Omnichannel Marketing

In a fast-moving world with growing competition it is more important than ever to take a contemporary approach when it comes to structuring marketing tools.

Simply put, Omnichannel Marketing refers to placing yourself, brand or product on all (omni) platforms (channels) in order to increase visibility (marketing).

This strategy not only considers multiple channels to advertise a product or service but seamlessly integrates the various online and offline channels on different devices.

Specialty stores to buy office supplies or even different types of clothing for different occasions. Knowing somebody, who knew where to find specific ingredients or travelling abroad and bringing back something you couldn't find where you are. One previously had few options and had to rely on what there was. That has now changed.

The way we perceive, buy into and choose a preference has changed. We no longer have limited options when it comes to almost anything, the internet has opened up many possibilities for consumers and has created new business opportunities.

As a result a vast majority of consumers utilise multiple channels, even within one purchase and are likely to spend a more money on their purchases when doing so. Providing a straight-forward, coherent and convenient customer experience across all channels is no longer only beneficial but more-so vital in order to compete and function in this day and age.

Implementing and improving all channels is therefore key when it comes to increasing sales and creating a positive brand image.

But let's be honest: Managing various platforms can be very overwhelming and complicated in itself. Every platform seems to work differently and all require time and effort, both attributes most of us don't really have! But now, if like many others you happen to have some extra time on your hands due to the pandemic, it might be a great chance to work on improving your channels.

Becoming active for 24 hours a day is unrealistic if you are a small business or just starting. But that is not the point! Be creative when it comes to creating content and provide good quality over quantity.

Figure out what channels are relevant for you specifically. What makes sense in your situation?

If you have a physical business , make sure to place yourself on location and map platforms. From your own experience you might relate to checking the map service before going somewhere for the first time?

Influencers and Social Media personalities may want to try trending platforms and create a presence there. Try something new! If you are your brand, chances are your customers are actually a fan-base. Let them get to know you more. Get to know them too. Many Social Media platforms offer 'Live' Features. Since almost everyone is at home, use it to your advantage and increase engagement and interaction.

If you offer a product or service, work on your ads. Many programs offer free statistics. Maybe they are older than you expected? Or maybe a large amount of your followers are located somewhere else than you? Utilise this information, get familiar with it and adapt your content. Concentrate your efforts on simplifying the process for your customer. Don’t overcomplicate your checkout process if you are an online store and develop reminders for potential customers who abandoned their cart. Analyse behaviour before, during and after purchase in order to determine preferences and weaknesses and strengthen these.

When it comes to customer service ensure to answer customer enquiries across all available channels and do not disregard the less popular contact forms. Subsequently aim to accelerate response times on the popular contact options while maintaining consistent quality.

Track customer service experiences to understand frequent and recurring scenarios which will help you create a step by step guideline and provide a handbook to ensure consistency throughout communication.

Work on your website and display key information on your website so that your customer isn’t forced to contact you for clarification. Customers prefer finding a solution independently instead of being obliged to reach out to you. Especially when it comes to simple enquiries. By providing key information you can increase customer satisfaction while simultaneously reducing the workforce involved. As a result your customer service team will be able to focus on more specific enquiries.

If you are already present on different channels, verify that your content is consistent throughout all of them. Are your channels accessible and smooth on different devices? Do you use a different brand logo on different platforms? Have you spelled your name the same? And very importantly: Do you link your various platforms on each other? Optimise if necessary!

By placing yourself on multiple platforms, you increase your chances of being discovered and can subsequently promote your other platforms and yourself thereby. Moreover, being available on major platforms creates a sense of trustworthiness and allows your customer or viewer to form a closer bond with you and your brand converting them into a loyal and long-term brand advocate.

I hope you enjoyed reading this and have been able to extract something valuable for yourself. If you have, let me know what it was!