CHANNEL STRATEGY FOR IDIOTS

Ghostly Whispers

Digital, Social, TV, Streaming, Events and more—here's a quick-and-dirty way to navigate it all without losing your shirt (or your mind).

THE BASICS

Anything that talks to your audience is a channel.

So you've arrived at a point in your campaign where you're comfortable with what you want to say. It's just a matter of saying it. Simple, right? Maybe not so much.

Now more than ever, we're bombarded with slick pitches from companies who claim to hold the keys to what you covet most: the captive attention of your audience. Many of these companies offer valuable services—and many others are trash.

How does one begin to sift through this kind of murkiness? Whelp, we're here to prime the shit out of ya with our quick-and-dirty guide.

«TV isn't dead. It's just really fucking expensive.»

Ghost

Verbal Strategist

BROADLY

Your verbal weapons come in three basic classes.

Paid

This one costs money. You work with an intermediary to gain access to an audience.

Examples:

TV commercials & sponsorships
Radio commercials & sponsorships
Print ads
Digital
Social --> promoted posts, display, & influencers
Search --> Search Engine Marketing—commonly called PPC (pay-per-click)
Display --> Commonly across a network of sites such as Google

Pros:

Control—over what's being said, how it looks, and the context in which it's experience
Immediacy—reach a lot of eyeballs in very little time

Cons:

It can be expensive (go figure)

Owned

It's your channel bud—do what you want! Except if it's Facebook, in which case do one of a very limited selection of things, and expect the organic reach of maybe 1% of your audience. Do we sound bitter? We're not bitter whaaaaaaaat....

Examples:

Fuckbook—errr... Facefuck—sorry.... *sigh* the one that's dissolving our society
LinkedIn
Instagram
Campaign pages
Blogs
YouTube channels

Pros:

Control—since this is your domain, you set the rules of engagement
Mostly free (though selective sponsorship can help a lot)

Cons:

Time—followings take a long time to build
Also control—if it's on a third party platform, they can change the rules at any time (with expensive consequences)

Earned

Congratulations—you've been noticed! Sometimes third parties throw you some free pub by reviewing you, or talking about you in the news.

Examples:

Google reviews
Yelp
Local news
Critics

Pros:

It's free!
It's authentic!

Cons:

It isn't always positive! Bad press and bad reviews have the power to take away, just as they giveth

REMEMBER

You're still talking to people.

Platforms are only as good as the content you put on 'em. So you can dump a bunch of money into a Superbowl ad if you like—but if it plays to the room like a stale fart, you've wasted your time.

Before you step up on your soap box—make sure you have something worth saying.

AND FINALLY

A word about budgets.

You might be priced out of a few of these channels from the start (I'm looking at you, TV). But don't let that get you down. One of the silver linings in this digital landscape of ours is that a great idea, hard work, and a shoestring budget do still have the power to move hearts and minds.

Don't beat yourself by worrying about costs. Sharpen your idea first—then see where you can execute. If all else fails, give us a ring ;)

At GhostCMO, we know how important it is to put your best verbal foot forward. From branding and positioning, to messaging and copywriting—we know what it takes to create powerful results for your business.

Let's talk about growing your brand. Visit our homepage to learn more.

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