Multi Channel Marketing - It’s All About Mixing and Matching

September 7, 2008

Someone once very wisely said that variety is the spice of life. Variety can mean different things for different people and when one is talking about multi channel marketing then variety is all about mixing and matching things in order to reach and keep your existing and potential customers in the best way that is possible.

Those from the earlier days might be more familiar with the term “media mix”, when marketers believed that the best way to reach customers was not from just one direction, but from anyplace that the consumer might look. So instead of adopting just one media channel as your way of communicating with your customers, you place your marketing messages in a mixture of media sources. That is to say: a media mix.

It goes without saying that the market is not the same as it used to be. Sure, something things never change. Demand and supply, target markets, sales communications… these are all concepts that are deeply rooted in marketing. But as marketing and consumers who are being exposed to these marketing concepts are changing, there is a slight shift in the way marketer look at multi channel marketing.

One major change that we have seen over the past years is the change in focus from the product to the customer. No longer are marketers saying, “This is what we have for you”; rather they are saying things along the lines of “Tell us what we can do for you”. This shift in focus to consumers has brought along the concept for long-term relationships with customers leading to increased interest in relationship management. The fact is that the cost of getting a new customer is much higher than retaining an old one.

Now as these ideas about marketing and concepts changed, new channels of communication also came into the picture, with none other being as influential as the Internet. The Internet is not just one thing; it is many things to many people. And this is exactly what marketers took advantage of. So while the traditional channels of communication are still being used, the Internet has been included into the mix to get some very effective and interesting results.

Perhaps the most interesting change that is occurring now is that there is no clear distinction between service communication and sales communication. So while emails might be used to inform customers of policies or answer any queries they might have (a service communication), there might be a link directing them to the shopping cart page of the retailers where consumers can “take a look at the latest products” (sales communication). In fact, the arrival of websites and the email made the blurring of these communications more possible because the Internet is a naturally interactive medium. Consumers are not necessarily aware of the fact that many times sales and service communications are mixed like this. And many of those who are aware, do not see anything wrong with information being mixed in this way.

The fact is that there are always new ways of communicating. And as competition increases, marketers aim to do anything that will keep their brand as top-of-mind for their consumers. Of course, the keyword here is ‘relevance’. Choose channels that are appropriate for your target market. Your multi-channel marketing must not mean you include all media that you can get your hands on, but systematically choose those that will give you best results.

One word to keep in mind is ‘personalization’. Personalizing communication in order to speak directly to your consumer makes it easier for the consumer to respond and interact with you. This means that when an email is being sent to a customer; make sure that it sounds like it has been written directly to him or her. Getting consumers involved via various channels of communication is the main thing you should be aiming at through multi-channel marketing.

Of course, when it comes to multi-channel marketing, often marketers are worried that one channel might eat in to the share of another channel. The up side, however, is that reaching customers over a number of channels does affect loyalty and long-term relationships in a positive way. Getting consumers to interactive with you in many different ways only works at strengthening the relationship.

Consistency is also important. That is to say that if you have built a lasting relationship with a customer via the email, keep that connection going even if other channels of communication is included into the process. Maintaining that level of comfort and accessibility with a loyal customer makes it easier to keep that customer with you. Frequency of communication is also something you need to regulate keeping in mind the needs of your customers.

It is almost like bring together many loose strings and trying them together to make a stronger rope. Each communication channel on its own may or may not get you what you want from your customer. However, focusing on the bigger picture is key, even if it might take some time and effort before it materializes.

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