3000: That is the amount of advertisements we are exposed to everyday.                                                                                                                                                                           Billions: The amount spent on advertising every year in the United States.

     Clearly, these numbers prove that advertising and marketing are important to the growth and sales of any company in the U.S. These days, money can be spent on multiple forms of marketing communications. There’s traditional media advertising, event marketing and sponsorships, direct mail, and now online advertising. All these can be used to promote a product or service, but with all the new marketing tools, how do you know if your business is spending money in all the right places?

     When it comes to marketing, it is important to integrate multiple tools to see more results, but it is even more important that you do not just aimlessly pick a couple and put them to use. You need to pick methods that will get you in front of your target audience.

     Great inside sales people know that it is not just the job of the marketing department to create awareness; they also need to get out there and advertise. Sales reps should know who they are looking to sell to, and they need to get in front of them. Social media, personal selling and direct mail are just some of the tools that inside sales people can use to reach a targeted market. For example, they can tweet about a promotion or sale that is coming up, and they can post a new blog to their Facebook. The important part is to realize which of these marketing forms will reach the right people. So, if you are trying to contact an older generation, then Facebook may not be the right tool; it may just be a waste of time.

     Great sales people know that if they want to meet their bottom-line then they need to help promote their product or service, but even greater sales people know that not all touch points are equally important and they need to harness the tools that work the best for their target audience. Find out what tools work best for your company, and encourage your employees to use them to sell. By using the right touch points to sell your product, you will more effectively promote your product, and you will begin to see your sales progress.