This morning you might flip on the TV and listen to a news segment broadcasting from New York City, then open your laptop to respond to some emails from your coworkers in the London office. By lunch, you need a break and, while scrolling through your sister’s study abroad pictures from Spain on Instagram, decide you really need to purchase those new Nikes you’ve been eyeing. They’re shipping from Seattle, but they’ll be at your doorstep in Phoenix by noon tomorrow. In the evening, you call your parents in Chicago for a quick chat. Today, we are more connected than ever. And our marketing channel strategies should be too.
Terms like multichannel, crosschannel, and omnichannel marketing get tossed around a lot, but understanding the nuances between each of these strategies can be challenging. Each strategy offers unique benefits and caters to different business goals and customer needs. In this blog, we’ll explore the key differentiators of each marketing channel strategy, helping you navigate this complex terrain and choose the right approach to maximize your marketing effectiveness.
Multichannel marketing: Mutual independence
Multichannel marketing is probably the most simplistic of these three digital marketing strategies. It involves marketing across a number of channels, which operate independently of each other. Most marketers are doing this, whether they realize it or not.
Example of a multichannel marketing strategy
Barbara’s Beach Beanies has a communications team responsible for email strategy, a social media team responsible for Facebook strategy, and a performance marketing team responsible for paid search ads. These teams manage their strategies independently and do not communicate with one another.
Advantages of a multichannel marketing strategy
- Wide reach: Marketing across multiple channels, regardless of coordination, will increase the number of people you reach and the frequency at which you reach them.
- Flexibility and speed: Because each channel operates independently, the responsible team does not need to consult other teams before making decisions. They can move swiftly and pivot quickly.
Disadvantages of a multichannel marketing strategy
- Inconsistent user experience: Because a multichannel marketing strategy does not consult with other teams, that means that your marketing emails might have a very different look and feel from your paid ads, which might have a very different look and feel from your website in a siloed organization. This can leave potential customers feeling confused and mistrustful.
- Tracking difficulties: Without understanding what other teams are doing, it will be difficult to understand the impact that other channels have on one another. For example, if a user clicks through a paid search ad and makes a purchase, the paid search team might take credit for that conversion, but that customer’s journey may have actually been initiated by a marketing email or an organic social post. Attributing that purchase only to paid search wouldn’t accurately represent the impact of the other channels in the mix.
Crosschannel marketing: Coordinating and complementing
Crosschannel marketing takes multichannel marketing a step further by using those multiple channels in a coordinated manner to enhance the customer journey. In this strategy, the channels work together and complement each other with an emphasis on customer experience and the transition between channels.
Example of a crosschannel marketing strategy
A potential customer clicks into a marketing email from Animal Accessories, Inc. showcasing flamingo flip-flops (among other animal footwear), is sent to a flamingo flip-flop landing page, and after leaving without making a purchase, is served retargeting ads for flamingo flip-flops. Despite the various touch points across multiple channels, the user is served consistent content across all those channels.
Advantages a crosschannel marketing strategy
- Improved engagement: Consistent content and messaging throughout the user journey is more likely to resonate and drive action. If that content has been personalized based on past behavior, it is even more likely to increase engagement.
- Better understanding of customer behavior: When we look at customer behavior across multiple channels, we get a better view of what channels helped generate awareness, which got the customer to engage, and which got them to convert. These insights better inform full-funnel marketing strategies and provide more accurate reporting.
Disadvantages a crosschannel marketing strategy
- Robust tracking requirements: An appropriate attribution model is necessary to measure how these channels work together. This can require more complex analytics support to properly set up tracking.
- Complex coordination: Coordinating channels means collaborating closely with other teams. This can often result in technical restrictions, slower decision-making, and more hurdles to navigate.
Omnichannel marketing: Overall integration
Omnichannel marketing is the king of marketing channel strategies. It represents a unified, customer-centric approach across all channels, online and offline. Omnichannel marketing strategies aren’t easy to execute, but they significantly elevate the customer experience and improve a brand’s ability to drive results.
Example of an omnichannel marketing strategy
Fragrances 4 Frogs has an app that allows customers to scan items for more information while they’re in store. Purchases made in store will show up in their app so customers can keep track of what products they love.
Advantages of an omnichannel marketing strategy
- Enhanced customer experience: A seamless and consistent experience with smooth transitions across all touchpoints—whether shopping online, using a mobile app, or visiting a physical store—makes it easier and more enjoyable for customers to interact with a brand.
- Improved loyalty and retention: Maintaining a unified message and brand voice across all channels ensures that customers receive coherent and reliable information, which helps build trust and a stronger connection to the brand. Additionally, omnichannel strategies often include loyalty programs directly aimed at encouraging repeat purchases and long-term customer retention.
Disadvantages of an omnichannel marketing strategy
- Advanced technology and data integration needs: An omnichannel marketing strategy requires sophisticated technology and robust data integration to operate effectively. This often requires specialized resources and monetary investment, which can be a barrier for smaller businesses.
- Complex implementation and management: The complexity of an omnichannel strategy demands significant time, effort, and skilled personnel to manage and maintain. Additionally, it requires coordination and collaboration across many teams and platforms, which can itself be challenging and impact overall efficiency and effectiveness if not done well.
Choosing the right marketing channel strategy
Understanding the differences between multichannel, crosschannel, and omnichannel marketing strategies is crucial for choosing the right strategy, or combination of strategies, for your business. By carefully considering your business’s goals, resources, and customer preferences, you can select the most effective channel strategy or strategies to engage your audience, improve customer satisfaction, and drive long-term loyalty. Not sure where to start? Tallwave’s integrated digital marketing team specializes in coordinating and implementing these various marketing strategies. Let’s talk.
