What Is Multi-Channel Marketing and How Can Your Business Benefit?

The digital era continues to create new marketing opportunities. If you rely on just one method of outreach, customers may move from one channel to another and lose track of your company. However, if you effectively combine and integrate different approaches through multi-channel marketing, you can reach larger audiences—and even speed up the sales cycle.

But what is multi-channel marketing, exactly? Read on to learn more about this strategy and discover ways your company can take advantage of its benefits.

What is multi-channel marketing?

As you might guess from the name, a multi-channel marketing strategy is one that uses a wide range of marketing approaches. The logic is that different customers prefer different types of messaging. One might prefer TV ads, another text or SMS messaging—and another might like hearing recommendations from their favorite social media influencer. By using different channels, you end up reaching people through the method they want.

Yet this strategy goes beyond simply using different approaches. The goal is to coordinate each channel so they work together to create a sale. For example, you might use a radio ad to promote your new app. When customers join the app, you give users the option to receive more promotions on your website through SMS and email.

All channels are working together to make a sale versus a single-channel approach, which might entail sending out one flyer and hoping it leads to new customers.

What are the benefits of multi-channel marketing?

According to Salesforce, it takes roughly six to eight touches to convert a prospect into a sale. By using multi-channel marketing, you can potentially get through this cycle more quickly. You can also stay in front of customers who may be on the fence about buying. For example, your website tracks what people were looking at. Those who don't buy could receive paid social media or Google ads that remind them about it later—and hopefully convince them to make the purchase.

Each channel has its own strength as a marketing platform. Traditional sources like print and radio can potentially reach a larger audience with a general message. However, you can customize the message to specific types of clients based on their behavior using options for multi-channel digital marketing, including social media and email.

How can you effectively use multi-channel marketing?

As you expand across multiple channels, be sure to keep your company's branding and image consistent. This doesn't mean every channel should use the exact same wording. However, each message needs to feel like the same company with the same values is speaking to customers or they'll get confused.

When you plan campaigns, watch out for channel silos. Your marketing teams could start focusing only on their specific channels, meaning they don't share campaign plans and data with other groups. Emphasize that they're working together as part of a greater multi-channel marketing effort.

While running your campaign, make sure to track the data to measure its effectiveness. Marketing measurement and optimization platforms can help show a buyer's path to eventually buying your product. For example, perhaps they first went on social media, then a week later they clicked a pop-up ad that led to them buying the product. This customer behavior analytics data can help you see which strategies worked and which didn't.

How do you pick which channels to use?

With so many potential options to choose from, it can feel daunting to launch a multi-channel marketing approach from scratch—especially because each channel will require different strategies and approaches.

Finding the right combination at the start will take some educated guesswork. Based on what you know about a customer's profile, which channel do you think they'd be most responsive to? If you don't know, running some initial market research surveys can help you get started. You can also use this survey data to set buyer personas for different groups and create your messaging.

After you launch the campaign, consistently collect data on it to see which types of marketing are most effective in lead conversions. Because you'll be reaching clients through multiple channels, you also need to consider which has more value—and even identify which one influenced a specific customer to make a purchase. Through this information, you can determine which channels to continue investing in for your digital marketing and which to scale back.

Lastly, remember that the options for multi-channel digital marketing are always changing. Be sure to keep an eye on the latest platforms and consider adding new methods as technology evolves, like targeting the next TikTok as soon as it emerges.

Coordinating multi-channel marketing can take more work, but it's ultimately much more effective when handled properly. By using these ideas, you can start expanding your company's outreach—and growing your success.