What is Multichannel Marketing?

Multichannel marketing. Might sound like a complicated word, but trust me it isn’t. 

Wait till I break it down for you.

So you have a business. Doesn’t matter what. Whatever service or products you are selling, you want people to buy it, right? But how do you promote it in front of your audience? 

I am not talking about telling family and friends, but a larger audience who can be your potential customers. 

With the advancement of technology, the world has moved past the conventional ad techniques like TV and radio. 

Back in the day, a consumer would use only one medium to shop, and that’s retail. But now there are multiple options.

Social media, Google, apps, websites and many more. 

Being stagnant is death. Every business needs some strategies or methods to take off its flight and touch the sky. It can be possible in many ways.

One of such options is marketing. Now, marketing is divided into many sectors. One of the most important sectors is multichannel marketing through which some big names like Apple, Starbucks, Microsoft, Amazon, Flipkart are prevailing over their peers. They have applied the multichannel marketing strategy and achieved its fruit. They have captured every segment of society.

Today, multichannel marketing for eCommerce businesses has been the apple of the eye. If your business is thriving to grab the audiences’ attention, then you should read this article. 

To spread your online business, you must know the nitty-gritty of multichannel marketing for eCommerce so that you can apply it in the rightful way. It’s a very effective strategy to improve your brand awareness and build a level of trust among your audience. 

But, before digging deep into the article, let’s see what is multichannel marketing?

What is Multichannel Marketing?

The term might be alien to a new marketer but the old ones know its power. Multi-channel marketing is such a strategy to grab people’s attention in every possible way. It consists of social media, email, TV, radio, newspaper, banners, etc. In short, you need to come into the online and offline world simultaneously.

Multichannel marketing helps your business to spread across the target audience at the right time. Marketers rely on both platforms because they know the customers can come from any part.

Some people prefer offline media over online platforms. If you want to capture the audience who like TV, newspapers more, then you must reach there through a specific channel. The same applies to people who like Social media more. So, you must know your target audience. There are multiple ways to market your business, and these strategies will help you hit the right spot in your business growth. 

Why is Multichannel Marketing Important?

There is a very famous proverb in marketing – Go where your customers are. Today, there are so many channels that can give you exposure to different segments of people. The customers can get information from everywhere and it is difficult to think that they are only on one channel. 

It is only possible by multichannel marketing to go to their threshold through different channels. It is very possible that the eCommerce business is going to see an increase through multichannel marketing. 

Address the Areas to be Accomplished 

I hope, till now,  you have been aware of the multichannel marketing concept. Now, let me discuss the areas you need to follow up on. As you are applying a multichannel marketing strategy for your eCommerce business, you should check the areas to accomplish your goal. 

Brand Awareness

You will pick out the channels that can increase the awareness of your brand. There are multiple channels so you need to check on your target audience. 

Message

Not only increasing awareness of the brand can make you last for a long time but you should write a message that is effective to your target customers. In simple words, it’s your voice that resonates. 

Consistency

As the term suggests, you have to be consistent with your message. There are too many channels to handle and consistency is one of the most important keys to a successful multichannel marketing strategy. 

Engagement

Be engaged with your prospect. It creates an impact on your target customers. Be it social media or websites, try to answer their queries. 

Experience

Multichannel marketing follows an accumulation of many social channels. It means you should focus on their experience rather than yours. Integrating all the channels can give them an exceptional and seamless experience.

Advantages of Multichannel Marketing

As you see, Multichannel has the power to grab the different types of people through different types of media. Through this strategy, you come across millions of potential customers that were not possible through one channel of promotion. Here are some of the significant advantages of multichannel marketing.

Increases the brand awareness

As more and more users are coming online, it would be a great opportunity for all businesses to use various online platforms. Through multichannel marketing, you get a huge audience from different segments. 

Suppose, one user is accustomed to Instagram only and you are on Facebook, you should go there and spread your business. If you can capture their attention on every platform, you are ahead in the game. Your eCommerce business automatically reaches out to millions of people.

Increases sales and revenue

According to the statistics, multichannel marketing generates 24% more ROI than single-channel marketing. An increase in brand awareness doesn’t always mean you will get the changes in revenue. You can expect some significant changes after you apply the multichannel marketing strategy. 

There are a lot of users who want to gain more information about your business through different channels. So, it is necessary to use the power of all the platforms where your targeted audience can be. If you can convince your audience or gain confidence, you might see an increase in sales and revenue as well.

Getting ahead in the Competition

Some of your peers might not be using the impeccable power of multichannel marketing. This is an opportunity for your eCommerce business to go to online media to gain more traffic and stay ahead in the game. 

But remember the online world is also very competitive. Checking the insights of your competitor in the same area can give you more advantage and let your business skyrocket.   

And of course, one more point to mention is the brand engagement you get through this strategy.

Brand Engagement

This is yet another advantage that increases your brand engagement on online platforms. You don’t get an instant reaction through offline channels. As many users interact with your content, you will get to see the increment in engagement. You will get this information through any analysis feature provided by most of the platforms.  

Marketing has always been one of the center points of any business. Following some strategies of multichannel marketing, you will be able to make your brand future-ready. Let’s see 10 ways of multichannel marketing to boost your eCommerce business. 

Key elements of Multichannel Marketing

It’s very difficult to go for traditional marketing as a havoc amount of budget is needed there. On the other hand, internet marketing makes it easier to deal with all the nooks and corners of advertising or marketing. Let’s confine yourself to the second one.   

Email Marketing

To gain a long-term relationship with your prospect, Email marketing is recommended everywhere. Some Email services like HubSpot or SendPulse allow you to send bulk emails, create templates, and manage mailing lists. With an email marketing strategy, you can cover processes like shopping cart abandonment, onboarding, upselling, etc through email workflows.  

Social Media Marketing

Another powerful element in this list is social media marketing. You can advertise for your target audiences through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. It’s an amazing way to gain millions of audiences through video ads, carousels, slideshows, images, etc.   

Messenger Marketing

By creating a chatbot for Messenger, you can promote your business easily. You can collect orders and answer their queries as well. 

SMS

According to analysis, SMS has a 95% of open rate. It proves that your business reaches potential customers. It’s an effective business tool that you can use through SendPulse. 

Web Push Notifications

This is used for informing people about news, event updates, blog materials, how-tos, etc. This is what you see on the corner of the screen while you are browsing any site.  

Multichannel Marketing VS Omnichannel Marketing

We frequently get confused between two terms, Multichannel and Omnichannel. Though there is not much difference, you might take both concepts like this. 

In simple words, in multi-channel marketing, all the channels (Facebook, Instagram, Website, Pinterest) operate separately but in omnichannel marketing, all the channels are connected with each other so that the users can get a flawless experience. Multichannel marketing doesn’t integrate or connect each other. All the channels work separately. In terms of Omnichannel marketing, you connect Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, main website with one thread. 

Through omnichannel marketing, you are sending your customers to the exact place where they eventually have to buy the product. Suppose, you have made an ad on every social media channel and you want your customer to come to the main website to buy the product. Then, you should integrate all the channels to provide the correct direction that ultimately goes to the main website.

10 Ways towards a successful brand building

Understand Customer Journey

Keeping customer’s buying experience in mind can help you make a proper multichannel marketing strategy for your eCommerce business. A buyer goes through certain stages of buying. They go through mainly three stages – 

The customer becomes aware of the product

In this stage, a buyer gets to know about your product. They check everything in a product.

Compare products with others

In this stage, they compare your product with others. They can check blogs, videos,  podcasts, etc to check if your product has any issues or not. 

Take the decision of purchasing

They take the decision if the product is suitable to buy or not. 

It is inevitable to guide your buyer at every stage of purchasing. Make sure you add value to your buyer’s journey.

Experiments Need to Be Curtailed   

Too many experiments might prove to be less effective for your business. As we are heading towards the future filled with too many platforms, it might be confusing sometimes, which to handle properly.  

The experiment is a good thing but too many experiments should be curtailed. New platforms are regularly coming. Some of them continue to evolve while some get lost. 

In order to be effective, you shouldn’t concentrate on numerous channels. Think about your affordability. If you can leverage the new platform easily or see the potential growth in that new platform, then you can go there. Remember that reputation always go on top. Reputation can make or break your business. 

Customer-centric Approach with Singular Messaging

To make multichannel marketing more effective, you need to care about your customers. Paying attention to customer feedback is one of the significant matters to improve the quality of business. There might be many channels through which your team connects to your customers. Your persona is very important here because using this you can target a particular segment of society.  

Make sure you interact with your customers through one particular channel. It increases the reputation of your brand. Replies might be different on every platform but they should not confuse the users. Poor replies can damage the reputation of your business. The right message at the right time will make the multichannel marketing campaign more fruitful.

Understand the Nitty-gritty of Each Channel

You might have many different social channels but you need to understand every nook and corner of each platform. That’s how you can apply different strategies for those platforms. Like, we all know that Instagram is hungry for spectacular visuals whereas LinkedIn is best suited for editorial articles. 

Creating various types of content for different platforms can grab more audiences to your site. 

Integrated Approach via multiple channels

As multichannel marketing caters to several channels, it becomes confusing for the customer to understand where they are heading. Here comes the omnichannel concept. You might be wondering what it exactly is. Go on. 

If you compare the difference between multichannel marketing VS omnichannel marketing, you will not get much difference. In simple words, in multi-channel marketing, all the channels (Facebook, Instagram, Website, Pinterest) operate separately but in omnichannel marketing, all the channels are connected with each other so that the users can get a flawless experience.

Through omnichannel marketing, you are sending your customers to the exact place where they eventually have to buy the product. Suppose, you have made an ad on every social media channel and you want your customer to come to the main website to buy the product. Then, you should integrate all the channels to provide the correct direction that goes ultimately goes to the main website.

Use Automation to Provide Instant Service

With the help of automation, it has been easier to provide flawless service to customers. Through the automation process, you are able to instantly chat with your customer. 

The automation process uses chatbots through which a customer gets customer support immediately. There is no need to answer your customers repetitively. The chatbot can help you to do so. Whenever they need human assistance, the chatbot will redirect your customer to the right person. 

Your marketing team can also be relieved by the automation service. 

Use CRM to Leverage Significant Data

CRM or Customer Relationship Management software allows you to keep track of all the necessary details of your business. You can record customer information, sale opportunities, partnerships, and so on. 

Using CRM software, you can gain important information across several channels. It gives your brand more operational visibility and an overview of sales. Also, you should allow your users to use various devices like desktop, mobile, etc. It will be easier for everyone to deal with every social platform effortlessly. HubSpot’s CMS hub will be a better platform to check your website’s visual experience. 

Smooth Order Fulfilment

This is yet another multichannel marketing strategy for the eCommerce business. Many online businesses are coming with unique strategies to provide a smooth experience to their customers. 

Various types of customers are there around the globe. Some want to get their order to their doorstep while some want it on the same day. Some may prefer to buy from the physical store. As you are running an eCommerce business, you need to optimize what the customer wants. 

Measure the Performance of Multichannel Marketing Strategy

Multiple channels in hand need to be frequently checked so that you can understand your loopholes. Make sure to check which channels are performing better or worse, which channels are influencing others, etc.

Three models you can follow – 

Linear Attribution Model

All touch points equally per sale, not the account influence.

Time Decay Model

Provide the most recent touchpoints.

position-Based Model

Provide attribution to touchpoints of certain stages of the lead cycle.

Focus on Retargeting

This is yet another very effective and powerful method of capturing bounced traffic from your website. Using the multichannel marketing strategy, you are on various platforms. When viewers bounce away from one to another, they confront retargeting ads on other platforms where you are prevailing. The retargeting method can convince them to go to your website.

Seamless Order Placement and Transaction Option

A buyer may use more than one device and it has been common over the years. It is always expected that the customers can place an order and pay for it easily without any hassle.   

So, as an eCommerce person, you need to take care of the technical side also. You must keep track that there are no technical glitches; the process from the order placement to the transaction is hassle-free as well as user-friendly. You need to ensure that they don’t have to enter their information intermittently whenever they buy a product. Keep in mind their personal information must be secured. 

Voice Search Optimization

As we are heading with advanced cutting-edge technology, we are witnessing more unique things in our lives. Nowadays, voice-powered search is increasing every day. We have seen the user increment in Google Assistant or Amazon Echo. According to analysis, 40% of the users have used voice-powered search for consumer-related products. 

13.  Nurture Customer Relationship

Who is your business for? Certainly, the customers. Ultimately they are the ones who can fuel the engine of your business. Nurturing a good relationship with the customers can help your business to grow more. Sometimes, people take this less seriously about this strategy but this is one of the first and foremost strategies you should embrace. 

Work on mobile apps, websites to make them more user-friendly. Make sure your customer support team is always available to help your customers.  As much as you provide them with support, they will spread your business by word of mouth.

Best Practises of Multichannel Marketing

You may confront some issues while applying a multichannel marketing strategy to your eCommerce business. Let’s see how you can resolve those issues. 

• Spread your business to other channels  

If you are not getting more success, you should go on other channels. Don’t just stick to one channel. You may notice more traffic after spreading your business to other channels. Sometimes, you may confront people who are not good at emails or messenger or vice versa.  So, you should definitely check it out to grow more. 

• Go on Other Channels Gradually

As you start promoting your business, you should choose only one or two platforms. When you see improvement, gradually implement your business on other platforms.  

• Look for Buyer Persona

An understanding of buyer persona can quickly open the door of your eCommerce business to grow rapidly. After you know your buyer persona, you can easily decorate your strategy for appropriate marketing channels. 

• Remember providing value over selling tricks

Why is Apple so popular over others? Every platform, nowadays, provides more or fewer discounts. But it doesn’t attract long-term customers. What holds long-term customers is the value the company provides. Make sure you focus on values over selling tricks. 

• Stick to a Communication Style for a Particular Channel

Every channel has a particular tone. Find out what your tine is for that particular channel and stick to it. Multiple channels have multiple communication styles. Find out your communication style for each and every platform. 

Challenges of Multichannel Marketing

As we start something new, we face challenges and trouble. And it is natural. Whenever you go for big purposes, you should confront challenges. It teaches many things. But what challenges do you feel in multichannel marketing?

• Exact Message to the Right Customer

As there are hundreds of platforms, you must target the exact message to the right customer. Not only the target message but it should be attentive, and receptive as well.  

• Limit the High-Budget Campaign

If you are creating a high-budget campaign, then you should limit it. Make sure you focus on touchpoints and micro-campaigns. Nobody wants to lose their customers just because of highly decorated campaigns. 

• Track Marketing Response Accurately

 It is very difficult to track what triggers people to buy a thing. To get the best result, you should understand the touchpoints that triggered them to buy.  

How Can You Overcome the Challenges?

You, obviously wondering about how to overcome the challenges. There are three steps you can follow to successful multichannel marketing. 

1. Find Out the Single View of the Customer

Customers can use different channels. They buy products in a variety of ways. Not just only a single matter attracts a customer but it can be in many ways.  You have to find out the single view of the customers across all channels. After you get the consolidated data, you can strategically apply the next marketing campaign. Having a single view of the customer is not enough until you apply it properly because as businesses change, your customers also change. Make sure to collect fresh data, new ideas to implement it.  

2. Set Up Multichannel Marketing Platform

A single marketing campaign may be on various platforms. This is why it is very important to go for multichannel marketing. You can do campaign management, advanced analytics, execution, response attribution, and digital marketing in one place. So, you need to integrate traditional and emerging platforms. By setting up multichannel marketing, you will be able to reduce cost, and improve the effectiveness of the campaign and send the right message to the right person.  

3. Maintain Consistent Customer Experiences

It is always mentioned by everyone that you should always seek the value of your service. That is what makes you different from others. You might be on many platforms but don’t forget to be consistent on every platform. If you can’t create consistency, you might be in danger. You can even lose your customer base. Make sure you answer their queries, engage with them through any interactions. Give them a fabulous experience through your service.  

Conclusion 

So, what are you waiting for? The world of marketing is changing rapidly. Use multi-channel marketing strategies to make a significant and powerful impact on both media, online and offline.