Finding effective marketing channels for a global strategy

Marketing channels play a pivotal role in any international strategy, bridging the gap between a brand and its customers. Businesses must understand each channel and how they work together to connect with international markets and establish strong global branding.

This guide will explore different types of marketing channels and show you how to create a well-rounded marketing strategy for maximum impact.

What is a marketing channel?

Marketing channels are the platforms brands use to reach their customers, including websites, social media, or print ads. These channels play a key role in business success by exposing the brand to a wider audience. Companies also use them to share content like blog posts and videos, keeping customers engaged and building long-term relationships.

Marketing channels convey your brand’s messaging to consumers for the following purposes:

• Customer acquisition: Reaching out to and drawing in potential customers with targeted marketing efforts.
• Content distribution: Distributing valuable, relevant media to your audience across various platforms to keep them engaged and educated.
• Brand updates: Informing your audience about new products, services, or company news.

7 marketing channel examples to strengthen global presence

Each type of marketing channel comes with unique advantages and challenges. Market research will reveal the communication methods that best suit your goals and audience.

Consider incorporating the following marketing channels into your global advertising and marketing strategy:

1. Search engine optimization (SEO)

Website SEO helps search engines like Bing and Google find your site. You can improve your ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs) by building up your website’s content, incorporating keywords your audience frequently searches, and making your site easier to navigate with internal links.

You’ll need to use localization to tweak your SEO strategy for each international market. This means adjusting content and metadata to reflect cultural preferences, language variations, and search behaviors. SEO and localization work together to ensure your content meaningfully connects with people everywhere.

2. Content marketing

Content marketing involves crafting and sharing useful information that grabs your audience’s attention. This could be anything from blog posts and infographics to videos and podcasts.

Whether you’re teaching your audience something new or simply entertaining them, the goal is to provide consistent value. Engaging content keeps them coming back for more, eventually turning them into loyal customers.

Multilingual content marketing is critical when targeting a global audience. What resonates with one group may not appeal to another due to differences in language, traditions, and consumer behavior. With Smartling’s translation services, you can quickly deliver high-quality, localized web content without high costs.

2. Influencer marketing

Influencer marketing is great for businesses, big or small, that want to reach new audiences in a way that feels natural and relatable.

Brands engage in influencer marketing by partnering with well-known figures on social media or other platforms. These influencers could be bloggers, YouTubers, or Instagram users who have built trust with your target audience. It feels more authentic and personal when they talk about your product, making their followers more likely to check out your brand.

3. Email marketing

Email marketing is like talking directly to your customers. You can share updates, offer deals, or introduce new products, keeping your brand fresh in consumers’ minds. Instead of relying on social media algorithms to decide what people see, emails go straight to your subscribers’ inboxes, putting you in control of your message.

Smartling integrates with email marketing platforms like Braze, HubSpot, and Dyspatch, allowing you to connect with international audiences more effectively. You can craft personalized email campaigns in multiple languages so that every message reaches your global customers.

4. Social media marketing

Social media is where conversations happen, and it’s one of the best ways to build relationships with your audience. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok enable real-time interactions and community building.

Social media marketing provides interactive features, such as contests, community events, and stories, that encourage followers to engage directly. In addition, most platforms are equipped with analytics tools that show you audience demographics, campaign performance metrics, and opportunities to refine your marketing strategy.

For global businesses, social media offers the opportunity to directly engage with audiences worldwide. Social media localization adapts content to fit cultural nuances, language preferences, and local trends. Tailoring your content to connect with different audiences fosters more authentic connections and drives higher engagement.

5. Paid search

Paid search, or pay-per-click (PPC), instantly places you at the top of search engine results. This marketing channel allows you to display ads on SERPs for keywords related to your brand instead of relying on SEO. For example, a gym might focus on keywords like “best gym near me,” so its ad appears when people search for a place to work out. You only pay when someone clicks on the ad, making it a cost-effective approach.

6. Video marketing

Whether you use email campaigns, social media, or content marketing, video is a proven medium for audience engagement. A 2024 study found that 87% of consumers have been persuaded to buy a product or service after watching a video.

Customizing your content to fit each platform boosts engagement and drives conversions. For example, quick and eye-catching videos perform well on TikTok and Instagram, whereas long-form explainer content is better suited to YouTube. 

How to implement a solid marketing channel strategy

Picking the right combination of marketing channels requires careful planning. You can engage more people and turn them into customers by aligning your channels with your goals and your audience’s needs. Implement these best practices as you build your approach:

Set measurable objectives and track your progress

Your marketing goals—brand awareness, customer acquisition, or lead generation—should guide your channel selection. From there, tracking and analytics reveal whether you’re meeting objectives. Tools like Google Analytics and social media insights help you gauge performance and adjust your strategy as needed.

Learn how each channel functions

Every marketing channel operates differently, so research marketing and advertising best practices for each. For instance, SEO often requires a long-term approach that gradually improves your website over time. In contrast, social media marketing is about connecting with people immediately and keeping them engaged.

Choose channels that align with your audience

Not every platform resonates with your target audience, so pick channels that fit their habits and preferences. Young adults might spend more time on Instagram and TikTok, while older professionals often lean toward email and LinkedIn.

Smartling’s marketing translation services refine your strategy by providing the tools to create consistent, high-quality multilingual content across all channels. Your global campaigns will resonate with audiences while maintaining the integrity of your brand.

Boost your global marketing with Smartling 

Global marketing channel management requires you to balance your efforts between multiple approaches and carefully monitor them to ensure they support business goals. Whether you’re trying to promote your brand, attract new customers, or strengthen relationships, a solid plan makes all the difference.

Smartling’s advanced translation tools leverage human expertise and cutting-edge AI to help you deliver multilingual, on-brand campaigns across different regions. You can reduce the cost per acquisition of global leads and increase the impact of your marketing efforts.

Ready to elevate your global marketing strategy? Download “The Ultimate Guide to Translating Your Marketing Materials.” This free eBook explains why translation and localization matter and shows you how to apply them across various content types.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a marketing channel and a marketing chain?

A marketing channel is any medium or platform (e.g., social media, email, or SEO) a business uses to communicate with its audience. A marketing chain is the process of researching, creating, and distributing individual marketing messages.

What is the 4 Ps marketing strategy?

The four Ps of marketing—product, price, place, and promotion—shape an effective channel strategy. A well-structured marketing channel strategy guarantees your product reaches audiences at the right price and time through the most effective promotional methods and channels of marketing communication.