In your time on this earth as a business owner, you’ve likely come across a brand that seems to do no wrong when it comes to getting their name out there. They seem to have something special and they’re everywhere! If it’s not tight and compelling visuals on Instagram, it’s excellent copy on Facebook, a blog or SMS campaign. Whatever the case, their marketing messages have a certain character that sticks in your mind. This my friends is most likely omnichannel marketing in action.
It goes beyond traditional strategies and aims to integrate various marketing channels all for a seamless customer experience. It’s exciting stuff and not as hard as it looks, so let’s get into it and find out how to best harness omnichannel marketing for your next campaign.
What is omnichannel marketing?
Omnichannel marketing is all about creating the environment for a cohesive customer experience. The idea is, that customers interacting with your products will get the same friendly user experience whether they come into your brick-and-mortar locations or are checking you out online… wherever that may be.
If you’re still feeling lost, it might help to understand what omnichannel marketing is not.
Multichannel marketing vs. omnichannel marketing
Multichannel marketing has a product-centric approach versus the customer-centric approach of omnichannel marketing. In other words, multichannel efforts operate in silos, with each channel functioning independently. In this context your marketing messages may differ across different channels.
Omnichannel marketing takes it a step further. The aim being to create a cohesive and interconnected customer journey. As an example, after an in-store purchase, a customer might be asked for their email address to get a receipt. This can serve as an electronic reminder of your brand while putting them on a list for any upcoming promotional emails. Ultimately, an omnichannel approach responds to the customers needs and adapts itself accordingly.
However, be warned, having an omnichannel marketing approach is more than copying and pasting and hoping for the best. For a truly sophisticated omnichannel marketing strategy, knowing how and when to deliver your message is important.
Why integrate email & SMS into your omnichannel
Anyone well-versed in marketing, can tell you that having an email and SMS strategy built into your campaign can supercharge your brand’s open and click-through rates. Email marketing remains a powerful tool for getting personalised content into your user’s inbox, and SMS marketing is an immediate way to engage with consumers on their mobile devices. Having these tools in your omnichannel marketing toolbox can help you meet your customers where they’re at.
Pro-tip: Consider automating an SMS for any customers shopping in-store…while a timely email or ad might be warranted for anyone who has shown some interest in an online product.
Benefits of an omnichannel marketing strategy
Greater reach & increased sales
Increased reach typically leads to higher conversion rates and ultimately boost sales. Not only that, but with omnichannel marketing, you get a better look at the customer journey. So all in all, getting the word out across different channels spells good news for your brand.
Optimised customer experience
You might have the most patient and understanding customer base in the world, and even they would have a hard time jumping through hoops to make a purchase. By providing the best experience for your customers, you play from a position of strength:
- It’s easier for your customers to navigate across platforms
- A cohesive message means there is less room for misinterpretation
- Having a consistent presence increases brand recognition and enhanced brand loyalty.
- Positive customer experiences lead to positive comments, reviews and recommendations
Pro-tip: Part of ensuring a great customer experience is making sure you have a plan for when things go askew. Having a dedicated team responding to customer concerns is a great place to start.
Improved ROI
A stand-out omnichannel strategy isn’t just a savvy marketing move, it’s a great business move too. Putting in the yards now means a greater chance your business will see a higher return on investment (ROI). Not only that, but creating a streamlined approach to your brand’s content means that you have more time to focus on other things…Like optimising your business’ marketing spend and deciding which channels deserve more attention.
Competitive advantage
In a highly competitive market, having your brand standout is crucial. As it so happens, omnichannel marketing is a pretty easy way to make that happen. The good news being that most businesses still rely on multichannel marketing strategies. While the initial effort to get your omnichannel strategy off the ground may require a little more from you, the pay-off can be great. It’s worth noting that it only takes 3 marketing channels to yield a 90% higher customer retention rate, so imagine the results if you doubled down on your brand’s message, by combining social, email and SMS.
How to build a successful omnichannel marketing campaign
Create your website landing page
To really get your omnichannel marketing campaign to make some waves, you want to make sure your online presence is up to scratch, and this starts with a well-designed website. It’s a good idea to imagine your website as the central hub for your brand. Here customers can learn all about you, from your products and services to why you do what you do.
Pro-tip: To give your website the best chance for success, make sure it’s visually appealing, user-friendly, and optimised for various devices and settings ie. light and dark mode, or customers using screen reader technology.
Add a channel to accommodate each stage of the customer journey
To better understand the various stages of your customer’s journey it’s a good idea to determine which channels work with each stage. Social media is great for getting your name out there and creating brand awareness. Email is generally good at nurturing leads, while SMS comes in handy for transactional communication. By strategically incorporating channels, you can guide your customers seamlessly through the sales funnel at every step of the way.
Keep consistent messaging across channels
Consistency is key in omnichannel marketing. Keeping your brand front of mind is made easier when you’ve put the thought into how to deliver your brand’s message across platforms. It shouldn’t matter whether a customer encounters your brand on social media, through email, or on your website, the messaging should scream you. At the end of the day, having a well established brand identity helps build brand recognition and trust.
Have a central landing page to direct traffic
Having a landing page on your website, blog or social channels not only makes your content and offers clear but it guides visitors towards taking a specific action. Whether it’s making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter or accessing exclusive content, it’s all there in one convenient location. Making it easier for customers to explore everything you’ve got on show.
Report & optimise
When it comes to fine tuning your marketing campaign, it’s a good idea to check-in with how each of your channels are performing. With insights into how customers are engaging with your content, to customer behaviour and conversion rates you can better optimise your campaign and re-distribute your resources accordingly.
When to use omnichannel marketing
Flash sales or new releases
Once you’ve leveraged your channels, your brand is in a good position to reach a broader audience and create a widespread social buzz. This kind of pull makes omnichannel marketing ideal for promoting flash sales and new releases.
With a range of content making features, you can build anticipation for an upcoming sale or release a product teaser. This kind of hype can be bolstered by a well-timed email or SMS campaign designed to rehash all of the important details that might have been missed.
Event promotion
Whether you’re hosting a physical or virtual event, an omnichannel marketing approach makes sure the announcement of your event makes all the necessary rounds on your channels. Depending on your audience you can use one platform to announce your event and promote or remind guests through another. Instagram, like Facebook, now has an event feature which can be followed up with an automated SMS reminder for anyone who says they’re attending or email invites to really maximise on attendance.
Pro-tip: If you’re looking to create a buzz around your brand or an event (any promotion really) hosting a competition is one way to get people talking. You might like to giveaway two tickets to an upcoming event and invite people to enter via a link in your bio.
Re-engagement/Retargeting campaigns
Sometimes all it takes is a gentle nudge in the form of an abandoned cart SMS or email, or a target social media ad (or all of the above). Omnichannel re-engagement campaigns cover all grounds, from personalised emails, to targeted social media ads, and SMS reminders, reigniting interest and encouraging a return to your platform.
Final Takeaway
Bringing all your channels to the table and having them mingle is what we call omnichannel marketing. All your channels working together can help your business stand-out. Not only is it good for building customer rapport with consistent messaging, it can help your business unlock its full potential and maximise your impact in our ever digital landscape.
If you’re ready to take your business to new heights, Vision6 by Constant Contact is here to help.
