Why Every Business Needs a Multi-Channel Digital Marketing Strategy
Remember when advertising depended on traditional media like print ads and radio or TV commercials? Well, those days are long gone. Customers today interact with brands on more platforms than ever–and it’s up to businesses everywhere to meet these people where they are. Confine your brand to just one or two marketing avenues, and you’ll inevitably miss out on the golden opportunities waiting for you out there.
The solution? Multi-channel marketing.
As its name suggests, multi-channel marketing is a contemporary approach to marketing that involves promoting your brand on lots of different platforms. Ideally, you want to build your marketing strategy around a healthy mix of both online and offline channels—think social media, emails, events, and good old physical storefronts. This way, your brand is always on customers’ minds, wherever they go and whatever they do.
Still unsure why you should adopt a multi-channel digital marketing strategy? Let’s take a deeper dive into the many benefits this innovative approach can bring to just about any business.
You'll Reach More Customers
A few years back, it might have been enough for customers to just check out a few sources for information on a product, but that approach won’t fly with today’s consumers. In fact, many will now hop between different devices and platforms to learn more about your brand before they buy anything. Some will also like certain platforms and communication methods better than others. This means that the more channels you’re on, the more opportunities you have to connect with different audience segments.
Why does multi-channel work so well for broadening your business’s reach? It sets you up in places where your customers are already active and comfortable. They’ll get to encounter your brand organically, without making extra effort to search for it. Sure, not every customer will choose to buy something from you at the first point of contact—say, a Facebook or YouTube ad. But you can be confident that your chances of converting them will only improve as they see more of you elsewhere.
You'll Build Brand Loyalty
It’s rare for a customer to choose a random brand they heard of once in the wild over one that they’re familiar with. Engaging your customers consistently across multiple channels is a surefire way to earn their trust and secure their business. If they like you, chances are they’ll keep coming back and even recommend you to others in their network.
Keep in mind that multi-channel marketing isn’t just a great way for building a rapport with new customers—it’s ideal for retaining your existing customers as well. This is a group of people that actively wants opportunities to communicate and interact with you. Make it easy for them to do so, and you’ll be opening doors to long-term, fruitful customer relationships.
Your Business Will Be More Adaptive
The world of digital marketing keeps businesses constantly on their toes by design. Every day, you’ll see algorithms and consumer behaviours changing. Social media platforms that everyone used to love can decline without warning and new ones can spring up pretty much overnight to take their place. If your business fails to adapt to these changes, you’ll find yourself losing your competitive edge faster than you can blink.
Luckily for you, multi-channel marketing is super-adaptable, especially if you choose to work with an expert partner. Digital marketing agencies are forever studying industry trends and excel at pivoting agilely whenever the need arises. Whenever they spot a new opportunity you can take advantage of or a challenge you have to sidestep, they’ll have the know-how needed to work a change of strategy into your larger marketing plan.
You Can Customise Your Messaging
A good multi-channel marketing strategy will always do more than just bombard your audience with the same ads everywhere they look. Different platforms play host to different types of content, and the users themselves will also be looking for something unique from each one.
The best way to make these differences work to your advantage? Tailor your marketing materials according to what the platform does best. Your brand’s Instagram page is the best place for stunning product photos, for instance, but YouTube is probably a better home for in-depth video content like tutorials and demonstrations.
You'll Gain Valuable Customer Insights
The last thing you want to do is to approach marketing like you’re playing a guessing game. Multi-channel marketing gives you access to a treasure trove of data from every touchpoint, which you can then use to determine how well your campaigns are doing and what you need to improve upon. Think beyond basic indicators like website traffic and sales figures. Metrics like website traffic, social media interactions, email open rates, and event attendance all have something important to say about how your audience engages with your brand.
Wondering how to unlock the full power of multi-channel marketing? Author Digital is here to make sure your business doesn’t have to go it alone. We’re experienced at designing bespoke digital marketing strategies for businesses of any size, and we’ll gladly help your venture take the digital world by storm. Get in touch with us for a consultation today!
A note
Henry Blackwell
Henry Blackwell is a marketing professional. He has spent the last 10 years working in-house and within agencies, growing profitable businesses through brand and customer-centric digital marketing in New Zealand, Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe.
“My approach to marketing is a combination of heart and head. My heart brings an empathetic and intuitive approach to deeply understanding the qualitative requirements of marketing that many simply do not care to do. My head brings an analytical mindset that leverages data-driven insights to deliver profitable performance for the businesses I work with.
This skill set allows me to deliver systematic customer acquisition, conversion, and retention.”
– Director
