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There’s a wide range of marketing channels and many ways to leverage them to grow your business. When used effectively, they can help you reach and retain new clients.
Discover 19 different kinds of marketing channels, along with how they work and examples for each.
Whether you’re using search engine optimization (SEO) to help you climb the rankings or you’re reaching out via trade shows or conferences, this guide will break down the different types of marketing channels, both digital and traditional, so you can make more informed decisions when moving forward with your business.
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Search engine optimization involves optimizing website content to rank better in the search engines.
Example: If you’re creating a content marketing plan for a healthy living niche, you might write a series of blog posts on “The Best Superfoods for Healthy Living in 2025” to bring in organic traffic and build your brand awareness.
Search engine optimization uses both short-tail keywords and long-tail keywords to reach prospective searchers.
Often managed by marketing agencies, pay-per-click advertising, also called PPC advertising for short, involves running and managing paid ads on search engines or social media.
Example: An e-commerce store selling athletic shoes might run a series of ads targeting the keyword “running shoes for marathons” to help drive traffic to its product pages. It pays for every click it receives, and the amount depends on the competitiveness of the keywords and what other advertisers are willing to pay to rank up or near the top.
As you might imagine, shorter keyword terms that are searched more often are typically a higher cost than longer, more specific phrases.
Social media marketing involves engaging users on popular social media platforms. This may include building a social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or TikTok.
Example: For instance, a fashion designer might share Instagram Reels of behind-the-scenes shots from their latest product launch to help build brand awareness and loyalty.
Learn more about social media marketing agencies and how they can improve your online presence.
Content marketing involves creating content at various stages of the customer journey in order to build awareness and inform or help in the decision-making process.
Creating content including blog posts, infographics, videos and more can help attract and retain customers while positioning you or your company as the recognized expert and foremost authority in your content niche.
Example: An example of a content marketing strategy for a marketing agency could be a series of blogs published that cover the benefits of marketing agencies, tips for hiring one, types of marketing agencies etc. to build topical authority.
Email marketing involves sending relevant, targeted emails to a list of subscribers.
Example: A bakery offering a 10% discount on Fridays with an email coupon or an email newsletter update on the progress of an app’s development.
The goal is to keep subscribers engaged and to provide helpful tips or other information that reminds them of the value they get from the product or service.
Affiliate marketing involves partnering with like-minded business owners who want to promote your products or services in exchange for a commission.
Example: A fitness app could collaborate with health and wellness bloggers, who would promote the app and earn a percentage of the sale for each new subscriber they refer.
With video marketing, marketers use platforms like YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok to share video content. This content gets views and helps spread brand awareness.
Example: A travel agency could share a video on the “Top 10 Underrated Vacation Destinations” to help encourage business and gain new clients.
Influencer marketing involves partnering with influencers (generally individuals with a large, targeted following on social networks) in order to promote your brand to their audience. There are also micro-influencers, who have a much smaller, but often highly engaged audience.
Example: A cosmetics company partnering with a TikTok beauty influencer to mention their products to their followers in a daily routine video.
With television and radio ads your ad is broadcast during a TV or radio program. Ads are generally a set time frame (such as 30 seconds) and depending on when and where they’re broadcast their costs range widely.
Example: Car dealerships running 30-second spots after local news or well-known brands promoting holiday or other special sales events.
Even today, when marketing efforts are often centred around online platforms, print ads can be highly impactful — if you do your research in targeting the right audience with the right kind of offer. Ads in newspapers, magazines, brochures, or even direct mail can still convert customers.
Example: For instance, a luxury hotel or resort could place an ad in a high-end travel magazine and see incredibly targeted results.
True to its name, Out-of-Home advertising (OOH) includes billboards, transit ads, and posters.
Example: A common example is a restaurant chain promoting a new low-cost menu.
Direct mail involves sending promotional material to physical addresses. Direct mail can be letters, postcards or other types of print material. The key point is that it’s generally segmented by zip code to evaluate response rates.
Example: Flyers from local shops, realtors, or home improvement companies that are sent by mail.
SMS or mobile marketing includes sending promotional messages via text or mobile apps.
Generally, mobile marketing is done over text and includes links to pages with more information or a discount.
Example: An e-commerce company offers a 10% discount if you sign up for SMS or texts from their company.
These types of partnerships involve selling products through retail or wholesale partners.
Example: A local food brand partners with a grocery store chain to get organic granola on store shelves.
Franchising allows others to copy a specific business model in new markets. It’s how well-known brands (example: think popular restaurants) are able to spread so quickly. This type of marketing doesn’t just involve selling the product, but also the underlying marketing, methods, and techniques.
Trade shows and conferences involve participating in or hosting events that showcase your brand.
Example: Tech companies often host or participate in consumer or professional tech shows, and conferences to share information about their latest products.
There’s some overlap between conferences and workshops depending on the theme. However rather than simply showcase new technology or other products, workshops and webinars tend to host educational or informative sessions.
Example: A marketing company might host a free local workshop for businesses that want to increase their leads in the next month.
This branch of marketing is made possible by things like virtual and augmented reality as well as new advances in advertising technology. Experiential marketing uses interactive events, pop-ups, or live demonstrations to show off their products or services.
Example: A sneaker company might create an interactive pop-up where consumers can design their own shoes. This lets potential customers get hands-on with the brand and learn more about the product in a way that’s engaging and interactive.
User-generated content (UGC) programs can be an additional part of an overall marketing strategy or a channel in and of itself. This marketing channel involves encouraging customers to become brand ambassadors.
Example: A subscription box, for instance, might encourage their happy customers to share unboxing videos on social media, and give them a discount in return.
The success of your marketing campaigns depends on choosing the right marketing channels. There are several different options to consider, but you’ll want to focus on the ones that align best with your business goals, current resources, and target audience.
Whether you focus on digital strategies like social media and email marketing, or you turn toward more traditional methods like print advertising and workshops (or a bit of both!), each channel has the potential to grow your bottom line and your business when used correctly.
Expect these marketing channels to continue to evolve, while this happens, it’s important to stay flexible. Adapt and measure your results as the market shifts and trends change.
Continue gathering data and getting direct user feedback so that your strategy stays aligned with which marketing channels work best now and as your brand grows.
Discover a best-in-class suite of tools for your content marketing strategy with Originality.ai’s Content Optimizer, AI Checker, Plagiarism Checker, or Grammar Checker.
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