The Cornerstones of Omnichannel Marketing Success
The Cornerstones of Omnichannel Marketing Success
By now, your business has likely heard the term omnichannel before, as our team cannot get enough of this type of marketing! As covered in past blog posts, omnichannel marketing involves establishing your business across multiple online and offline channels while creating a seamless experience throughout the consumer journey. This type of marketing is critical for small businesses to build brand awareness and loyalty and drive growth.
If your business has a brick-and-mortar location, this type of marketing can be particularly challenging for you, as the customer experience between online and in-person shopping is quite different. Many companies try to do too much right out of the gate, leading to strategies not working because the basics are not in place. To help you optimize your consumer-first tactics, here are a few cornerstones of omnichannel success.
Identify platforms and measure performance
Before doing anything else, your business must identify which outlets your customers and target audience use. While this seems like it is an obvious tactic, many brands fail to complete this step, preventing them from achieving a singular view of their consumers. Look into which channels these individuals are using and what devices they are using as well. The digital landscape has changed, and some shoppers find your business from social media vs. a search engine, and so on.
Once you have identified key platforms and started using them to your advantage, the next step is measuring your success. This may include looking at your online presence via product pages, customer service chats, checkout pages, emails, social media comments, etc. In-store tracking might include employee interactions, number of sales, etc. Omnichannel success requires your business to have its finger on the pulse of every single consumer touchpoint and have a way to measure how these individuals are interacting with your company in person and online.
Communicate with consumers
Customer habits and preferences change frequently, so communication with these consumers has to evolve to keep up. It’s critical for your business to provide the best customer service possible to create a positive experience for these individuals. Keep in mind that in a perfect omnichannel world, messaging across channels should be the same to keep a consistent presence.
Performing experiments like A/B testing is a good step, as you can test two versions of the same message to see what resonates better with consumers. This could be in the form of sending out two versions of the same newsletter or creating two versions of a website landing page. This type of testing allows you to better understand your target audience and ensures you meet the expectations of your customers.
Optimize your business operations
Operational efficiency can feel daunting, but trial and error are critical here. Your goal should be staying on top of changing customer wants and needs and how your efforts impact each channel. If your in-store presence is successful, but your website has issues, you must work out the kinks to ensure both experiences match up. Consistency and connectivity are key, so investing in the right resources to help you – like the right marketing partner – is a worthwhile investment.
These three areas, and more, play a critical role in the success of your omnichannel marketing strategy. By reviewing and improving workflows, your business can be better positioned to improve consumer satisfaction, build brand loyalty, and increase retention. Omnichannel success is not a simple task, but working hard to provide customers with a seamless, consistent, and personalized user experience sets you apart from your competition.
Is your business in need of a strong omnichannel strategy for 2023? Email sbellem@bbrookstone.com to get started. We would love to help you grow your business this year and beyond!
