• 9th Aug 2022

OMNICHANNEL MARKETING

• Total View :3001
• Posted By-Partha Sarathi Ghosh

Marketing is one of the buzzwords for all generations. It is a worldwide phenomenon. It is always a cumulative effect of various methods, proven and even not proven. As a result, any effort made in any way that results in the moulding of others can be referred to as a marketing process. When multiple methods of marketing produce the same result, it is considered a successful marketing strategy. This is, again, not a new concept. We were always sceptical about the right ways, hence we approached multiple ways and the success was attributed to any of them or some of them, but we think all of them.

As the multi level approach has proven to be the panacea, we prefer to give various definitions to it. My way of multi level approach may differ from that of yours, which is largely based on the components that we are picking. And the result is always near success; hence, nobody is a failure in this approach. Success is an estimate of the effort that we put into a particular task. As a result, everyone succeeds in their efforts, regardless of the outcome. This approach is very flexible; we can change our strategy very frequently for a better outcome.

Omnichannel marketing is the name given to one such multi level marketing strategy where various platforms are carefully chosen to offer an enhanced customer experience. It is a process of marketing across multiple platforms, such as Website, Social Media (Facebook, YouTube, Whatsapp, Instagram, Pinterest, Reddit, LinkedIn, Twitter, so on), apps, email, SMS and blog posts. When the information is widely circulated, either on all these entire platforms or some of them, it gives us a cohesive brand message and leads to higher conversions and loyalty. To generate great results, a minimum of three or more channels should be channelized, in an automation workflow. In omnichannel marketing, engagement, purchase frequency, average order value, and customer retention rates are always much higher than in single-channel.

Thanks to the prevailing digital era, which provides the tools to manage multiple channels more efficiently, implementing an omnichannel strategy is easier than ever. This is another area where Al and big data are playing a role by helping brands understand consumer behaviour much better and personalize it at an individual level at scale.

The relevance of omnichannel marketing

In today’s contest, the relevance of omnichannel marketing is paramount because it helps us to create a positive experience at every stage of its lifecycle. Let’s take an example. Imagine, you are tired after a long search to find a suitable educational institute to peruse higher studies at. The advice that you have received from your friends, relatives, and acquaintances is also perplexing. The credibility of rankings is also sometimes a matter of question. To make physical research is also a cumbersome matter. Wouldn't it be great if an educational institution offered the option to book your seat through an app if you met all of the necessary eligibility criteria? Wouldn't it be nice if educational institutions satisfied all your queries through their website, various social media platforms, email, sms, and blog posts with valuable content? If there is anything left, it may be catered through a virtual meeting, and if mutually agreed, admission can be materialised through  cashless payment irrespective of location. Anybody can take admission at anywhere with the help of informative information through various channels of omnichannel marketing.

Construct the perfect omnichannel marketing strategy.

The first and foremost criteria to creating a perfect omnichannel experience begins with understanding your potential customer, out of the massive data that you have received through various channels. Through your website, mobile apps, and all other promotional channels, whether paid or unpaid, the institutions have to make it easier for the visitors to furnish their details, if interested. A quick reciprocal response may do wonders. To create an omnichannel experience, you need to have a perfect omnichannel marketing strategy.

Here’s what you can do:

@ Plan to extend something extra- Understand their channels, their behaviour across all channels, and create a detailed plan on how you want to further experience your institutions through courtesy calls, Whatsapp, and E-Mail your brochures or other promotional materials.

@ When strategizing, use data as a foundation. Data is one of the most important requirements for making any strategy a reality. With the help of CRM data, social listening data, and a customer’s online search behavior, you will know how your customer behaves and can accordingly create a solution to address their challenges. You can even reduce the churn by using the data in the right way if you feel redundant.

@ Segment the users and personalise the journey: Depending on the various courses that you provide, you can easily segment users by analysing the data that you have received from numerous sources. This will eventually help you to create a personalised journey for each one of them and track them for conversion.

@ Focus on the right marketing automation tools: From strategy development to implementation, use the right marketing tools. Do a thorough analysis to each of your channels and focus on the right one.

@ Customer-Centric Approach: It is critical that those involved in student cell are customer-centric. No strategy or marketing tool will help if your employees are not trained to provide a consistent experience to students, parents, and guardians.

This is how omnichannel marketing will help us create a perfect strategy. The abovementioned strategy will help you to identify the right touch-points and common issues that your customers face and create a viable solution for them. Omnichannel marketing ensures that the customer experience remains consistent across all channels. Whomsoever he touches, the same information he is going to receive. This happens because all the touch points work together to ensure transparency across all of them.

Create a best-in-class experience for your customers:

Not just customer happiness, but customer delight is the demand of the day. In order to build a positive experience for your customers you can try below mentioned strategies:

Consistent experience: Different customers will interact in different ways. You must focus on delivering a consistent soothing experience across different touchpoints. Ensure that your staff is well-trained to provide such soothing experience.

Continuity in communication: Communication has always been a powerful tool for customer delight. We have to ensure that there is continuity in communication across all the channels. When they feel guided in each step, they will not feel isolated but part of the solution.

Consistent messaging: Whether through a whatsapp group, common e-mail group, or any other means that you deem fit, personalising the content at every stage of the customer lifecycle ensures that the messaging is consistent.

Conclusion

Marketers often use terms such as omnichannel and multichannel interchangeably as both seem to mean the same thing. While the essence of both the channels is the same, there is a thin line that differentiates them. In multichannel marketing, all the communication channels work in isolation with no connection between any of them, whereas omnichannel marketing is much more mature as all the channels work cohesively and in harmony with each other.

• Share:

Leave a Comment