By Dove Direct on Wednesday, 09 February 2022
Category: Content Marketing

Omnichannel Marketing Creates Effective Messaging

Welcome to the Dove Direct Print and Marketing Blog. Today's post, "Omnichannel Marketing Creates Effective Messaging," reexamines the effectiveness of omnichannel marketing and how it produces a cohesive brand presence by implementing particular digital channel investments.  Before we get started, we would like to wish all a Happy Valentine's Day!  Love is what the planet is in desperate need of, and we all need to practice giving love on an unconditional basis! Now, Omnichannel is the improved version of multichannel in that it focuses on personalization as well as multichannel applications.  In a nutshell, Multichannel marketing is placing advertising and marketing communications on every digital channel that the brand's budget will allow. Conversely, omnichannel is the practice of placing marketing collateral across multiple media outlets, focusing on consumer relevance, consistency, personalization, and the all-encompassing marketing communication strategy and tactics. 



Remember that single-channel marketing tactics typically lack the personalization aspect and consistently falters in reaching the company's stated goals, most often when compared to omnichannel communication approaches.  Throughout 2021, an omnichannel survey report illuminated an eye-opening data point, in that a single marketing campaign that invested in upwards of two channels (three or more) reaped a 287% higher purchase rate higher than those marketing initiatives that invested in a single-channel campaign. Therefore, each channel must optimize the best integration to achieve higher results.  In addition, the omnichannel marketing process has now and is continuing to evolve into divergent applications and definitions.





Our Quote of the Day: 

 "In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute." — Thurgood Marshall, the 1st African American Supreme Court Justice






Separating Omnichannel from Multichannel


In 2022, multiple marketing debates continue about the viability of similarities, differences, and values between multichannel versus omnichannel marketing.  A significant number exists with two divergent strategies that remain remarkably similar in many cases. That said, there is not a stitch of similarity between the two.  It's true that while both approaches invest in multiple channels to engage consumers, customers and prospects, these marketing strategies are distinctly unique and isolated ideologies.  

A popular definition is floating around among those who believe that multichannel marketing is simply engaging with targeted prospects across various media platforms.  More succinctly put, this popular description making its way through the marketing halls of academia has put a stake in the ground that defines multichannel marketing strategies as a strict focus on the where; that being campaign channels that can publish content in mediums such as print, direct mail pieces, websites, retail locations, events, word-of-mouth referrals, and product packaging investments.  Multichannel marketing techniques are far less focused on creating seamless consumer experiences to place a finer point on it.  These types fail to include personalization.

In most cases, multichannel strategies and tactics are formulated in a silo environment. In these cases, the marketing team members and consequent focuses are on the individual channel placements. Simply put, the multichannel vision is a limited one, focusing on merely publishing the messages across most channels in the brand's budgetary ledger.

 Conversely, omnichannel marketing strategies merge the consumer engagement process more personally, ensuring that the entire consumer experience outcome will be top of mind.  Marketers who understand the omnichannel approach are keen to enlarge the focus across each, and every consumer touchpoint remains consistent across the consumer's visits to any invested channel.  That process creates a seamless experience that can raise brand equity and elevate the brand value proposition between the consumer and the brand.  Multichannel, nonetheless, is a good approach and has been proven to be a solid investment.  However, omnichannel takes it to the next iteration and proceeds with better results. 
  As stated earlier, organizations that develop excellent omnichannel consumer experiences perform higher than multichannel.  Several reports and surveys say that organizations that practice omnichannel pursuits have amassed a retention rate of 91% YTY (on average) above those that failed to invest in an omnichannel marketing strategy. 



Gary Vaynerchuk, a well-known marketing guru, strongly believes in the concept of omnichannel marketing.  Mr. Vaynerchuk has repeatedly and famously provided first-hand proof of how well omnichannel results have toppled multichannel efforts. One illustration includes repurposing content from a single piece of video marketing content sliced into 30 plus content segments, which can then be repurposed for publishing across 30 plus marketing channels. That idea is innovative and efficient in that it creates a seamless visual experience across multiple platforms.

 Mr. Vaynerchuk also intimates that omnichannel marketing is the preferred way to regard the consumer's perspective.  In addition, he would say that both brands and consumers benefit from omnichannel on an equal basis. 

In short, brands and marketers investing in content repurposing find themselves in a position that uplifts the brand by instituting seamless consumer experiences, thus creating more engagement and response rates. 

Brands can repurpose any marketing content, including videos, email marketing, direct mail marketing, social media, mobile, brochures, websites, podcasts, and any media advertising channel under consideration, even radio and outdoor.






Omnichannel Brings Consistency


Here's what we know about the multichannel marketing experience. This process can publish marketing collateral to multiple marketing channels for advertising communications in a simultaneous workflow.  In a sense, posting unified marketing messages across various marketing channels, one could argue that multichannel marketing strategies mirror the omnichannel idea to a point. However, in reality, they are unique.  Keep in mind that because many marketing teams tend to work in a silo environment, the consumer experience may not be able to impart a seamless transition from one channel to the next, thereby failing to deliver an experience worthy of a consumer's response. As a result, failing to implement a seamless consumer experience could create an unsatisfactory brand perception.


For example, you may have experienced a practice that continues regularly for many businesses that sell online. Consider the number of times that you have purchased a product online, after which you begin to receive a plethora of consequential promotional email offers asking you to buy the very same product you already purchased. That type of marketing activity could depress future purchases from the newly acquired customer. 

Rest assured that this type of marketing confirms that this is a multichannel effort, not Omni.  Typically, events like these point to a marketing team void of the ability to track purchase data, indicating that they respond to data captured by a CRM tool. 

Further, this practice also represents a silo working environment with a lack of a cohesive, comprehensive internal workflow infrastructure, preventing these types of consumer experience debacles.

 On the other hand, brands that employ an effective omnichannel strategy go the distance to ensure that all departments (including those beyond marketing efforts) are on the same page and have signed off on all marketing campaign communications.  The internal department buy-in process typically includes the following applicable units, including social media, video, sales, customer service, customer support, and public relations.  Internal buy-in requires consistency to execute an omnichannel marketing campaign strategy successfully.





Omnichannel Has Different Meanings


Not all omnichannel initiatives are successful, as some fail to meet the intended goals. The omnichannel definitions and processes are the key that unlocks the successes.

 As mentioned in a 2021 post, "Trader Joe's grocery chain has risen to the highest sales per square foot above all grocery chains in America.  Stephen Dubner's Freakonomics podcast recently took a deep dive into the particulars behind TJ's success.  Dubner discovered that not only is Trader Joe's low-tech, but it is "aggressively so."  Imagine operating in an age where digital technology reigns supreme, yet TJ's has no self-checkout aisles, void of online ordering or store side pickup.  Nor does TJ's have a customer loyalty program!  The final kicker, TJ's does not collect a significant amount of customer data. 



Dubner interviewed an ad executive, Mark Gardiner, who worked for TJ's.  Mr. Gardiner stated, "They don't market. They have a pretty good website now. However, for years, they had a rudimentary website. They had almost no social media presence. They had almost no kind of public relations."  TJ's decided to focus on their most important links with the customers, reducing the number of 'channels' in the mix but doing them very well. TJ's changed the omnichannel definition from media outlets and data collection to people who shop.  For example, while customers shop, TJ's teams stock shelves to maximize customer interactions during the daytime.  TJ's also uses an old-school paper announcement called the Fearless Flyer, which focuses on divergent product selections such as the new Dark Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter Cups Jackfruit Cakes.  According to Mr. Gardiner, "The well-written product descriptions make the Fearless Flyer a channel."







The 2021 Omnichannel 

The following mediums were the preferred omnichannel mediums for 2021 and will continue throughout 2022: 



B2B Omnichannel Marketing


In 2021, many B2B marketers objected to commentators and marketing pundits that believed that B2B marketing strategies should emulate B2C marketing concepts.  In contrast, we recognize that the art of selling delicious treats in a grocery setting is a divergent leap from attracting consumers who manage tech operations. However, B2B marketers can replicate B2C marketing folks who continuously remain at the inception point between consumer and customer messaging.  B2C brand marketing strategies, more often than not, are keenly aware of how to execute best and maximize marketing messages.  On the other hand, B2B executives and decision-makers are mindful of receiving and responding to B2C messages that attract, lure, and resonate, across a broad spectrum of product offerings, from food, cars, homes, travel, tech, and more. 

The point. You do not want to stick to publishing marketing messages across a myriad of channels filled with messaging that doesn't resonate. A lack of uniqueness will fail to raise brand equity and the ROI bar in most cases.  Remember, the number of channels is not entirely insignificant; however, how the marketing team engages and manages content for each channel will make or break the response and engagement rates.





The Net-Net
As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the globe, the impact places a significant strain on multiple business models, including B2B, B2C, and D2C sectors.  Marketing considerations for 2022 will continue to evolve according to life on the ground and changing consumer habits, which will impact the channels we use and how we use them. Therefore, all businesses must stay watchful and cognizant of key marketing messages associated with each channel.  When opting to utilize omnichannel methods, the primary focus will remain steadfast on the ability to deliver the right content at the best time, using the proper set of channels, all with the intent of providing consumers with an optimal customer experience across any medium.  Lastly, content is still king, regardless of consumers' channels to receive those communication messages.  Happy Valentine's Day! Thanks for reading "Omnichannel Marketing Creates Effective Messaging!"

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