Today, customers are looking for a high-quality and satisfying user experience. They are smart and chose a Brand only after searching it on various platforms. There is a higher probability that a customer standing in a brick-and-mortar store will look for the online store as well. So, Marketers need to raise their game and use all the touchpoints to engage and retain the customers. (Touchpoint is the point of contact or a moment of interaction between a business and its customers) If your business is not making use of all the advertising platforms like social media, website, E-mail, SMS, etc, then there are chances you are losing the ball. Your Brand must apply Omnichannel Marketing to acquire, engage, retain customers and earn brownie points for your business.
Harvard Business Review conducted a study on customer’s shopping behavior. They found that around 73% of customers use multiple channels while shopping, 7% of customers only use online shopping and 20% of the customers go to the stores. Thus, omnichannel marketing is no longer an option but a necessity for a Business to thrive.
What is Omnichannel Marketing?
Omnichannel Marketing is the integration of all marketing platforms, traditional as well as modern, to offer a seamless user experience. It involves using traditional channels like print media, cold-call; digital channels like websites, emails, newsletters; point of sale, and customer service, customer feedback. The goal of Omnichannel marketing is to provide an effortless and integrated shopping experience to a customer from the first touchpoint to the last. A brand must analyze every marketing platform like social media. For Instance, It can use social listening to monitor and build strategies based on customer’s opinions and reactions. Each and every platform must be unified. When a customer visits a website, s/he must be sent SMS and emails consistently.
Read on to explore the secret sauce in Omnichannel Marketing….
What’s the difference between Omnichannel Marketing and Multichannel Marketing?
People often use these two terms interchangeably. Both marketing techniques involve using multiple channels of communication. There is a minor difference between the two styles of marketing.
In Omnichannel marketing, all the channels are integrated and connected whereas, in Multichannel marketing, all the channels work in isolation.
Omnichannel marketing is Customer-centric (it delivers consistent messages on all channels), while Multichannel marketing is sales-centric (it delivers different messages on various platforms).
There is transparency between all the channels in Omnichannel marketing, whereas there is no transparency between channels in Multiple marketing.
The goal of Omnichannel marketing is to provide a seamless customer experience to users and establish personalized communication on various touchpoints, while, the goal of Multiple channel marketing is to grow the reach of a brand.
How Brands use omnichannel marketing?
Omnichannel marketing is customer-centric. You have to imagine yourself in your customer’s shoes for formulating omnichannel strategies.
Let’s look at the Examples of how different brands applied Omnichannel Marketing.
1) Starbucks introduced a pre-ordering and payment feature on the Starbucks app for its customers so that customers need not wait in long lines for ordering their coffees.
2) Amazon, the giant of the e-commerce industry, offers various services through its website, app, Alexa devices, and Smartwatches.
3) Ikea, a popular furnishing brand, knows the conundrum of customers who wish to buy furniture online. They have made a specialized app so customers can test any piece of furniture in a real setting.
4) Disney, a multinational mass media and entertainment company, offers a satisfying user experience. When a visitor books a trip to Disneyland with an app called My Disney Experience tool. It plans every minute detail. A visitor can use the app to even see the waiting time for a popular ride.
5) Van Heusen, a lifestyle brand, launched a digital display screen of the 42-inch screen in their store. The screen is called “Today’s Briefing” and it tells the customers about the look of the day, what’s new. The stores are also equipped with a “Fit scanner, that scans a customer with the infrared device and takes a perfect measurement of the collar, shoulders, chest, bust, etc.
All these examples of omnichannel marketing prove that a great customer experience is a priority of all these brands. They value customer’s time and motivate them to shop by using new technologies. All brands are using various mediums to target their customers.
How to Implement Omnichannel Marketing for your brand?
In this highly digitalized world, where there is fierce competition your brand has to cut through the noise to attract, involve and retain your potential leads. This can only be achieved by offering a fulfilling customer experience. Explore how to create long-term relationships with your clients.
1) LISTEN TO YOUR CUSTOMERS
Create your marketing strategy according to customer opinions. Analyze closely how your customers behave on online and offline platforms. Find out the factors that motivate them to make a purchasing decision. Social listening is a great tool for designing various omnichannel marketing strategies.
2) DO CUSTOMER SEGMENTATION
Make use of AI technology and segment your audience into different segments. This will be an effective omnichannel technique.
3) PROVIDE PERSONALIZED EXPERIENCE
There are various ways to engage with your customers such as forwarding an SMS, email, notification through apps, offers, and discounts. All these should be exclusive and personalized. A customer is like a spoiled child who likes to get specialized offers and schemes to make a purchase.
4) RETARGET
A customer does not trust a brand on the first encounter. However, when a brand has established itself on all platforms, he/she does not hesitate. With the power of marketing on various channels, a brand leaves its imprint on the customer’s mind. Retargeting a customer is a significant move to enhance sales.
5) CUSTOMER SERVICE
The relationship between a brand and its customer does not end after sales are made. A business must ensure delivering the best customer service to its consumers. This helps in retaining potential clients for long-term
6) OPTIMIZE ALL THE CHANNELS
There may be some marketing channels that are underperforming. A brand must improve all the channels of marketing. You are approaching your customers through websites, emails, SMS, social media, and offering a seamless experience but your app is not working properly. Then, you might be losing a lot. As most of the people use while shopping from a brand. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance all the platforms.
The secret sauce of Omnichannel marketing is listening to your customers. Ask for their feedback. Observe their reaction on social media. Work on the criticism you receive. Prioritize your customer’s needs. After following all these things, your customer will easily slide down the sales funnel.
Adopt Omnichannel Marketing for your business and unlock its potential. Stay tuned for amusing and enlightening blogs. Subscribe to our website and Follow us on Instagram. Tell us in the comment box, which type of marketing is right for your business and why?
Written by - Arunima Sharma and Rishi Singh
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