See an improvement or error? Please add it as a comment on this google sheet. See also this list of 62 traditional marketing channels.
Channel | Type | Notes | Companies |
---|---|---|---|
SEO | Search | Ranking high in searches by providing a good user experience and link-worthy content | Google, Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, Yandex, Baidu |
Content Marketing | Search | Creating articles, videos, tools, and infographics on your own site to attract customers and links | Find writers on Upwork, Fiverr or similar |
Guest Blogging | Search | Writing articles on other people’s sites with a link back to your site | Find writers on Upwork, Fiverr or similar |
Email Marketing – owned | Newsletters and discount offers to your subscribers and customers | ConvertKit, Constant Contact, MailChimp, etc. | |
Email Marketing – paid | Sending emails to purchased lists (illegal?), or rented lists | Data Axle USA, Zoominfo, UpLeads, MegaLeads | |
Google Ads | Search | Paid ads on search engines that are triggered when a user searches for a keyword pattern | |
Google Business Profile | Local | Similar to Yelp. Manage your reviews, create posts, list your company info. Appear in local “3 Pack” | GBP (Google) |
Google Maps Ads | Local | Get higher placement in the “Local 3-Pack” or the list of businesses adjacent to the map | |
Google Local Service Ads | Local | Home services (plumbers, locksmiths, etc.) get leads from search and a “Google Guaranteed” badge | |
Google Display Ads | Display | Demographic or interest-based ads, or retargeted ads that follow you around the web | Google Ads, Google Marketing Platform |
Google Shopping Ads | Search | Product Listing Ads (PLAs) in web search results | |
Google Smart Shopping Ads | Display | Ads for products displayed across a variety of Google properties, placed using machine learning | |
Gmail Ads | Display | Now called “Discovery Ads” — emails at the top of your inbox and start screens of mobile devices | Gmail (Google) |
Youtube Ads | Search | Overlay ads, discovery ads, sidebar ads, etc. Some are triggered by search, others by context | Youtube (Google) |
Youtube Channel | Search | Your videos. Monetizable with at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours over 12 months | Youtube (Google) |
Youtube Shorts & Stories | Social Media | Competitor to TikTok, available in Youtube mobile app | Youtube (Google) |
Social Media | Promoting your company using an FB Page, via Posts, Events, or Stories | ||
Facebook Ads | Display | Targeting demographics, interests, website visitors, a customer list, or “lookalike” audiences | |
Facebook Messenger Ads | Miscellaneous | Chat at scale with people that have interacted with your Facebook ads | |
Facebook Groups | Social Media | As an admin, building a community around shared interests that involve your company. | |
Facebook Groups Ads | Display | Difficult to advertise in group itself, but available for Groups Feed or Paid Partnerships with group admin | |
Social Media | Creating an Instagram page to develop a community | Instagram (Facebook) | |
Instagram Ads | Display | Extending Facebook ads to this largely female demographic | Instagram (Facebook) |
Social Media | Promoting your company using a LinkedIn Company Page, via Groups, or Events | ||
LinkedIn Ads | Display | Sponsored content in feed and whom-to-follow suggestions. Target by job title or industry | |
LinkedIn InMail | Send your messages directly to prospects’ email inbox, $0.30 – $1 per email | ||
Bing/Yahoo/AOL Ads | Search | Paid ads on search engines that are triggered when a user searches for a keyword pattern | Microsoft Advertising (formerly Bing) |
Bing Display Ads | Display | Demographic or interest-based ads, or retargeted ads that follow you around the web | Microsoft Advertising (formerly Bing) |
DuckDuck Go Ads | Search | Paid ads on this privacy-centric search engine. | DuckDuck Go |
Baidu Ads | Search | Paid ads on Chinese search engine with 74% market share; typically requires Chinese “host” company | Baidu |
Yahoo/AOL Email Ads | Email ads. Verizon recently sold Yahoo & AOL to Apollo Global Management, so setup may change | Verizon, Yahoo, Apollo | |
Newsletter ads | Ads in the content of someone else’s newsletter or full sponsorship of the entire email | paved.com, AdMailr.com, Ampjar.com, LiveIntent.com | |
Apple Maps | Local | Similar to Google My Business but for Apple Maps, used by iPhone and iPad devices | Apple |
Bing Places | Local | Similar to GMB | Microsoft |
Yahoo Local | Local | Similar to GMB | Yahoo |
Local Directories – Other | Local | Listing in local directories manually or using BrightLocal, Moz Local, Synup (avoid Yext/Manta) | ChamberOfCommerce, TripAdvisor, Yelp, etc. |
Yelp | Local | Free business profile with reviews and company information | Yelp |
Nextdoor | Local | Free business listing; write posts, get reviews and recommendations, participate in community | Nextdoor |
Nextdoor Ads | Local | Neighborhood sponsorships by zip code (monthly cost), local deals (pay per ad) | Nextdoor |
TripAdvisor | Local | Similar to Yelp, but for tourism-related services | TripAdvisor |
Yelp Business Listing + Ads | Local | $150/month + CPC costs; many complaints about inflated metrics and misleading sales practices | Yelp |
Foursquare | Local | Check in to physical places, seen by other users of the platform | Foursquare |
TikTok | Social Media | Short viral videos often created on a cell phone | TikTok |
TikTok Ads | Social Media | Short video ads. Younger demographic, but expanding in other segments | TikTok |
Social Media | Fast-moving social media site; build a following and use hashtags to draw searchers | ||
Twitter Ads | Display | Promoted Tweets, Who To Follow inclusions, Promoted Trends, and Promoted Moments | |
Social Media | Visual discovery engine; primarily female demographic | ||
Pinterest Ads | Display | Ads appear as vertical 2″ x 4″ images going to another pinterest profile or directly to a website | |
Social Media | Discussion forums on lots of topics | ||
Reddit Ads | Display | Choose popular subreddits to post your Sponsored Links or Display Ads; allow comments on ads | |
Quora | Social Media | Question and answer forum | Quora |
Quora ads | Search | Ads as answers to questions from likely customers, or questions for which your product is the solution | Quora |
Snapchat Ads | Display | Messaging platform with Stories and custom filters for advertisers | Snapchat |
Affiliate Marketing | Affiliate | Pairing people needing advertising with affiliates that drive traffic and sales for commissions | Commission Junction, Share A Sale, Amazon Associates |
Groupon-style services | Affiliate | Mass email offers to potential customers, but you often lose 50% of the sale to the service | Groupon, Social Living |
Marketplaces | Miscellaneous | Companies that take a percentage of your sale but they provide the marketing/audience | CourseHorse, AppSumo, BrightTalk, Amazon, HaulDrop — see also Groupon |
Interviews | Miscellaneous | Getting yourself or your staff interviewed about your industry | Youtube, podcasts, blogs |
Webinars | Miscellaneous | Typically creating a sales funnel where attendees are retargeted via email | BrightTalk, EventBrite, Meetup, Facebook, Youtube, LinkedIn |
Comment marketing | Social Media | Participating in online forum communities with a link back to your site | various |
Native Advertising | Display | Fake articles and clickbait placed in news sites: “Around the Web” and “You Might Like” chumboxes | Taboola, Outbrain |
Influencer Marketing | Social Media | Getting influencers to promote your products: Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, etc. | Sparktoro, Grin, Upfluence |
Public Relations (digital) | Miscellaneous | Getting mentions or links in online articles | helpareporter.com, cision.com |
Industry Directories | Miscellaneous | Getting your listing in an authoritative industry directory | Houzz, Findlaw, Behance, Angie’s List, HomeAdvisor, etc. |
Industry Directory SEO | Search | Optimizing your listing in an industry directory so it ranks well for searches done on the site | various |
Clutch.co | Miscellaneous | Similar to Yelp, but for business-to-business services | clutch.co |
Data Brokers | Miscellaneous | Advertising to Facebook groups/interests or influencer audiences | leadEnforce.com, interestexplorer.io |
Demand Side Platforms | Display | Place your ads programmatically on various high-traffic websites | AdRoll, Amazon DSP, Verizon Media DSP, etc. |
Music Ads | Display | Video/audio ads between songs and displays on cover pages | Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, SoundCloud |
Podcast Ads or Sponsorships | Display | Audio ads or sponsors introduced in-segment by the host(s) | Captivate.fm, audiogo.com, podbean.com |
NFC beacons | Miscellaneous | Tap your cell phone on a location-specific embedded sticker to get a message | Typically handled by an agency |
Smart TV ads/channels | Miscellaneous | LG, Samsung, Roku, Vizio, etc. | Typically handled by an agency |
Push notifications | Miscellaneous | Opt-in ads on mobile and desktop, sometimes on browsers other times on the OS | Browserpush.com, leanplum.com |
Check-in incentive for Wifi | Miscellaneous | Facebook “check-in” required to use free Wifi in an office | |
Check-in requests | Social Media | Requesting users “check-in” so that their friends see that they’re at your business | Yelp, Facebook, FourSquare |
Browser Home Page Ads | Miscellaneous | Start page ads | Brave, Pocket (Firefox), Google Discovery Ads |
Bookmarking / Social Sharing | Miscellaneous | Social sharing and bookmarking sites | Digg, StumbleUpon |
Clubhouse app | Social Media | Audio-only social media platform | Clubhouse |
Slideshare | Miscellaneous | Document-sharing site where people can see your PowerPoints and infographics | Slideshare.net |
Leads from Website Visitors | Miscellaneous | Identifying otherwise anonymous visitors to your website | Leadfeeder.com, getEmails.com, SmartPixl |
Mobile Device In-App Ads | Miscellaneous | Place your ads in other people’s mobile apps | Google, Facebook, AdRoll |
Streaming TV Ads | TV | Video ads on Hulu, SlingTV, Crackle, and other OTT (over the top) devices | Roku OneView, Adacado, Roundel |
Geofencing | Miscellaneous | Ads retargeting or texting people whose cell phone entered a geofenced area around a store | GroundTruth, Thinknear, DigitalFactory |
Lead Generation Services | Miscellaneous | They do the outreach/advertising then provide you with the contact info to close the lead | MarketLeader, Cience, Leadium; individuals on fiverr |
Amazon Ads | Search | Product ads in search results on amazon.com | Amazon |
Target Ads | Search | Apply to display sponsored product panels in search results on target.com | Roundel, Target |
Walmart Ads | Search | Apply to display sponsored product panels in search results on walmart.com | Walmart |
eBay ads | Search | Promoted listings for eBay products; only pay for advertising if product sells | eBay |
Taobao/Tmall ads | Search | Paid product ads on Chinese ecommerce giants. | Taobao, Tmall (Alibaba), JD.com |
Robocalls | Miscellaneous | Illegal without written user opt-in — except political messages, charity requests, or service reminders. | DialMyCalls, Text-Em-All, etc. |
SMS blasts | Miscellaneous | Opt-in based messages to people’s cell phones; typically for delivery tracking, but also coupon opt-ins | Birdeye, Podium |