Omnichannel marketing is a strategy designed to deliver a consistent customer experience across various channels and devices by blending online with offline interactions.
For example, a customer might receive a promotional email from a favourite retailer, search for products on the retailer’s website, place an order through a mobile app, and then receive the product at their doorstep. Or, a customer might attend a trade show or see a product in person, be served an ad for that very product, clickthrough to the website where they see the same messaging and more information, before they finally make a purchase.
In other words, omnichannel marketing is a holistic and seamless approach instead of a hodge podge of different customer touchpoints, and varying key messages. It is about making the purchasing process easy for the customer and, as a bonus, it provides a clear ROI breakdown for brands.
A report by McKinsey found that by prioritising two or three channels, brands can hone their omnichannel marketing efforts to provide an efficient, cohesive approach that gives the customer consistent information when they need it.
So, how can you ensure your brand is nailing omnichannel marketing in 2024? Read on for the latest insights around effective omnichannel marketing strategies.
Why use omnichannel marketing?
Firstly, why is omnichannel marketing so important in 2024? Aside from making the purchasing process easier, it is the gold standard in customer retention, especially in a world where user attention is spread across so many different mediums and devices at any one time.
According to research published in the Harvard Business Review, brands that use robust omnichannel customer engagement strategies retain 89 per cent of their customers versus 33 per cent without such a strategy.
Meeting customers at every point creates a greater level of convenience, leading to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Simplify customer support
According to a study by Aberdeen Group, companies with strong omnichannel customer engagement strategies retain 89 per cent of their customers, highlighting the importance of providing a consistent and seamless experience across multiple channels.
An easy place to start is customer support. If a customer has a query or wants more information, you want to make this interaction as seamless as possible. Having a chatbot on the desktop version of your website is no longer enough. You need to meet your customers where they are using the platforms they favour.
As well as a chatbot on your website, make use of Facebook Messenger, DMs on Insta and even good old-fashioned email. Creating automated, consistent customer service responses across platforms serves two purposes:
- an instant acknowledgement to make customers feel valued
- saves time for admin staff.
Providing a seamless and consistent experience for customers, meeting them on their preferred channels and ensuring their needs are addressed promptly will help firm up your omnichannel marketing strategy.
The importance of a 360-degree customer view
Brands can’t effectively instigate omnichannel marketing until they’ve created a unified view of customer data across all channels. This means combining data from sources including customer relationship management (CRM) systems, e-commerce platforms and social media.
Without the unified customer view, there’s a risk of delivering inconsistent experiences that aren’t properly optimised for each channel touchpoint, leading to frustration, confusion, and ultimately, customer attrition.
And losing your current customers comes at a high cost. According to the Zendesk Customer Experience (CX) Trends Report 94 per cent of customers are to spend more with companies who personalise the customer service experience, while Hubspot reports that 72 per cent of company revenue comes from existing customers.
Clear, consistent messaging across your campaigns builds customer trust. When customers receive the same core message via website, app, and emails, it reassures them and creates a cohesive experience. This unified voice makes them feel confident taking the desired action, regardless of channel.
Salesforce reports that 76 per cent of customers expect consistent interactions, yet more than half (54 per cent) say it feels like there is disconnect between different departments, making the customer journey confusing and disjointed. But, how do you create consistency across markedly different touchpoints?
- Lock down those key messages for your campaign, so that your customers feel comfortable seeing the familiar taglines, delivered in the most appropriate ways per channel.
- Map the customer journey. Knowing that one channel will lead to another helps you to clearly map out what the continued experience will feel like for the customer. Seeing an ad with top-level information, for example, might entice audiences to click-through and have more detailed delivered on a landing page – building value and a richer experience, without sounding repetitive.
- Design elements. Much like key messaging creates familiarity and consistency, visual elements are as important. Ensure chosen colours are consistent and perhaps utilise consistent icons or an artistic style throughout, so that a user is clear about the journey they are taking across your campaign.
This time, it's personal
Personalisation is a critical component of effective omnichannel marketing. By consolidating customer data from all interactions, brands gain invaluable insights into individual preferences, behaviours, and purchase histories. This rich data allows brands to personalise messaging, product recommendations and offers tailored to each customer’s unique needs.
Personalised experiences start with customised storytelling. Knowing your target customer’s interests and behaviours will certainly influence the type of creative and copy that you share with them. Think of the brand content you engage with daily. You probably resonate with that content because the brand reflects your own values, you relate to the people they feature or you might value the education and insight a particular brand’s content delivers. Be consistent at delivering relevant, captivating content, and the ongoing interest and eventual loyalty will follow.
This doesn’t mean that follow-up ads with stronger, direct CTAs can’t also tap into personalisation. In fact, it’s important that they do!
By analysing browser and purchase histories, brands can determine an individual’s product tastes and preferences. They can then dynamically show those users personalised product recommendations in emails and in search and social ads, sparking enough interest that will ensure the user clicks through and hopefully converts to a customer. The idea is to know your audience better than they know themselves; anticipate their wants and needs, and make it easy for them to satiate their purchase appetite.
Final thoughts
A successful omnichannel marketing strategy comes down to three Cs: consistent messaging, context and content. A 360-degree view of customer data is critical to know how to reach buyers. To successfully hit your targets, it’s also as much about knowing how to translate your core campaign messaging into quality interactions that are optimised for every touchpoint.
