In today’s marketing landscape, it is no secret that most of your customers are online. If they weren’t before, they definitely are right now.
With your customers online, there are also several channels that you can use to reach your customers such as:

  • Physical Stores
  • Website
  • Blogs
  • Social Media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok)
  • Pay-per-click (PPC) Advertising (Search & Social Ads)
  • Email Marketing
  • Guest Posts
  • SMS
  • Review Sites
  • Apps
  • Direct Mail
  • Radio
  • Newspaper
  • Television

This is not even an exhaustive list.
With so many options, it can be very overwhelming to keep a consistent presence across all platforms.
In fact, you’ll hear many gurus tell you to choose a few platforms to focus on…so you focus on the platforms where you think your customers are.
That was fine in the past but not today.
In today’s marketing landscape, you cannot afford to pick and choose where you meet your customers.
Your strategy needs to be able to meet your customers wherever they are, and that is why you need a Multi-Channel Marketing Strategy.

Why invest in a multi-channel marketing strategy?

Compared to a decade ago, a lot of things have changed completely.
We are now faced with consumers who, before buying, do research by going through different marketing channels (cross-channel) and different types of devices (cross-device).
Customers search on google, shop on amazon, catch up with friends on social media, etc.
Investing only in one channel will make you visible at just one point of the customer journey. While that may get you in front of your ideal customers, it is not enough.
The best approach is to get in front of your customers on every channel that they use and at every point of the customer journey. This will keep you top of mind with existing and potential customers.
To effectively carry this out, you need a Multi-Channel Strategy.

How to create a multi-channel marketing strategy.

Data Analysis
To create a multi-channel marketing strategy, you will need to start with a data analysis.
If your business is already present on the web, study the data collected over time to understand how your current efforts are performing and how it can be improved.
If your company is just starting to build an online presence, then the approach is a little bit longer.
In fact, if there is no historical data available, you will have to rely on your experience and make some calculated guesses based on surveys and research.
Map Out The Customer Journey
Every customer goes through a journey with your company, from when they first hear about you to when they become customers and then, advocates for your company.
Your job is to map out this customer journey step-by-step and identify the different touch points that your customer will interact with you.

Identify Channels & Objectives

Next, you need to identify all the possible channels that you will use. When you do, decide the role each platform will play and what the objectives for each channel.
For example:
Google Display Network is primarily for awareness.
Search ads are primarily for conversion when the customer is making a final decision.
Emails are for following up.
Facebook is to keep your brand top-of-mind, etc.
Being able to do this lets you know exactly how each channel should work and flow together.

Attribution
After doing all this, you will also need to find the right attribution model to correctly evaluate the performance of the different marketing campaigns.

“A channel that seems to have poor performance, could prove to be fundamental because it may be users’ initial touchpoint with the company.”

For attribution, Google Analytics is the tool to use.
In Google Analytics, you can see the results obtained and also see which are the “paths” most followed by users to get to the conversion.

Offline Channels

A multi-channel marketing strategy does not only include those that are online marketing channels, but also offline media (TV, radio, newspapers, posters).
Being able to combine online and offline is of paramount importance, especially if your company also has physical stores.
Your goal is to be everywhere your customers could possibly be.
It certainly is not easy tracking results for offline campaigns, but there are numerous methods to measure the results of campaigns in the offline world.
These include:

  • Discount codes
  • QR code
  • Questionnaires
  • Call monitoring

What’s Next?

One is the most dangerous number in business.
It is unthinkable to invest in a single marketing channel. Not only are you leaving a lot of money on the table, but you are also leaving room for a competitor to do what you failed to do; DOMINATE YOUR MARKET.
Consumer behavior is increasingly dynamic and it will take your customer multiple touchpoints with your company before they decide to become paying customers.
You NEED a Multi-Channel Strategy.
If implementing this by yourself seems daunting, we’re here to help. See how we can help you deploy a multi-channel campaign for your organization.