Omnichannel marketing: Definition and benefits

Omnichannel marketing: A guide for small businesses.

You may have heard the word omnichannel and wonder what that means and what an omnichannel approach is when it comes to marketing. Omnichannel marketing is a great way for businesses to engage with their customers, and we’re here to explain what it is, why you should use is, and how if differs from other marketing approaches. We have top tips for success, so read on to learn how your business could benefit.

What is omnichannel marketing?

Put simply, omnichannel marketing is all about a joined-up experience across all your online and offline touchpoints, so your audiences get a seamless and unified approach to your business. This can cover things such as your website, social media, and in-store assets, so that wherever or however your customers interact with you, they enjoy a consistent experience with your brand.

Omnichannel marketing is about covering every step of a customer’s potential journey with your brand. For example, imagine someone discovers you through Instagram, heads over to your website for more details, goes to your brick-and-mortar store, then returns to your website to buy. This is an omnichannel experience, and joined up marketing ensures that this journey is smooth and consistent at every step.

The difference between multichannel and omnichannel marketing

Multichannel marketing uses various channels to reach an audience, and these channels often work independently from each other. The focus is generally on optimising each channel.

Omnichannel marketing is a more holistic approach. It creates an integrated and consistent experience across all channels, with a focus on the customer journey as a whole.

Top tips for omnichannel marketing success

A thoughtful and well-planned strategy can help you execute omnichannel marketing effectively and ensure all channels are well-integrated and running smoothly. Here are the key steps to think about when building out your strategy:

1. Know the audience journey.

Map every step of the customer journey, from how they first discover your brand, to the sale and then any aftersales steps. Having a clear understanding of the full customer journey will allow you to pinpoint all the opportunities to engage with your user across marketing channels, to create a clear customer experience that then converts into sales.

2. Consistent messaging

Your messaging and core values should be the same across all your marketing channels. This helps to build awareness and brand recognition, enabling customers to identify you as a trusted and authoritative brand.

3. Analyse

Data is always key. Look at what insights you have from your website or other marketing efforts and use this awareness of consumer behaviour to optimise the customer journey. Continuously monitor and review performance to understand the areas where you can make changes to your marketing efforts. By setting measurement goals, you can clearly see how well you’re meeting your omnichannel marketing KPIs (Key performance indicators).

4. Mobile optimisation

Make sure your omnichannel approach is mobile-friendly. This includes your website, apps, and emails. Learn how to optimise your website for mobile and ensure it is responsive and accessible for your audience. Consider mobile-friendly marketing activity, such as QR codes that take users to items that are being promoted in store, along with vouchers and gift cards that can be accessed via mobile.

5. Integration

Integrate the marketing platforms and tools you use (like social media accounts, the email platform you use, and analytics and data) to help build an overall view of your customers. This is a useful exercise when it comes to identifying how you can improve communication and targeting. Continue to integrate activity across all departments, channels and platforms to ensure a seamless and holistic experience for your customers.

Omnichannel marketing challenges and how to overcome them

We’ve looked at the benefits of omnichannel marketing and how it can transform your business, but as with any marketing activity, there are some challenges to be aware of:

Not defining your goals: Without clear goals and objectives, you won’t know what you’re trying to achieve with your omnichannel marketing efforts. Make sure you consider the metrics and KPIs you want to measure to get the best from your campaigns.

Not mapping the right channel to your activity: A robust strategy will ensure you target the right customers at the right time, across the right channels. If your channel approach doesn’t align with your audience data and demographic profiles, you won’t be able to connect with your audience.

Inconsistent messaging: If one platform promotes one message and another platform highlights another, you’ll be confusing your audience and isolating your demographic. As we mentioned before, consistent messaging is key and will ensure a holistic approach throughout your activity.

Isolated channels: If your marketing efforts are working in silo, chances are you’re missing out on turning your audience into customers and retaining them. To avoid this, make sure everyone is working together across all departments to activate your omnichannel strategy seamlessly.

Now you know how to overcome potential barriers in your omnichannel marketing, you can ensure your strategy aligns with your customer needs to promote your brand in the best way possible.

Omnichannel marketing is a strategic approach that can be used to transform the way you interact with your customers. By following the steps, you could reap the valuable benefits and position yourself for growth.

If you’d like to know more about omnichannel marketing for your business, you can speak with our helpful V-Hub Digital Advisers for 1-2-1 support.