Digital Channels and Omnichannel Strategy

Digital Marketing - Study Notes:

Key digital channels

Let’s explore the channels you should consider when developing an omnichannel strategy.

Omnichannel is a cross-channel strategy. It encompasses traditional channels, digital channels, physical, and online experiences.

In terms of digital channels, an omnichannel marketing strategy may include the following:

• Website
• Email
• Social media
• Display
• Video
• Remarketing
• Search marketing (PPC and SEO)
• Affiliate marketing
• Mobile marketing (SMS and apps)

Think about how customers use these digital channels to interact with your brand at various touchpoints. For each digital touchpoint, ask yourself:

• Where exactly is the customer in their customer journey?
• What do customers expect from brands or businesses on this channel?
• How does this channel influence the overall customer experience?

Then you can optimize each channel to maximize your effectiveness and success.

Importance of website optimization

It's essential to understand how optimizing your website can lead to omnichannel success. Optimization is a necessary step, as you typically drive people to your website when they click through from a digital marketing campaign. Your website or mobile app is likely to be the last point of contact before someone buys, so optimizing the experience to match customer preferences is essential for success.

If users log in with their email address, you can personalize their experience on your site. For example, you can give them recommendations for products they might like to buy, based on how you’ve profiled their buying habits.

Different customer expectations on different channels

When it comes to digital channels that drive traffic to your website or mobile app, it's worth bearing in mind that they fall into two categories:

• Some of these channels are marketing channels that help drive consumer demand and build your brand in the minds of customers
• Others are sales channels that close the deal and facilitate sales

As a result, customers have different expectations of the messaging on different channels. However, by using a data-driven, omnichannel approach, you can create the type of experiences, content, and messaging customers expect on each channel. This ensures your customers are satisfied and helps drive performance and maximize sales.

Outbound channels

Some digital channels drive customer demand by creating awareness. These are typically known as outbound channels.

With any kind of outbound marketing, the interaction with the customer is initiated by the business or brand. So, in a sense, outbound involves interrupting potential customers. For example, you might interrupt people by showing them a display banner, video, or social media ad because you believe they might be interested in your offering.

Customers might not actively engage with you at this point. After all, they didn’t actively seek out your ad. And they might be busy doing something else. However, if they see your ad enough times, it’s likely that they will remember it and recall your messaging.

So, you can use your digital channels to create awareness of your product or brand and encourage people to become interested in your offering.

Inbound channels

Customers also use digital channels when they’re further along on their purchase journeys. For example, they might use digital channels to search online, research available products, weigh up various options, find solutions to problems, and ultimately make purchases. They could use digital channels to ask questions on social media or to sign up for email updates.

When digital channels are used in this way, they’re known as inbound channels. In such cases, the interaction with the customer is initiated by the customer, not by the business or brand.

Customers who initiate inbound interactions are highly motivated to find the information they need to take an action or solve a problem. They’re very likely to purchase when they interact with a brand that meets their needs and expectations.

Incorporating outbound and inbound tactics

When devising an omnichannel strategy, it's important to incorporate outbound and inbound tactics and leverage both in your campaigns.

Outbound channels can start the customer journey by driving awareness and encouraging customers to take an action. Then, use your inbound channels to move potential customers further down the path toward purchase and conversion.

In all your communications with the customer:

• Keep your messaging consistent and display a unified brand voice and tone.
• Use research to understand your customers’ motivations, needs, and wants.
• Use the data you uncover to unify all customer touchpoints and create exceptional customer experiences.
• Use personalization, automation, and other omnichannel techniques to drive more conversions, leads, and sales from your campaign.