NextGen Multichannel Marketing

The Big Winners are getting the Balance right between digital and experiential marketing.

Today, Digital Marketing fatigue is a real concern. Getting genuine cut-through outcomes seems harder than scaling Mt Everest for many brands.  The one-trick digital marketing pony has gone home to rest.

NextGen Multichannel Marketers are winning by successfully integrating time-tested traditional marketing with digital, direct, and relationship marketing supported by ad-tech and CRM/Marketing automation.  If you have a single marketing channel strategy, you may want to take a look at what your new neighbors are doing. 

What exactly is NextGen Multichannel Marketing?

In simple terms, NextGen Multichannel Marketing can be defined as the implementation of a single strategy across multiple channels or platforms, both online and offline, thus maximising opportunities to interact with prospective customers.

The goal of Multichannel Marketing is to give consumers more choice and allow them to buy or connect when, where, and how they want to. That means instead of running a single start-and-stop campaign or using a single marketing channel, like TV or email, marketers are employing a customer lifecycle strategy to meet their audience wherever they are.  Right channel, right message at the right time.

These channels can include (but are not limited to):

• Email
• Social Media
• Mobile & SMS
• Print including Catalogues, Direct Mail Drops, and Newspaper Ads
• Broadcast Media such as radio, podcasts & TV
• In-store, such as a retail space
• Websites
• Other Digital platforms such as search engine ads, online interest groups & blog sites

Multichannel Marketers identify the channels their target customers are using and understand how their target customers move from one channel to another to create a memorable brand experience. In fact, according to HBR, 73% of consumers regularly use multiple engagement channels to interact with a preferred retailer.

Multichannel Marketing seeks to establish a marketer’s presence across multiple channels. Online, that includes search engines, blogs, social networks, email, and more. Offline refers to print, TV, radio, and other media.

The Cornerstones of a NextGen Multichannel Marketing Strategy?

Success in Multichannel Marketing doesn’t come from just being present on these channels. Nope — just like the Customer Lifecycle Methodology, the following need to be addressed:

• Brand Reach
• Message Effectiveness
• Message Consistency
• Engagement performance
• Memorable Experience through Channel Integration

The Secret to Deploying a Successful NextGen Multichannel Marketing Program
By establishing a Multichannel Marketing program, you will be able to integrate traditional and emerging channels. Following the steps below puts the holy grail of marketing within your grasp, reaching the right person with the right offer through the right channel at the right time, while reducing costs and improving the effectiveness and performance of your marketing efforts.

1. Formalise your buyer’s persona.
2. Select Channels through Customer Lifecycle Mapping
3. Develop a Unified & Singular Message
4. Play to the strengths of each channel
5. Create a memorable brand experience across integrated channels
6. Implement CRM & Marketing Automation Platform & Best Practice
7. Make the Website channel the best it can be
8. Measure performance & channel attribution.
9. Retarget through the funnel – the perfect partner to NextGen Multichannel Marketing.

Ultimately, your goal is to meet your audience where they are. Step beyond just being present on multiple channels and start connecting them all into one scalable & repeatable brand experience.

Here is a great example of a killer multichannel marketing campaign we previously delivered for our client, Uni Hill Town Centre – the ‘Win a Cruise’ competition.

CASE STUDY: Uni Hill Town Centre ‘Win a Family Cruise’ Competition

For this campaign, the VooDu Marketing team was tasked with planning and executing an exciting competition to launch the renovation and redevelopment of Uni Hill Town Centre. This was a local area marketing campaign targeting primarily families who lived within 10 km of the shopping centre.

Our Client had run a similar campaign previously, where primarily traditional methods were used, so for this particular promotion, we looked at ways we could incorporate some digital marketing channels to increase exposure (and the number of entries received) from the previous campaign.

The channels that best fit our objectives and target audience were:

Point of Sale Promotional Material, including Signage, Posters, Counter Cards, and Entry Pads in all the retail stores, and a big, eye-catching competition entry barrel prominently located in the high-traffic area outside Coles Supermarket.

Featured Website Banner and News Item on the UHTC Website and a dedicated Competition Landing Page, allowing entries to be submitted online for the more tech-savvy customers. (Such an important element was missing from their last Competition, where entries could only be made with a physical entry form submitted within the centre)

• A Promotional Video for the Val Morgan digital screens throughout the centre, as well as on social media. (link to video & motion graphic page)
• Pay-per-click ad Campaign on Facebook, aimed at our target customers
• Organic Social Media Posts on Facebook and Instagram are directed at local Bundoora families.

The Results

This case study provided us with valuable insights into what a well-thought-out and planned Multichannel Marketing campaign can achieve.

What we achieved:

Hopefully, this brief introduction to NextGen Multichannel Marketing has given you plenty to think about when planning your next campaign. 

Are you meeting your customers where they are?
Are you spending the right $$$ on the right Channels?