Marketers will sometimes use the terms multichannel and omnichannel marketing interchangeably.
But recognising the difference is essential for reaching a potential customer with the right message at the right time.
Let’s dive in…
What is multichannel marketing?
Multichannel marketing is a strategy that aims to blend the same communication across specific customer touchpoints.
An example of a multichannel marketing strategy might be to display the similar messaging across a website, in-store, and via direct mail.
What is omnichannel marketing?
Omnichannel marketing is a strategy focused on improving the optimising the customer journey to achieve a consistent, personalised experience.
This applies to shoppers across all channels and devices, no matter how and where the customer chooses to engage.
Omnichannel puts the focus on the customer experience, rather than concentrating on specific marketing channels.
Why is omnichannel marketing important?
Omnichannel reflects the reality of customer behaviour; with a multitude of paths available to shoppers, there is no longer a simple route to conversion. Most customers interact through multiple touchpoints when deciding to purchase a product or service.
How can I build an omnichannel marketing strategy?
The first step towards unlocking the power of omnichannel campaigns is to create a unified view of the customer (also known as “single customer view”).
But to do this successfully, it requires the integration of all available data for a particular customer or prospect across the entire customer lifecycle.
The challenge for businesses is to collect the information from the breadth of different channels and to harness this data to deliver a true omnichannel experience.
A customer data platform (CDP) is a popular software solution for delivering omnichannel campaigns by achieving a single customer view.
CDPs empower marketers to make the most of their data, and give organisations a holistic view of how the customer interacts with their brand throughout the buying cycle.
Learn more about customer data platforms and how they can be used to deliver omnichannel marketing campaigns at scale.
Alex Quaye is a digital marketing expert with 10 years experience in data analytics, tag management, and growth marketing. He’s helped companies like Gousto, John Lewis, and Hotel Chocolat to acquire more customers with digital marketing. Follow Alex on LinkedIn.