Tech-savvy customers expect information when they want it and where they want it. Multi-channel marketing allows businesses to reach their target audience through a multitude of platforms and devices throughout their daily journey. Businesses that effectively integrate a multichannel marketing plan will not only increase sales and customer loyalty but improve the overall experience for the consumer. Which ultimately leads to higher brand awareness and conversions.

There are many forms and strategies depending on the business objectives, goals, budget and resources. Companies need to understand and analyze their customer’s behavior to utilize the most successful mix of multi-channels. There are a myriad of channel options including some digital choices such as search, display, social and mobile. With search marketing or SEM companies try to gain website traffic through either paid services PPC or organic methods of keyword optimization SEO. Display marketing is a disruptive form of advertising using digital banner ads or flashing videos etc. They are designed to catch viewers’ attention while on other websites. Social marketing is an effective way for customers to spread brand awareness through word of mouth, referrals and leads on social media platforms.

Mobile marketing is a crucial, fast and important growth areas for multi-channel marketing.

Mobile Marketing

Mobile marketing is a crucial, fast and important growth areas for multichannel marketing. Quite frankly most everyone is using their phones to do business. Company’s mobile marketing strategies can utilize geotargeting through the use of location-based GPS apps to push personalized ads based on a person’s location. Literally a customer can be walking by a ski shop, for example, and get hit with an ad from a sports store who has access to that potential customers location. It is a definite necessity for companies to embrace multichannel marketing to effectively get their brand out there in the world to reach new clients and engage existing ones.

The strength of multi-channel marketing lies in the ability for one channel to help support another channel.

Multi-channel Marketing

The strength of multichannel marketing lies in the ability for one channel to help support another channel. For example, Uncle Joe’s Petshop decides to run a pop-up digital banner geotargeting ad on Facebook selling their new dog bones. Tommy, a potential customer, is wasting time surfing on Facebook nearby when suddenly he gets hit with a pop-up ad with fluffy on it. Joe’s Petshop is offer a 10% discount on dog bones if customers sign up for a membership.  Well, Tommy has a dog and out of curiosity clicks the pop-up ad. This multiple channel approach helped create a new client touchpoint and conversion that would not have existed with just one channel. In that scenario what if that company didn’t have a mobile friendly site or didn’t have the banner ad in the first place. If that company had used a single channel, such as email only, that ad might have gone to the client’s junk folder. Companies are more likely to attract and retain clients with multichannel marketing options that interact with them throughout their day. In this case, that company gained a conversion because a client just happened to be suffering the web and was intrigued by something. By analyzing customers behaviors and information such as demographics, locations, and devices companies can better target and personalize marketing campaigns.

Key to Success

An integrated multi-channel marketing plan is vital for any company to succeed in today’s highly competitive digital world.