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If you’re new to multi-channel campaigns or are wondering why multi-channel marketing is important in today’s evolving digital landscape, you’ve come to the right place. Multi-channel campaigns are a vital way to succeed online and get your product or service in front of the right customers at the right time.
Want a kickass multi-channel digital marketing strategy that will scale your business? At Major marketing, we create value through performance from idea to launch and beyond.
Multi-channel marketing is when many different channels are used to reach customers under one unified campaign or strategy. This runs counter to old-school marketing campaigns where businesses might have run a campaign on a single channel, like print.
With multi-channel marketing, if a digital shop was running a sale, they would market that sale via multiple channels. These channels could include email, social, blog posts, display ads and more.
When you consider the way we interact online today, you’ll start to see why multi-channel is an important strategy for your business. We each have our own unique online habits. Some of us prefer reading blogs to scrolling on social and others love it when our favorite brand newsletter hits our inbox. Multi-channel understands that the best way to reach an individual is to cater to their specific preferences and needs.
A multi-channel marketing strategy is, above all, a unified one. Marketers identify specific customer personas and journeys to determine the path a customer might follow from one of their channels to the point of purchase.
Mapping a customer flow is a vital part of any multi-channel strategy and marketers craft a consistent message so that customers can have a seamless experience should they jump from one channel to another.
A strong multi-channel strategy will also consider that different channels have different needs. For instance, a social presence requires a level of interaction and engagement. Each channel is selected intentionally and with a deep understanding of what works on that particular channel.
Research has shown that multi-channel retail customers spend two to five times more than single-channel retail customers. These customers are smart, savvy purchasers who know what they want. Some of them conduct their research by reading articles, while others interact with brands online before they buy.
Multi-channel marketing recognizes that no two channels are alike and use each channel intentionally. Below, we’ll walk through some channels and talk about how they play into a healthy media mix to drive results.
Social media has an important role in a multi-channel approach and strategy. Social is a high-frequency, low-cost point of contact and will likely be the first place your customers meet your brand. This is where you should go to tell your brand story and define your brand personality.
Building strong relationships and connections on these platforms is key. It’s also a space for ongoing awareness and reinforcement of brand messaging that’s occurring across other channels. Social media’s targeting opportunities also allow you to reach potential customers who are encountering a specific problem or pain point that your business can solve.
Think of social media as your first hello and ongoing check-in with customers. Your social presence is like the friendly person standing at the front of your digital store. This is the person you want to represent the face of your brand or company image. You want them to be helpful, courteous and fantastic communicators. You want them to be able to point customers to helpful resources when they’re in need.
A smart multi-channel strategy will integrate search in its foundation. The goal of a successful search strategy is to bring the right customers to your site at the right moment: that means the perfect customer at the perfect point in their buying journey.
Purchase intent is defined as how close a customer is to buying something. Let’s say a customer needs a new dishwasher. They might begin their journey with a quick Google search for a product or service in their area. Then they might start looking up FAQ articles. After that, they might start reading specific product reviews. Then they might start landing on specific product pages.
By understanding when your potential customers are ready to buy and what they’re searching for at that moment, you can optimize your site for select search terms and queries. That way, you can usher in quality leads to your sales funnel: customers who are ready to add that product to their online cart.
If search is about ushering in the right people at the right time, email is all about keeping and maintaining positive customer relationships. Think about your own inbox and what brands add value to your ongoing experience. Companies who are blasting their base with discounts and coupons are likely relegated to your spam or promotions inbox, but there are cases of brands using email to successfully engage customers in a multi-channel strategy.
The Google Nest Home Report is one example. Nest users will know this report well. Recognizing that their customer base is data-obsessed, Google provides a monthly infographic style breakdown of energy use in a customer’s home. Not only does this report help energy-conscious types keep their usage in check, but it also maintains an ongoing dialogue between customer and brand. The Home Report uses consistent language as Nest does on other channels, like social and web, to make sure that customers continue to have a positive, memorable and above all, useful, experience with their Google product.
Like the sounds of multi-channel marketing? At Major, we specialize in social, search, email marketing and so much more. We schedule 30-minute complimentary consultations so you can get to know us and learn more about what we can do to grow your business with a multi-channel strategy.
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