Marketers and small business owners need to connect with their audiences across multiple platforms to remain competitive in today’s increasingly digital world. An omnichannel strategy is necessary to manage all marketing efforts while ensuring that relevant content is delivered to your target audience.
What is an Omnichannel Strategy?
An omnichannel strategy integrates multiple marketing channels to provide a seamless customer journey. It offers consumers a consistent experience across the customer journey, from the first time they connect with a brand to after a sale and every touchpoint in between.
This includes interactions across all channels, including mobile apps, websites, social media platforms, emails, in-stores, and more. For example, a consumer may want to see an item in person at a store but purchase it online, or vice-versa.
Or, they may see an influencer livestream a promotion for your product, visit your website and social media channels, then decide to buy it at your brick-and-mortar.
The bottom line is that many customers today combine their interactions and experiences before deciding to purchase with a brand.
Consider these statistics:
- Omnichannel consumers turn into paying customers more often than traditional shoppers.
- McKinsey research shows that up to 70% of consumers are omnichannel shoppers.
- According to Omnisend, omnichannel campaigns with more than three channels have a 494% higher order rate than marketing campaigns with only one channel.
- Consumers who engage with multiple channels purchase 250% more often than those who only use a single channel.
- Omnichannel customers are more likely to be repeat customers.
- According to Softek, omnichannel strategies can help you retain up to 89% of your customers.
- Three in five consumers will view an item online and buy it at a physical store, highlighting the need for strategies across multiple channels.
The most effective omnichannel strategies leverage data insights to anticipate customer needs and create highly tailored and personalized interactions with the consumers most likely to buy from a brand.
Omnichannel Vs. Multichannel Marketing
Omnichannel and multichannel marketing have distinct differences, particularly where the customer is concerned.
For example, omnichannel marketing focuses on customers and utilizes as many marketing channels as possible.
On the other hand, multichannel marketing centers a campaign on a product or service and utilizes fewer marketing channels. A multichannel marketing strategy also tends to lack flexibility and remain the same throughout a campaign.
However, an omnichannel marketing strategy adapts to consumer behaviors, meaning you can optimize your marketing message for greater impact during a campaign.
The final difference is that the strategies utilized in a multichannel marketing campaign tend to work independently of one another, while omnichannel strategies synergistically work together to heighten the user experience and drive customer acquisition, loyalty, and retention. Thus, omnichannel strategies increase ROI and foster long-term growth for your business.
Why You Should Create an Omnichannel Strategy
Simply put, if your marketing campaign doesn’t include an omnichannel strategy, but your competition does, consumers will flock to your competitors.
As we’ve alluded to, today’s customers expect and even demand a unified and tailored experience across all marketing channels. Consistency and accessibility foster brand awareness, which helps drive customer engagement on their preferred channels, leading to increased rapport, trust, and customer satisfaction.
Consumers will be more loyal to your brand because you’re giving them what they want and making the information they need easily accessible.
Ultimately, an omnichannel strategy makes it easier for customers to buy from you and feel valued and supported.
8 Tips for Developing a Great Omnichannel Strategy
Source: Spiceworks
1. Identify Your Ideal Customer
The absolute first step in creating an effective omnichannel strategy is defining your ideal customer, who is likely to buy from you and who is already buying from you.
An omnichannel approach is highly customer-centric, so it’s essential to zone in on your target audience and understand their preferences, buying behaviors, and habits.
You can learn much about your ideal customer by surveying existing customers or visitors to your website and looking at website analytics or insight gained from social media. You can also look at your competition’s social media to understand the customers you want to target.
2. Dive Deeper Into Customer Segmentation
Once you figure out your ideal customers, go deeper into customer segmentation. You may find it helpful to break them down by demographics, such as gender, age, location, etc. However, often, a more sophisticated approach reveals target segments grouped by affinities and habits.
You can even take it a step further by identifying those who are reluctant to convert. Find out what’s preventing them from buying from you. Is it that they aren’t seeing enough customer testimonials?
Maybe they don’t have time to research your product or service. Perhaps there aren’t enough interactions.
Research shows it takes an average of seven interactions with a brand before a consumer will make a purchase. And maybe they don’t frequent multiple channels. Once you know the answers to the roadblocks, you can implement a solution to increase conversions.
3. Determine Which Communication Channels Are Relevant
Source: eMarketer
Before launching an omnichannel campaign, you should know which communication channels your target customers use most often. In addition, ask the following questions:
- What channels are your competitors’ customers frequenting?
- Do they mostly shop online or prefer shopping in stores?
- Where are your customers or target customers communicating the most?
- How are your ideal customers moving across various marketing channels?
- Where are they interacting with your brand the most?
- What is their preferred channel?
Discovering these answers might explain why certain customers buy from you more frequently.
Some customers may be landing on your website or landing page after a Google search leads them to you. You might also find that they spend most of their time on Instagram or Facebook, reinforcing the need for a robust social media marketing campaign. Or, maybe they landed on a PPC ad that resonated with them, providing evidence that it wouldn’t hurt to target some of your advertising spend towards paid ads. Perhaps they prefer mobile apps or hanging out in physical stores.
One of the first things your marketing team needs to do is figure out which channels are best to reach your ideal customer and maybe even double down in those efforts in your omnichannel marketing campaign.
The most successful campaigns combine traditional and digital channels. Once you know which channels are more effective in reaching your targets, ensuring a seamless omnichannel customer experience is paramount.
4. Make Customer Service A Priority
Remember that sales rarely happen at the first touchpoint. Effective omnichannel customer service involves providing solutions for customers across various communication touchpoints.
For instance, does your website allow potential customers to ask questions about your products or services? In this day and age, live chat is almost a necessity.
Interacting on social media is another way to connect with your targets. Responding to inquiries and comments on the channels where your brand is present is vital.
This includes having a way for customers to email you or having contact forms on your website. Although many businesses have abandoned it in favor of digital communications, customers value connecting with a brand via a phone line more than ever.
5. Map The Customer Journey
Mapping the customer journey is an essential component of any successful omnichannel campaign. Doing so can help you understand and predict customer interactions.
After you’ve identified key customer segments and their preferred channels, identify the potential touchpoints where they interacted with your brand while considering which stage of the customer journey the interaction took place.
The main stages of the customer journey include awareness, consideration, decision, and post-sale.
Look at data from each channel to understand consumer preferences and buying behaviors, then create personalized experiences for customers to help them commit to the next stage.
Solicit their feedback to learn about potential pain points and use analytics to help you refine your omnichannel strategy. This strategy should utilize the best ways to drive engagement and enhance the customer experience.
6. Ensure Consistent Messaging
It is paramount to remain consistent in your omnichannel marketing messaging. This will promote customer engagement, strengthen your brand identity and recognition, and build trust with your targets.
Maintain a cohesive message across all channels, from email campaigns to social media platforms, on your website, and even within your brick-and-mortar storefront.
In this way, customers get a unified brand message wherever they connect with your brand, ultimately creating loyalty and long-term relationships with your consumers.
In turn, it will drive conversions and increase your bottom line.
7. Test, Adjust Your Campaign, Then Optimize
Measuring and analyzing your campaign is critical to achieving maximum success with your omnichannel strategies.
Once you’ve deployed strategies across various marketing channels, monitor metrics, including customer feedback and KPIs such as engagement rates, conversion rates, customer retention, and customer lifetime value.
Testing your campaigns will help you determine which are most effective and resonate with your target customers the best. You can then adjust your campaign to refine your messaging and optimize your targeting strategies.
8. Collaborate With An Experienced Digital Marketing Agency
Many strategies necessary for effective omnichannel marketing require years of experience to master. Meanwhile, you need to focus on running your business.
A seasoned digital marketer can eliminate much of the guesswork in optimizing your omnichannel campaign. Consider partnering with a digital marketing agency to propel your brand forward.
Brand Examples of Omnichannel Marketing
Sephora
Source: Shutterstock
Sephora has long been lauded for its marketing prowess. Advertising experts consistently rank the beauty retailer as one of the best in omnichannel marketing, as they set the bar high when connecting to its customers.
Sephora is a master of engaging with its customers, whether in its stores offering beauty tips, makeovers, and personalized recommendations or catering to its users online. It offers live chat support, helps users track purchases, provides tutorials, reminds them of what’s on their wish list, and more.
The beauty brand also leverages insights from more than 31 million members of its loyalty program to help it understand its consumers. This strategy has paid off, driving mobile orders up by 100%.
Marriott International
Source: Shutterstock
Marriott, the renowned hospitality and travel brand, masters omnichannel marketing strategies and offers seamless booking and customer experiences across all channels.
Plus, Marriott’s loyalty program, Marriott Bonvoy, is considered one of the best. It provides a highly tailored and personalized experience at each touchpoint in the customer journey, resulting in offers and rewards based on each customer’s needs and preferences.
Meanwhile, Marriott’s mobile app is a virtual concierge for check-ins, communication, and room access. The hotel chain’s integrated solutions heighten guest engagement and loyalty, increasing their ROI.
Starbucks
Source: Shutterstock
Starbucks is considered one of the best at omnichannel marketing. Anyone familiar with the Starbucks app knows how hard the coffeehouse brand has worked to provide a seamless customer experience.
Its Rewards app is the epitome of perfection for a successful omnichannel experience. The app makes tailored recommendations based on previous customer buying habits and allows customers to place orders and pay for them before arrival, eliminating the need to wait in line for an order.
The brand also makes it easy for customers to access their loyalty discounts and enjoy their favorite Starbucks coffee or food order on the house.
Omnichannel Marketing Strategy: Key Takeaways
- Omnichannel customers require more personalized marketing than traditional customers, but they buy more.
- Omnichannel consumers prefer multiple touchpoints and interactions with a brand before purchasing.
- Leveraging data to anticipate consumer needs and behavior and creating effective omnichannel marketing strategies is essential.
- Partnering with an experienced omnichannel marketer can help your brand have the best chance of success in terms of customer acquisition, loyalty, and retention.
How Hearst Bay Area Can Help
At Hearst Bay Area, we can help you create consistent messaging and a seamless omnichannel experience for your target customers. Our premier omnichannel marketing experts can help you deliver the personalized experience that today’s consumers expect at every touchpoint. Contact our team below!
