Omnichannel marketing has become a real buzzword in the world of digital marketing over the last few years. In his podcast on SEO and omnichannel marketing, Matt Santos gave the following concise explanation:
“A marketing tactic that is cohesive, first and foremost, between, traditional marketing tactics and digital marketing tactics and creating synergy between all of them”
Omnichannel marketing in brief
An omnichannel approach to marketing allows businesses to deliver a consistent and seamless customer experience (CX) across all the channels customers use to engage with their brand, both online and offline. It ensures customers have a positive experience on each channel, while acknowledging all their previous touchpoints with your brand.
The role of data
A successful omnichannel approach draws on data from the customer journey along different channels. You can use the available data to map out the different customer touchpoints to identify customer motivations and needs, and design a strategy to meet those needs.
This data can come from:
- CRM, CDP, and email platforms
- Website analytics
- Paid search
- SEO and keyword-tracking tools
- Social media
- Mobile app usage data (where applicable)
- Sales teams (where applicable)
- Customer feedback (research, surveys, and case studies)
Four pillars of an omnichannel strategy
Omnichannel marketing extends beyond purely digital marketing to all areas of the business, ensuring they work together:
- Marketing channels: You can use channels like email, social media, display and video, social media, SEO content, mobile apps, and PR to engage potential customers, generate demand for your products, and build your brand.
- Sales channels: You can use digital channels like PPC, SEO, email, social media, mobile apps, and retargeting to turn your potential customers into paying customers.
- Operations: You can streamline your back office in areas such as product, order, and inventory management, logistics, and fulfillment.
- Shipping and fulfillment: You can use either your own shipping methods and delivery software management tools to ensure your products reach customers on time and undamaged or enlist the help of a 3PL (third-party logistics) specialist company.
Executing an omnichannel strategy
A successful omnichannel marketing strategy involves the following key actions:
- Unify messaging: Align and coordinate all messaging across your sales and marketing channels.
- Identify user affinities: Identify how people perceive your brand or business across different channels, and give them the opportunity to engage.
- Segment customers: Segment your customers based on how they define themselves, how they behave, and what their characteristics are.
- Personalize experiences: Engage customers in real time with automated and personalized experiences.
Reinforce messaging: Reinforce your message and proposition at every touchpoint and on all channels.
