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Multichannel Marketing: What It Is and Why It Matters

Multichannel Marketing: What It Is and Why It Matters

Multichannel marketing is the ability to combine traditional media and digital platforms to reach your audience. A multichannel marketing campaign communicates the message to the consumer through all available media channels, such as television, radio, newspapers, websites and mobile apps.

Many small businesses have only one communication channel: social media, email marketing or phone sales. When it comes to multichannel marketing, you'll use several communication channels and multiple ways to communicate with your customers. 

With multichannel marketing, your company can use many marketing techniques to reach your customer base, and the customer can choose how they want to receive the information. Here are some benefits you can expect from a multichannel marketing strategy.

The good news is that you don't have to be a genius to start multichannel marketing.

You don't even have to be a genius to use it properly. You need to understand the basics. The truth is, it's about finding the right balance between the different channels and using the best tools available to reach your target audience.

So, whether you're a B2B or B2C business, you can benefit from multichannel marketing, which can be a powerful tool for increasing sales, driving traffic to your website, and generating leads.

Today, I will show you how to use the right tools, so you can start using multichannel marketing immediately.

What Is Multichannel Marketing?

What Is Multichannel Marketing Definition

A multichannel marketing strategy allows companies to reach consumers in multiple ways. These include phone, email, web, direct mail, social media, mobile apps, and print advertising.

Companies that use multichannel marketing can leverage the strengths of each method and compensate for weaknesses. Using a multi-channel strategy, you can deliver your message to customers in the way that best suits them, which means you can maximise the effectiveness of your campaigns.

Some examples of multichannel marketing include:

  1. Phone and Email: Sending a promotional offer via email and phone is a common form of multichannel marketing since you can use both mediums to reach customers. If you have an online store, you can set up a business phone system and add an active phone number to your website so customers can call to inquire about products.
  2. Social Media: Using your social media accounts to market your business provides a platform for customers to learn about your company and product. For example, you can post to your Facebook page about special offers and discounts for customers who visit your site. Still, you can also post on Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest to communicate with customers and provide them valuable content.
  3. Direct Mail: Direct mail is still an effective way to promote your company and products to customers. You can send newsletters to your list of email addresses and place ads on your mailing list's snail mailboxes.
  4. Mobile Apps: Mobile apps are quickly becoming a primary way for customers to access information and interact with your business. If your business has an app that offers discounts, you can incentivise customers to download it by giving them free product samples.
  5. Print Advertising: Print advertising is still a powerful marketing tool, primarily if you can target your audience. You can advertise on billboards, in magazines, and in newspapers, enabling you to reach customers who aren't visiting your website.

Why You Need Multichannel Marketing

Single Channel Vs Multichannel Marketing

Multi-channel marketing strategies include a variety of digital and traditional tactics to reach your target audience. These campaigns can include email, social media, direct mail and phone calls. Each tactic has unique advantages and disadvantages, so your marketing team should develop a campaign strategy that includes online and offline methods.

Using multiple channels to ensure your message reaches the broadest range of people is essential. According to the Nielsen Norman Group, 92 per cent of adults have access to the Internet, and 61 per cent have smartphones. Additionally, nearly 95 per cent of U.S. households have broadband Internet service. Most U.S. adults have access to some social network (90 per cent) and spend an average of over three hours on their phones daily.

Using multiple marketing channels, you can communicate your message appropriately to your audience. For example, you can email your audience about a new product, offer a discount, or promote a contest. You can use your social media page to announce a special deal or feature. And you can use direct mail to remind customers that they need to reorder.

Why Does Multichannel Marketing Work?

Using multiple marketing channels to reach your audience positively impacts brand awareness, trust, and sales.

According to the Harvard Business Review, the use of multiple channels of communication increases the chances of a positive response, resulting in more conversions and repeat business.

Here are some of the top reasons why multichannel marketing is effective:

  • It allows you to get your message out quickly and effectively.
  • It gives you a competitive advantage by offering a broader spectrum of marketing messages.
  • It's cost-effective, allowing you to maximise your budget without spending money on ineffective marketing campaigns.
  • It's scalable, allowing you to increase or decrease the number of campaigns based on your needs.
  • It enables you to connect with your audience in a less intrusive way.
  • It encourages brand loyalty, creating a stronger relationship between your company and your customer.

How Do You Know If Multichannel Marketing Is Right for Your Business?

There are many reasons why using multiple channels may be appropriate for your business. If your goals are to build awareness and increase sales, then a multichannel strategy may be the right fit.

Here are some factors to consider when evaluating whether a multichannel marketing approach is right for your business:

  • Your target market has access to multiple digital and traditional platforms.
  • Your target market prefers a multichannel approach.
  • You have the time and resources to invest in a multichannel marketing campaign.
  • Your target market has a high rate of internet activity.

If your business is experiencing difficulties with its current marketing plan, it's time to look at how a multichannel marketing strategy can help.

The Main Channels of Multichannel Marketing

Multi Channel Marketing Channels

Multichannel marketing is a relatively new term and concept. That means that there are multiple channels that people can use to communicate with each other and purchase goods and services.

Channels include traditional methods like email, text messaging, social media, mobile apps, billboards, and direct mail. They also have digital methods like webinars, video content, and mobile applications. And they include non-digital methods such as face-to-face communication, phone calls, and meetings.

Channels are used to connect people and potential customers. That includes connecting people with the products and services they want. However, knowing how to use the media effectively is also essential.

How Are Channels Used to Market Products and Services?

First of all, let's look at the differences between marketing channels. Each channel has specific purposes and audiences.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is a compelling way to reach potential customers because it is an automated process that enables you to send messages tailored to their interests, demographics, and behaviours.

A well-targeted email message can reach tens of thousands of recipients simultaneously. That allows you to spread the word about your business, product, or service quickly and cost-effectively.

Social Media Marketing

Social media is an effective way to reach people through different online platforms. These platforms are often divided into smaller channels such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and Snapchat.

Related:  The 8 Types of Brands (Definitions & Examples)

A well-crafted social media campaign can help you gain a large audience and promote your brand to many potential customers.

What Makes Email and Social Media Marketing Different?

There are essential differences between email and social media marketing, but the main difference is that with email marketing, you can deliver messages to a broad audience over time.

With social media, you can only deliver one message at a time. That means you must be careful with your share message because it may only reach a small audience.

Channels of Multichannel Marketing

Multichannel marketing is the term used to describe the combination of different channels and methods that people can use to market themselves and their products.

Most marketing experts believe multichannel marketing will become increasingly important as more people rely on mobile devices and online connectivity. The number of people using smartphones and tablets is expected to rise by 25% this year alone.

So, there's no better time to look closely at multichannel marketing and how it works.

To create awareness with multichannel marketing, you must consider what you are trying to say. You may want to create a more memorable, interesting, and engaging message.

One of the most common ways to do this is to create valuable content for your target audience. Many brands already do this, so standing out shouldn't be too difficult.

There are also many creative ways to create exciting and memorable content. For example, you may want to try infographics, videos, podcasts, or other forms of multimedia.

Remember to use your imagination and creativity in your content marketing. It's essential to stand out from the crowd and to connect with your audience in a new and fresh way.

What Are the Different Types of Multichannel Marketing?

There are two different types of multichannel marketing: integrated and sequential.

Integrated Multichannel Marketing

This type of marketing focuses on a single platform. The goal is to reach a broad number of people with one campaign.

An excellent example of this type of marketing is television advertising. Most television shows include commercials that are 30 seconds long or less. These spots are usually integrated with the show itself.

If you want to reach a broad audience, using integrated marketing is a great idea. The goal is to get your viewers to watch your show or movie to expose them to your brand.

Sequential Multichannel Marketing

This type of marketing is more targeted than integrated marketing. It is designed to reach a specific audience, or a particular demographic, with a single message.

This type of marketing is used to sell a specific product or service and is often created to appeal to a specific type of person. For example, a financial company may create a series of direct mail letters and flyers to reach a particular customer.

Other examples of sequential multichannel marketing include radio ads, TV commercials, billboards, and even email marketing.

Benefits of Multichannel Marketing

Multichannel marketing involves utilising multiple channels to target a specific audience and reach them most effectively. In traditional marketing, the emphasis has been on advertising through television, magazines, billboards, newspapers, and radio. Today, however, companies realise that using other channels, such as social media, mobile marketing, email, online ads, and more, can be as successful as traditional advertising.

With today's modern consumer, there are two main reasons why multichannel marketing is so important. Firstly, consumers have become accustomed to getting their information in multiple ways. For example, we've heard stories of people receiving hundreds of phone calls and messages in one day.

It's common for people to have several email inboxes and online accounts and get news and updates from social media, TV, radio, and more. So, even though many of us think that we don't like the number of marketing messages that bombard us, the truth is, we're used to it. It's normal.

So, when businesses try to market themselves, they must realise that they must adapt to this modern world. That means businesses need to use a variety of channels, such as text messaging, email, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and more. This will enable businesses to reach consumers wherever and wherever they're doing.

The second reason multichannel marketing is essential is that it's an effective way to target specific consumers. Companies can use data to learn more about their potential customers. They can learn which products or services resonate with the people interested in what they're selling.

It's important to realise that multichannel marketing can bring in much business, but it doesn't always work. Sometimes, it can be better to go directly to a customer and talk to them rather than trying to reach them through different mediums. The key is to figure out which channels are the best fit for your business and to know how to communicate with your customers effectively.

Multichannel marketing provides a variety of strategies that can boost your sales and generate a more significant ROI. Some of the ways it can help include:

Promoting your business online and in print

Incorporate digital marketing strategies into your plans, such as Facebook ads, Google Ads, Instagram ads, or any other method to drive your website traffic. Print advertising methods may include direct mailers, flyers, and brochures.

Promoting your business at local events

You can integrate multichannel marketing into local events that promote your business. Events like fairs, trade shows, seminars, and conferences can be effective marketing strategies. This strategy can involve anything from giveaways to booth space to sponsorships.

Getting your business featured on social media

The most important thing to remember is that social media marketing is not just about your number of followers. Social media is also about engagement and getting your audience to interact with your content.

How can Multichannel Marketing Help Me Generate More Sales?

You can use multichannel marketing to help you get more traffic to your site, convert those visitors into customers, and keep them coming back for more.

Here's an example of a marketing campaign we ran on Instagram that generated hundreds of thousands of impressions, even though we weren't spending much money on the campaign.

We used a photo of a piece of jewellery we created for a specific customer, with a call to action to visit our website. It only took a few hours of work to create, resulting in over 1,000 likes and over 1,000 followers. It's estimated that this campaign cost us around $30.

So, whether you're looking to start a new business or increase sales, it's essential to be creative and think outside the box.

Wrapping Up

I'm going to assume you know what multichannel marketing is by now. If not, I recommend reading my first article about it.

Multichannel marketing means marketing across multiple channels. You could do this using different types of technology, but it's most often done with different media platforms.

You might be familiar with TV, radio, print, or direct mail advertising. But I bet you're less familiar with online, social media, and mobile advertising.

These are just a few different mediums you can use to reach your audience, but there are others. For example, you could also pay for Facebook or Google ads.

The point is that these mediums work together to form a broader strategy. If you're doing something right, you'll have a broad base of people aware of your brand.

Subscribe below to get my free guide on Multichannel Marketing!

FAQs

What is Multichannel Marketing?

Multichannel marketing is a marketing strategy involving multiple media to reach customers. For example, you may post on Facebook, tweet on Twitter, and email people on your mailing list.

Why does Multichannel Marketing matter?

When people shop, they use all of their senses to make buying decisions. They might read your ad on Facebook, listen to your radio commercial, and read your email newsletter.

Does Multichannel Marketing cost more?

It can cost more, but it doesn't have to. Many businesses use a variety of channels to reach their customers.

How long can I expect to wait before I start seeing results?

It depends on the company and the medium. Some companies start seeing results in the first few days, while others can take several weeks.

How can I tell if Multichannel Marketing is working?

To see if Multichannel Marketing is working, you can measure the number of people who visit your website, read your blog, or download your free e-book.

What are some tips for Multichannel Marketing?

You can follow these tips for Multichannel Marketing:
• Make sure that you include links in your content so that people can share it with others.
• Use social media to promote your content.
• Provide exemplary customer service.

What are some ways that Multichannel Marketing can help me?

Multichannel Marketing can help you:
• Expand your customer base.
• Increase sales.
• Improve conversions.

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Stuart Crawford

Stuart Crawford is an award-winning creative director and brand strategist with over 15 years of experience building memorable and influential brands. As Creative Director at Inkbot Design, a leading branding agency, Stuart oversees all creative projects and ensures each client receives a customised brand strategy and visual identity.

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