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Marketing has significantly changed with the shift to digital media and growth of technology. At the same time, some forms of traditional, old-school marketing like direct mail, have seen resurgent success, in part, due to people being all technologied out.
An integrated, multichannel marketing effort can create an opportunity to branch out into the new and make best use of traditional marketing methods, while getting the best bang for your marketing budget.
So before we look into a few great examples of how this can be done, let me define what I mean by “multichannel marketing” — simply put, creating different touch points through different mediums, that ultimately all play together.
An example of multichannel in action would be when you receive a postcard that includes a QR code or SMS short code to receive some exclusive incentive (such as a discount or giveaway entry.) Once you scan the QR code or send the SMS, you’re sent to a mobile landing page where perhaps a video might play to further the messaging. The sequence can go on to include a follow up phone call (automated or live,) reminding you of the video you watched, and then an email encouraging another call to action via an ecommerce website.
The beauty of this process is that it hits the consumer at many different angles, some of which may be more powerful than others. Just as some people are visual learners, while others learn by listening or demonstration, we take in marketing the same way — some platforms are more resonant than others. By varying our marketing modalities, we have a better chance of getting a serious look or, not only through repetition, but also when we hit the modality that resonates with the end-user.
If your marketing efforts have been strictly traditional approaches, consider including some digital elements like ecommerce, mobile or social starting in a multichannel campaign. This will allow you to closely track the campaigns effectiveness and test your new media experiment, while diversifying your marketing toolbox.
Here are a few interesting reads of multichannel elements in action:
http://pandodaily.com/Feb 22
And whether the composition of the industry is dominated by pure-play or multichannel, we know that all the players will need massive amounts of technology in order to be successful.
Brand Marketers Only – How to balance traditional, online, and social media – iMediaConnection.com
http://www.imediaconnection.com/Feb 11
And the number one obstacle cited to digital marketing growth was lack of a single, cross-channel digital marketing platform. What the marketing team must do is align the company’s content marketing and campaigns (owned) with media “buys” (paid) while also leveraging and measuring earned media.
3 Ways Mobile Insights Are Informing Online and Offline Marketing – gyro
http://www.gyro.com/Jan 28
Because mobile devices are an extension of each consumer’s life—set up and customized to their individual needs and preferences—they potentially offer marketers more personal data about their audiences than ever before.