A while back I was reading an article in Marketing Magazine and this term popped out at me. Surround sound marketing is pretty much what its name implies - getting your message to your market from many different directions - channels, as marketers like to call them. That could be through print, web, interactive media, blogs and podcasts, trade shows, web advertising, sponsorships, newsletters, endorsements... you get the idea.

Surround sound marketing is built on the premise that people in your market take in information in different ways at different times - different channels, as they call it. You want to be there when they are. Just like surround sound with your home theatre, the experience is better when it's all coming from many different directions. You feel like you are part of it.

"OK", you say, "sounds good in theory, but my marketing budget is not unlimited." (You do have a budget, don't you?) "I can't afford be everywhere all the time." Very true. So, the answer is you don't need to be everywhere all the time. Be selective - be discriminating. Also remember that some channels don't have to cost a lot.