What is omnichannel marketing?
Similar to multichannel, omnichannel marketing is when various customer-facing channels are streamlined so that consistent messaging is being taken to market. Messaging, promotions and campaign content are integrated so that regardless of where a customer interacts with your business, they have a consistent experience.
The importance of omnichannel
Increased Reach and Visibility
Omnichannel marketing gives a consistent customer experience across various marketing channels, including:
- Website
- Social media
- Paid digital advertising
- Paid offline advertising (including billboards, tv and radio)
- Email marketing
- Signage and in-store tactics
- Sales led activity
In doing so, brands can maximise their visibility and connect with a wider audience.
By leveraging different channels to market, businesses can ensure their message reaches a wider range of consumers.
Enhanced Customer Experience
Omnichannel is also key in providing a seamless and consistent experience across the customer journey. Generally, marketers work off the premise that it takes over eight touchpoints before someone becomes a lead. In taking a streamlined approach across channels, customers are presented with consistent messaging and the look and feel of your brand. This consistency will help to improve brand recall over time.
Building a Solid Omnichannel Strategy
Identifying Your Target Audience
When building your campaign, identifying who the campaign is targeting is essential. Understanding your prospects' behaviours will allow you to target customers with the right call to action at the right time.
Selecting the Right Channels
Once you have identified your audience, select the channels they interact with along your customer journey. If you have run previous activity, analyse previous data and use this in your channel selection decisions.
Consistent Branding and Messaging
A key aspect of omnichannel marketing compared to multichannel is the consistency in the customer experience across channels. You may need to develop a set of assets that are specific to the campaign you are working on to be used across channels. This may include:
- Social media tiles
- Video
- Website landing page
- TV advertisement
- PPC banners
- Blog posts
- Sales collateral
An important thing to remember is that call to actions should be relevant to the channel you are using for the best customer experience possible.
Tracking and Measuring Results
Before pressing play on your omnichannel strategy, take a moment to look at how you will measure success and what tools you have in place to help track performance.
Consistent Messaging = Consistent Brand Experience
Omnichannel marketing improves reach and improves your customer experience. By providing a consistent message across various customer-facing channels, businesses are more likely to create a long-lasting brand identity.
