I was reading Currency Marketing (note 1) founder Tim McAlpine’s ten-part blog opus (here) on so-called Challenge Marketing, a mix of social media, sweepstakes and viral marketing. It’s great reading, especially if you are thinking of embarking on a new-media marketing campaign.
In part 4, Tim created a list of media available for marketing messages. I started with his list, added to it, and rearranged the topics. Use this as a cheat sheet in your planning meetings to make sure you’ve covered all the bases. I know I’ve missed things, please add to the comments and I’ll update the list.
- ATMs
- Screens
- Enclosures
- Receipts
- Blogs
- Posting/commenting on your own blog
- Guest posts on others
- Commenting on other blogs
- Asking for reciprocal blogroll listings
- Sponsored blog post (tread carefully)
- Branch
- Posters
- Brochures
- Plasma screens
- Floor decals
- Window decals
- Call center
- On-hold messages
- Press 1 for more info on ____
- Charitable activities
- Cinema advertising
- Door-to-door
- Flyers
- Conversations
- Ecommerce
- Powered by your brand
- Advertisements on confirmation screens/email receipts
- Direct mail
- Postcard
- Letter
- Welcome packages
- Direct-to-desktop computer applications
- Widgets
- Toolbars
- Buttons/alerts
- E-mail
- Direct messages to house or rented list
- Advertisements/sponsorships within third-party email letters
- Advertisements within triggered account alerts
- Joint marketing (with other companies)
- Mobile
- Text messages
- Downloadable app (iphone, Blackberry, Android)
- Advertising in other apps
- Sponsoring other apps
- Featured at carrier/manufacturer site
- Newsletters
- Your email/printed/RSS
- Third-party properties
- Online advertising on outside properties
- Banners and other on-screen ads
- Advertorial
- Sponsorships
- RSS feed ads
- Social networks (Facebook, MySpace, MSN, others)
- Search engines (Google Adwords, Yahoo, Microsoft, others)
- Online advertising on your properties
- Main website
- Online banking site
- Logon/logoff splash screens
- Microsites/landing pages
- Outdoor
- Billboards
- Transit
- Wall projection & other non-traditional outlets
- Building site signage (construction loan clients)
- Vehicle signage
- Print/newspaper/magazine
- Display ad
- Classified ad
- Column/op-ed articles
- Inserts
- College and other niche publications
- Yellow pages/programs/directories/etc.
- Promotional item giveaways
- Public relations
- Appearances and interviews
- Press releases
- Spokester (see Currency Marketing’s Young & Free)
- Radio
- 15/30 second spot
- Advertorial
- Sponsorship
- Social media activity (note 2)
- MySpace
- Microsoft Live
- YouTube
- Forums
- Wikis
- Sponsorships
- Sports
- Events
- Charitable efforts
- Schools
- Green efforts
- Anti-fraud education
- Statements
- Stuffers
- Messages
- Envelopes
- Estatement advertising
- Street-team marketing
- Sweepstakes (on- and off-line)
- Telemarketing
- Third-party locations/publications
- Advertising/messages
- Signage
- WiFi sponsorship
- Billing statements
- Websites
- ATMs/kiosks
- Television
- 15/30 second spot
- Product placement
- Sponsorship
- Infomercial
- Online streams
- Word of mouth
Notes:
1. Tim McAlpine has achieved near-rock-star status in credit union social media circles as the mastermind of the hugely successful Young & Free campaign.
Update: 18 March 2009, Tim posted a comparison of the latest Y&F campaign at South Carolina Federal Credit Union compared to the original Alberta one. The latest version is up in every category, a partnership with a local radio station is credited with part of the gain.
2. If you need examples from outside banking, here’s a 2-part wiki (here and here) created by social media guru Peter Kim with almost 1000 examples of social media efforts by various brands.