Multichannel marketing: what it is and why it's important for your business' growth + bonus

[muskanhossain66]

What is Multichannel Marketing and what is it actually for?

The life of a marketing professional has changed drastically since the invention of the internet.

Do you have any questions about this?

Before this moment, P&G had deployed a large army of marketing and sales professionals to go door to door across the United States, talking to its main target audience: housewives.

As target audiences began to spend more time online , the same brand student database that used “door-to-door” marketing needed to adapt and employ marketing strategies that reached the places where customers were.

In this way, multichannel marketing aims to communicate with your customers and potential customers across multiple channels, maximizing the possibility of engagement and conversion.

This means that a marketing professional must cohesively leverage all existing means to reach the end user, such as:

SMS
E-mail
In-app messages
Push Notification
Web Push Notification
Web Messages
Read: How to Find and Connect with Prospects Quickly and Scalably Using Cold Mail
How is Multichannel Marketing different from Cross Channel Marketing?
Cross Channel Marketing (Lit.: Cross Channels) checks all the company's points of contact with the user ( physical and digital ) and uses this information to generate various engagement channels.

The goal is to create an integrated experience for a user, being present in their online and offline activities in any campaign.

Importance of Multichannel Marketing in your Marketing Strategy
Multichannel Marketing is a logical solution to combat the phenomenon of multi-screen behavior.

Our lives are increasingly dominated by screens. And you probably weren't surprised by this information.

Even when we are just watching television, there is a good chance that another device is being used for that purpose.

With the availability of better smartphones at competitive prices and increasingly abundant mobile data, we are consuming a large volume of data on a daily basis.

According to Google , there are two main factors that help classify multi-screen behavior :

Sequential Behavior
In this situation, users start by using 1 device and, after a series of factors, move on to the next device.

Simultaneous Behavior
This is the phenomenon where users are using multiple devices at the same time to facilitate multitasking.

Do you know which marketing channel your target audience is spending most of their time on?

No? Then you are missing out on some very valuable information!

Do you know why?

Because users touch their mobile devices more than 2,600 times a day !

Additionally, over 88% of millennials access a second screen while consuming video content.

Read also: 5 Copywriting Formulas to use on ChatGPT
What are the real benefits of Multichannel Marketing?
1. Be present where your target audience is
At any given time, your ideal customer could be online in a multi-screen behavior: computer, cell phone, tablet and even a smartwatch .

With a Multichannel strategy, you can ensure your brand's presence everywhere your target audience is actually active.

Result: greater engagement with the campaign and massive conversions.

2. Create a smart engagement strategy
Use the power of data to understand usage patterns.

For example , you can isolate the devices that were used to initiate research and complete purchases, and also determine the exact times a particular device was being used.

3. Increase your brand’s impression share
You can reach all the touchpoints that generate the most attention from a user.

Subjecting users to multiple impressions will reinforce the need for your product/service and increase awareness.

Brand recall will be recorded and you can increase repeat purchases and user retention!

4. Create personalized campaigns
Use a combination of channels to reach users based on your campaign intent.

If you want to provide financial information, combining SMS and email makes sense, as they are the most accessible means for a user.

Read: 20 super effective digital baits to generate leads and grow your email list.

If your goal is to drive more traffic to your website or blog, using an email and browser push notification will help you achieve your goal.

If you want your target audience to convert more, you can send a discount coupon via email, SMS, in-app messages, and push notification to ensure maximum attention to your message.

5. Optimize the efficiency of your campaign with a Multichannel strategy
With Multichannel Marketing, you can analyze your campaign statistics and identify the channels that perform best for a given user segment.

The data will shed light on the role that timing, frequency, and messaging play in the success of your campaigns.

This will help you create better performing campaigns in the future.

6. Improve customer lifetime value
According to Google, multichannel users have a 30% higher lifetime value compared to single-channel users. Brands have even been able to increase conversions by 200%, which is proof that a multichannel strategy can help you get more out of your users if executed correctly.

How to use Multichannel Marketing in your company?
We have reached a moment called “TMI – Too Much Information”.

Read also: Order Bump: What it is and how to use it to increase sales in e-commerce
So, if you employ the wrong Multichannel Marketing strategy:

You run the risk of leaving your users fatigued.
A non-contextual engagement campaign will end up annoying your users.
Therefore, you must ensure a high degree of intelligence in your multichannel campaigns.

So, when employing this Marketing strategy, think of it as a cross between Multi and Cross-Channel marketing.

By creating this joint strategy, you can combine cross-channel capabilities with user data analytics to create highly contextual, personalized, and relevant campaigns.

Read: 10 Marketing Hacks that will force you to reach your goals ahead of schedule.
BONUS (I know you love bonuses!): How to create an effective Multichannel Marketing campaign?
It's time to create a smart and effective Multichannel campaign for your business with ease.

1. Define your goal with multichannel
Right at the beginning, you should define the desired outcome of your multichannel strategy.

A multichannel strategy can be used for Acquisition, Retention and Informational purposes .

Based on this end goal, campaigns will differ in terms of reach, messaging, and execution.

For example , an informational campaign about a policy change could be sent to your entire user base, but a retention campaign could be targeted to a small group of users who are about to complete a year with your brand.

2. Conduct multi-channel user analysis
Data analysis will generate powerful insights about the user and their online behavior, preferences and tastes.

Start formulating a user profile based on personal data ( user name, age, location, income status, preferred language, etc. ) and behavioral data ( search query, preferred brands and products, past purchase data, average spend, etc. ).

3. Examine Multiscreen Behavior
You can examine the total number of devices used by a specific user, the number of times they log in using each device and the time spent on each device, the device used for searching and viewing, and the device being used to make a purchase.

At the end of this, you will know which device is preferred and the usage patterns based on each user's day.

4. Create user segments in multichannel marketing
Based on your objective and the data collected in the two steps above, choose user groups to create highly targeted campaigns.

For example: Your main strategy is Retention and you want to increase the number of repeat purchases by current customers.

The first step will be to filter all users who have made transactions in the last 6 months.

Read also: 7 Reasons to Work with Digital Marketing
Data analysis will help you identify X number of users who purchased products from your brand through a mobile app but started their search on a computer.

This can become a super targeted segment.

5. Choose communication channels
Now that you know which user group you want to target, you need to decide on messaging channels.

Continuing with the example listed above , this specific segment consists of users who started a search on desktop but ended up purchasing through a mobile app.

So you can create a campaign including email, web notification, mobile push notifications, in-app messages, and SMS.

6. Create a Personalized Multichannel Message
For each channel to be used, create personalized messages that have an impact on the chosen segment.

Email: Remind the customer about the time elapsed since their last purchase and encourage them to make transactions again by promoting new releases.

Personalization tokens should include: user's name, last purchase details ( product + date ) and recommend a product that belongs to the user's preferred items.

Web Notification : Launch a web push message that promotes a product that is similar to the last purchase and also falls within the user's average spending category.

Push Notification : Use this channel to drive a lucrative, time-bound offer that increases value to the end user.

Send a limited offer discount code that will motivate the user to take action and perform the action within the mobile app.

Personalization tokens must include name, preferred item, and custom discount code.

In-App Notification : Create urgency in your in-app message to drive immediate in-app action through deep links.

Leverage user behavioral insights to highlight key events and triggers to increase engagement.

SMS : Use SMS as a last-minute reminder to remind your customer about a limited-time offer that is about to end. Leave a link that will take the customer to their preferred point of purchase ( app or website ).

By putting in the effort and creating a smart Multichannel Marketing strategy, it will have much higher engagement compared to your single channel strategy.