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How Brands are Changing the Game with Omnichannel Marketing
  • Contest Factory
  • March 16, 2021

Omnichannel Marketing

According to Google research, 90% of users switch between 2-4 different devices a day just to complete one task. And since the average person’s attention span hovers around 8 seconds, a customer’s path to purchase can start and end at anytime, anywhere, and on any device.

This is why more businesses are switching to omnichannel marketing, to guide customers effortlessly along the path to purchase based on their individual needs and preferences, regardless of what platform they are using. Technology is making this easier every day with the ability to track users across platforms.

And the results are telling. Data confirms omnichannel customers are spending 15 to 30% more than single or multi-channel customers. And, according to a Google-backed study, 75% of consumers are more likely to visit a physical store after viewing local retail information online within one hour of researching.

The reality is, if you want to thrive in this ever-changing, tech-driven climate, omnichannel should be a part of your approach. Here are how brands are using omnichannel marketing to wildly improve their customers’ experience and their bottom line.

What is omnichannel marketing?

Omnichannel marketing is a holistic approach that coordinates ad messaging across platforms and devices based on what an individual needs at any given time during their customer journey. So, when a user engages with your ad or site, their other channels automatically update with content that leads them to the next step in their journey.

For example, let’s say a customer signs up for your mailing list and opts in to receive text messages. She immediately receives a welcome email, followed by a text message with a discount code for her next purchase in your store.

This omnichannel approach is proving to be a gamechanger for enhancing the customer experience. By leveraging data that reflects each individual’s experience, you are not only making your customer’s path to purchase seamless, but you are also building trust, avoiding irrelevant or redundant messaging that seems disingenuous or just annoying.

And customers agree. Research shows a 23 x higher rate of customer satisfaction experienced by companies with omnichannel strategies.

Steps to Build Your Omnichannel Strategy

Switch to Customer-centric Model

Instead of focusing on maximizing conversions on a specific platform, omnichannel marketing takes a customer-centric approach, encouraging customer conversion, regardless of platform. So since it’s now all about the customer, the best place to start is in the shoes of your customer.

Using your buyer personas to guide you, map out your buyers’ journey, including all the potential decision-making touchpoints they might encounter along the way.

Think of it like orchestrating a scavenger hunt, envisioning the route your customers will take, and what clues or incentives you can plant along the way to make their journey fun and engaging.

But remember, gone are the days when you can send the same post to Facebook and Instagram and call it a day. You need to adapt your content to accommodate the nuances of each platform. For example, Instagram doesn’t allow clickable links in its captions, so what are other ways to lead viewers to your site, or should you focus to boosting brand awareness and engagement instead?

Create Content for Context

Once you have a blueprint of your customers’ journey, you want to present content that leads them effortlessly where you want them to go. With omnichannel marketing, timing and messaging are critical.

After the initial contact, consider whether you should welcome them with an email or text, for example. Should you offer a free product or special offer and on what platform? Or, if a customer leaves an item to their cart on your website, consider whether you should send a message via text or email to encourage them to finish their purchase.  Consider asking how they would prefer to be contacted to begin with and use that preferred method with appropriate message length for the format; email marketing or text message.

Get Serious About Your Data

Your omnichannel strategy will only be as good as the quality of your data. Great data is critical for creating a deeper, more personalized connection with your customers, as well as greater influence over their decision-making process.

Your brand’s internal data is always the most valuable, next to second-party data from platforms like Google and Facebook. If needed, you can fill in any gaps with third-party or purchased data from aggregator sites. The most important areas to focus on include identifying your ideal customer, effective engagement, predicting behavior, and monitoring the omnichannel process flow.

You will also make your life easier and your strategy more efficient by integrating each of your platforms’ data into one centralized system, giving you a birds-eye view of your customer journeys. This means planning, be sure to collect the data you want in micro-events and save to your CRM. Micro-events mean smaller conversions that aide a real sale. Registration is an example of micro conversion, next would be augmented data such as how many employees or company revenue.

Measure Everything for Maximum Results

Just like any marketing approach, if you aren’t analyzing your results, you are most likely shooting in the dark and throwing ad money out the window. Testing and measuring your content and approach will help you to determine which areas you need to focus on or change to get the best results.

If your head is spinning, don’t panic. A data management platform (DMP) can do the work for you- gathering, aggregating, and analyzing your consumer data, as well as presenting a multi-dimensional view of your campaign’s performance.

Yes, it’s an investment, but worth it. Brands and marketers who fine-tune their omnichannel strategy report an 89% customer retention rate compared to 33% retention for those who don’t!

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In a rapidly changing digital landscape, omnichannel marketing will keep you a step ahead of your customers, enhancing their shopping experience while optimizing profitability. Whether you decide to tackle it internally or seek external experts, an omnichannel strategy will uplevel your marketing campaign ensuring you deliver the right message, in the right way, at the right time.

 

 

 

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