s also completely understandable if you cannot form such a strategy on your own. The difference between ad-hoc multichannel marketing and a professional holistic marketing strategy is fairly substantial.
The last point to consider is that if you are just starting out, a comprehensive marketing strategy that covers a multitude of different platforms may not make the most sense. Holistic marketing strategies work best when the goal is to scale and acquire more market share after a strong foundation has been laid.