How To Build A Multichannel Digital Marketing Strategy

• By Daniel Abbott
• 01-05-2024
• Digital Marketing

It is possible to argue that, despite its historical simplicity, marketing has never been more complex than it is in the present day.
Modern technology has changed how businesses and customers communicate. Social media and smartphones help consumers connect with brands easily.

Technology has revamped marketing with data-driven decisions.

In recent years, technology has rapidly progressed. We now use futuristic tech like augmented reality and virtual assistants in everyday apps.

In the future, the list will get longer. Martech will offer more tools, and AI will get smarter.

As a result of these developments, every brand must now implement a multichannel digital marketing strategy.

Customers need to interact with a brand many times before they might buy. So, businesses should use every marketing channel to connect more with customers.

CMOs need to find the right channels without spending too much. It's about reaching customers without overwhelming them.

Why is Multichannel Marketing Important?

Because you have to be everywhere your clients are looking for information and assist them in doing so.

Because our customers are increasingly using a variety of channels to locate the information they require. Compared to before, they depend less on your sales representative and your website. They're also finding data themselves now. It helps them decide on business stuff.

Is there a difference? Absolutely! According to Mary Meeker, more money goes to online ads. There's a big difference of $20 billion compared to other channels. how much time do today's digital consumers spend on those channels?

To put it another way, companies don't invest enough money in the channels where consumers are spending more time.
Forrester titled their report "The Multi-channel Maturity Mandate" for this reason. As stated by Forrester:

Compared to marketers today, customers have far more control over the purchasing process. Most people use social media and the Internet now. So, consumers have lots of options and opinions to consider.

• Multi-channel marketing means giving customers more options. It helps companies meet their needs better.
• Multi-channel marketing gets our content to where people look. It's a key part of our strategy.

The study found that mastering multi-channel marketing brings big business benefits. It's about reaching more people with the right marketing mix.

This supports what we know about content marketing. Good content, aimed at the buying stage, gets people engaged earlier.

The study found something interesting. More mature companies have happier customers. Focusing on multi-channel marketing lets you reach more people. It also makes them happier with your brand.

Marketers know that multi-channel marketing is important. 40% see themselves as experienced in it.

It's a matter of skill rather than will. It was determined that the primary barrier to more effective, integrated marketing was a skills gap.

Experienced marketers see better ROI and campaign results. They've improved a lot.

Skilled multi-channel marketers often try new tech first. They work well with IT and are close to sales.

Even experienced multi-channel marketers see ways to improve. They feel their marketing could be better integrated.

Elevate the Company Website

A company's digital face to the world can be much more than just its brand website. It's a chance to use a thoughtful selection of case studies, blog entries, videos, and other website content to create an experience all by itself. Brand websites are rated as the greatest marketing channel by 44% of customers for comprehending the benefits of a product.

If you want your website to be noticed, focus on this marketing channel. Make it a place people want to return to for content.

Companies with advanced content strategies have nailed the content hub. They use it either on their main site or as a separate brand site. This is a level above a simple content-based website. It makes it simpler for visitors to access content they might find interesting by creating a space where all of your best content can live. Additionally, you should show them more of what you can do to keep their interest and hook them with a "what's in it for me" that far exceeds their expectations.

Moreover, this is how Equinox's hub appears. This upscale fitness company explores a lifestyle that their target aspires to, providing more than just information.

One excellent illustration of this incredibly beneficial educational website experience is HubSpot Academy.

You get the impression that there is an infinite supply of knowledge available, and that is indeed the case. It's also all free. That makes entering the online brand world of HubSpot extremely compelling.

These strategies for producing extraordinary value from the company website go beyond simple lead generation and thought leadership. They also contribute to building a brand that consumers throughout the world want to support. It's a step beyond functionality and quality, evoking standard of living that B2C customers want and a degree of achievement and productivity that B2B customers aim for.

Use Goals to Determine Your Channels and budget.

Not the other way around. You must first clearly define your marketing objectives in order to develop an efficient plan using a variety of marketing channels.

Choose the channels that will help you achieve those objectives next.

And lastly, how much cash each resource needs to help you reach your goals.

Which channels are currently the most pertinent to your audience? How are your objectives changing? For instance, how can different channels be used more effectively if you need to increase customer retention, engagement, or conversions?

Should a larger portion of the budget be set aside to support an impactful short, medium-, or long-term video, influencer, or experiential campaign in order to accomplish particular short- and long-term goals?

Which channels need to be allocated more or less in response to the ones that aren't currently working to achieve objectives?

You have more avenues for connecting with customers when you have a variety of marketing channels at your disposal.

You can more accurately determine which roads to invest more in with the current budget allocation for the specific requirements of

your organization by assessing the destinations you wish to reach.

Identify Your Audience and Determine Their Preferences

Assuming that they must use every platform available to them in order to reach their customers is one of the biggest mistakes that businesses make when it comes to digital marketing.

The truth is that not every business needs or benefits from every marketing channel. Not every company has to advertise on LinkedIn and Snapchat.

Some people should concentrate on creating audio or video content, such as podcasts and vlogs, while others would do better with blogging content.

That being said, Snapchat wouldn't exactly be the best marketing channel to use if the majority of your audience consists of customers who are over 40.

Identify a Head Strategist

According to a Gartner study, over 90% of marketers struggle to integrate more than three channels into a multi-channel strategy.

You don't want too many cooks in the kitchen if you want to maximize the use of marketing channels and effectively manage multiple entry points to your target audience.

A lead strategist should take the helm and concentrate on maintaining the course toward predetermined marketing objectives.

Additionally, this will guarantee that a focused, coherent message is applied consistently throughout all channels. which is essential to delivering the flawless experience that your clients demand.

Strengthen Your Martech Stack

To help you create a presence, monitor results, and manage crucial metrics and customer accounts, you need the right tools. It takes deliberate effort to build a strong martech ecosystem that backs your initiatives, though.

For example, Marketo provides a suite of products called Engage (for building brands), Bizible (for revenue attribution), and Adobe Experience Cloud (for enhancing customer experience).

These products work together to help businesses automate email and mobile marketing, manage and nurture leads, create and distribute content using predictive analytics, identify relevant influencers on social media, and track key performance indicators across all of these channels.

Start with a Pilot and Expand

A multichannel marketing strategy's main drawback is its lack of focus. When a lot of new channels are added, it can be very overwhelming and negatively affect the caliber of work produced by your team.

Once more, the specific audience that your business serves will determine which strategies are most effective, so it's important to study their preferences and behavior to find out which ones are most likely to yield the largest returns.

Track Things Over Time and Prioritize

As effective marketing strategies take time to develop, you shouldn't count on seeing results right away. With the use of persuasive content, marketing is a nurturing process that aids in guiding prospects down the sales funnel.

Don’t give up if these new digital channels aren’t giving you results right away. For these marketing techniques to truly result in conversions, time may be needed.

Ask the folloing questions for better results:

• Which consumer groups are you going to focus on?
• In what way will you present your product?
• What if you don't meet your sales targets? Will you set any?
• What is the estimated budget for advertising?
• How are you going to hold onto the clients you get through that channel?

Nevertheless, try to prioritize as soon as you can. Monitor which channels are producing engagement and return on investment, and make adjustments when the capabilities of the channels change.

Connect to Buyers with Live Experiences

Experience and event marketing is the other marketing channel with the most potential to impact your target audience.

Events are essential for a marketing strategy that truly adds value for customers, as 41% of consumers rank live experiences as the best way to help them understand what a product is all about.

Events play a significant role in driving significant revenue and benefits related to boosting brand awareness.

Experiences and other events don't only have worth.

Additionally, they act as a counterbalance to digital content, giving your brand a human face and promoting a deeper sense of authenticity than what can be achieved with just digital content.

Even for those who were not present in person, this is true.

A portion of the experience is still felt by those who interact with it indirectly through exposure to images, videos, and other repurposed content because it demonstrates that real people with genuine passions and ideas are behind brands.

Leverage Dynamic Automation

Automation is now useful for a lot more than just creating effective, focused email campaigns. Personalized thank-you cards given out when a customer demos your product or discounts after that first purchase are just a couple examples of the kind of thoughtful direct mail that can be used in conjunction with on-site messaging to help with lead generation.

The ability to manage multiple channels is initially made possible by automation. Sending individualized, timely, and pertinent content at scale would be unfeasible otherwise.

Therefore, make use of the software available to enable more dynamic, effective marketing.

In addition to all-inclusive software programs like Marketo, HubSpot, and Eloqua, there are targeted tools like VIdyard for visually-focused campaigns, Buzzsprout for podcasts, and Creator IQ for influencer campaigns that can assist in creating, optimizing, and automating specific channels.

Go Further & Beyond

The bottom line is that you need to connect with your customers through the channels that they respond to the best if you want your goods or services, as well as the brand narrative itself, to resonate with them.

Because technology has made the modern world more connected than ever, businesses can now reach customers almost everywhere they go online.

If done correctly, a robust multichannel marketing strategy is by far the best way to build relationships and convert leads.

Conclusion

Building a multichannel digital marketing strategy is essential for reaching diverse audiences and maximizing brand visibility.
By integrating various online channels such as social media, email, SEO, and PPC, businesses can create a cohesive and impactful marketing approach that drives engagement and conversions.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why is a multichannel digital marketing strategy important?

A multichannel strategy ensures that your brand is visible across multiple online platforms, increasing the chances of reaching and engaging with your target audience effectively.

2. How do I identify the right channels for my multichannel strategy?

Conduct market research and audience analysis to understand where your target audience spends their time online, then focus your efforts on channels where they are most active and receptive to your messaging.

3. Is it necessary to be active on every digital channel?

No, it's not necessary to be on every channel. Focus on the platforms that align with your business goals and where your audience is most likely to engage with your content.

4. How can I measure the success of my multichannel strategy?

Utilize analytics tools to track key performance indicators (KPIs) such as website traffic, engagement metrics, conversion rates, and ROI from each channel to assess the effectiveness of your strategy.

5. What are some common challenges in implementing a multichannel strategy?

Some challenges include maintaining consistency across channels, managing content creation and distribution, and optimizing resources effectively to ensure a seamless and cohesive customer experience.