Multi-channel marketing is becoming an essential part of running a business
Customers want an integrated experience where every aspect of the buying process is seamless. If a shopper searches for something on your website, they’d like special offers presented to them on their phone or tablet.
As a business owner, it’s your job to reach out to these shoppers through various channels by creating a multi-channel marketing plan. By using more than one medium to advertise to your customers, you can ensure that you’re on their mind when the time comes to buy.
What is multi-channel marketing?
Multi-channel marketing means that you use a variety of methods to reach your customers. The types of marketing that you might use include:
- Online advertising
- Content marketing
- Email marketing
- Mobile marketing
- Retail storefronts
- Direct mail
- Mail-order catalogs
You’ll have to experiment to find what works best for your business, but the idea is to reach customers in many different ways. There are a variety of methods you could use to ensure that your platforms are connected.
For example, you can use two channels together by putting your URL on direct mail advertising, phone numbers on your online ads, and hashtags on TV shows. This type of advertising encourages customers who encounter one kind of marketing to interact with a different part of the sales funnel.
The more you can bring these mediums together, the more interaction you have with your customers.
The benefits of multi-channel marketing
The reason to use all of these marketing methods is that your customers could be anywhere.
There isn’t a standard profile for the modern consumer, as some people read the newspaper, others get their news from TV, the radio, or Twitter. By advertising in all of these places, you can be confident that you’re reaching the right people.
Multi-channel marketers also receive more attention, which increases their brand recognition. For example, businesses that advertise on YouTube receive a staggering uptick in Google searches. This increased exposure makes sense because 1.9 billion users log into YouTube each month, and 83% of ads receive the attention of the viewer.
By having a presence across multiple mediums, you allow your customers to choose their favorite ways to interact with you. Since every customer will have different preferences, you won’t risk leaving anyone behind by only using specific methods.
The more marketing methods you use, the easier it is for you to collect data. Social media interactions, Google searches, ad clicks, and opened emails all provide insight into an individual customer. The more you know about this customer, the better you can tailor your ads and offers to meet his or her needs.
Difficulties you can experience
As with any other form of marketing, you could encounter some problems with your multi-channel strategy.
For starters, you could find that you prefer using a specific medium. As a result, you might find yourself trying to funnel customers to your store when they’d prefer to order through your website. In this situation, you will have to assess what’s best for business and adjust your strategy as needed.
Multi-channel marketing also puts a lot on your plate when coordinating everything. You might find it overwhelming when using all these different channels, which is why having a system in place is necessary.
If you’re serious about developing your omnichannel marketing strategy and can stick with the system after its implementation, you’ll find yourself attracting more sales from these customers.
Coming up with a marketing strategy for your business
Multi-channel marketing is essential to the success of your business because you’ll reach more customers and attract more sales. By integrating these marketing channels into a single strategy, you’ll find that your plan is much easier to operate.
Sophelle assists retailers in creating omnichannel marketing strategies and helps them implement them. Winning retailers cater to the needs of their customers, and your marketing strategy is a big part of the process. Contact us today for more information on what Sophelle can do for you.
