What Is an Advertising Channel?

An advertising channel is any outlet used by a company to advertise their products and services or alert the public to some sort of promotion. The amount of channels available to marketers has grown enormously with the advent of internet technology to embellish traditional media advertising. As a result, television, radio, and print advertising are now used in concert with technology-based advertising like e-mails and websites. Marketers choose their advertising channel depending on the budgets they have at their disposal and on which will provide the most effective and efficient adverting for their company.

It is no longer possible, in most cases, for companies to survive in the modern business world without engaging in some sort of aggressive advertising tactics. Simply relying on word of mouth isn't a viable strategy considering the sheer volume of companies all competing for the same customer base. Luckily, there is no shortage of advertising avenues from which marketers can choose, providing great versatility in terms of affordability and scope. Just one of these outlets is known as an advertising channel, and companies that choose their channels wisely have a big advantage in a competitive market.

For a long time, marketers chose an advertising channel based on whatever type of media they could afford that reached the biggest portion of their customer base. Television advertising provides a visual component that advertisers crave, while radio advertising can deliver a focused message to customers. Print media like magazines or newspapers are also viable choices among the many possible advertising channels.

As technology has grown, many marketers that can't afford expensive media advertising have found readily accessible and affordable channels that allow them to reach millions of customers around the globe. For example, a company website can list all of the products and services available and even provide ways for customers to make direct purchases online. In addition, electronic mail, or e-mail, is an advertising channel that can allow for messages to be sent to customers or clients whenever marketers desire.

Considering all of these choices, it is important when choosing an advertising channel for marketers to determine how effective the specific channel will be for achieving their goals. For example, it wouldn't make much sense for a company that has products aimed at the elderly to concentrate its advertisements on digital channels, since that audience would be least likely to see those ads. Matching up the right channel with the message being conveyed and the customers that are sought is the goal of all advertising campaigns.