Managing your message across several channels takes a lot of precision and balance. Your target clients will not even know your brand if you don’t send your message as much. On the other hand, bombarding your target clients with the message may end up annoying them.
You must know how to reach your clients. Are they more likely to check their social media networks, or will they better focus on your ads if you target them through more serious channels, such as news platforms?
You must be familiar with a few strategies to successfully send your message to the right people at the right time.
Before utilizing these strategies, let's be clear about a few things first.
What Is Multichannel Communication?
The meaning behind multichannel communication is pretty straightforward. It is precisely what the term suggests. There are various ways you can communicate your brand: Facebook and other social media, WhatsApp, and various types of marketing (influencer, event, offline).
The more you read about this topic, the more you will realize that there are a plethora of new ways for you to connect with your target audience.
Is Multichannel Communication the Same as Multichannel Marketing?
You often hear the word “marketing” more when dealing with various sales channels. The terms “multichannel communication” and “multichannel marketing” are almost interchangeable but are not precisely the same.
Multichannel marketing focuses on messages related to actual sales, such as sales reminders, product emails, and online advertising across various media.
On the other hand, multichannel communication refers to messages you send to clients that are not directly associated with getting sales. Such messages include shipping notifications, business announcements, and customer support.
Why Is It Important to Zero in on the Best Multichannel Sales Practices?
Here is the thing. You may not be new to your field. So, you are probably thinking that you’re already using some strategies that work for each channel you use.
Should you have to check out new strategies?
Well, yes. You need to know how each channel works and how they can be integrated into one effective campaign. Moreover, you must update your strategies to work well with the current times.
If you fail to create a successful multichannel campaign, you are in danger of the following:
1. Customer Fatigue
If your target customers feel overwhelmed by your messages, they may choose to ignore them. Worse, they may even unsubscribe, effectively cutting the ties between the two of you.
2. Poor Communication
Suppose you are trying too many communication channels without the finesse of using the unique strategies required when using each of them. In that case, you may even fail to communicate what you want to express.
3. Problematic Duplicates
This is similar to Customer Fatigue. It is all about sending so many messages that it has become overkill. Don’t do this. Suppose your customer has already bought the product from your company. In that case, your algorithms should at least detect that and not send the customer another ad about the product, unless it’s one of those products that need replacements regularly, e.g., cosmetics.
4. Out-of-sync Messages
Using several channels can be overwhelming if you are not doing it right. You may find yourself spreading contradictory messages. That is not what you want at all. You are supposed to inform and not confuse your target clients.
Top Ways of Coordinating Your Message Across All Sales Channels
There are many ways to coordinate your message across your sales channels. Read on for some of our top tips.
Conduct Your Research Well
Get to know your target consumers better. You need to have a deep insight into their fears, desires, and goals. You must have some idea as to what can thrill or upset them. After all, your messages are bound to create an effect—but what kind of effect?
So, think about your product. What kind of buyers should you target? With that in mind, you can also define the kind of buying behavior they have and how they will react to various marketing strategies.
For example, you may have to use Pinterest and Instagram if your brand’s target includes artists, designers, web developers, and other related professionals.
Use the Appropriate Channels
Based on what you have learned when you did your research, you can choose the appropriate set of channels. There may be no need to use all the online and offline channels. Focus your energy on the ones that matter.
Do not focus on what your competitors are doing. Yes, they may be doing something right, but which strategies are best for your business? Align your choices with your customers’ preferences instead. If you have the opportunity to ask your target consumers what they prefer, take it.
It would help if you know what sites they spend more time on, and if they prefer a chat option rather than a call one for inquiries or customer service. You cannot manage all types of channels at the same time. That is impossible to do so without making your content subpar.
Don’t Bombard Your Customers with Content
Consider how many times your customer is more likely to see your various posts, emails, and ads for the week.
Do you need to send them something every day? Of course not. That would be too overwhelming. So, if you have a team for each social media type, make sure they are in touch with each other. Communication must be spaced out throughout the week. There should be campaign days off, too.
Coordinating with your various teams can feel taxing on your part. But you should be working harder in the background than your target consumer straining from the weight of all the content you are sending them. You need to make sure they don’t unsubscribe.
Consolidate Your Content
Since you will be organizing your various departments anyway, it is best that you put together all your content. Make sure you have a tool that puts together all your communications. This way, you will see where they are all going and when.
While you may be happy with SMS, Facebook Messenger, and your other communication channels, what if you could have a contact center that puts everything together? You can take advantage of something like Twilio Flex, for example. You get to see what your communication history is with each client.
Sprout Social and Hootsuite, on the other hand, can put together all your social media communications. You don’t need to keep on checking each channel just to see if things are working out.
Consistently Portray Your Brand
It may seem like a no-brainer, because aligning your brand is part of your basic brand marketing, but you need to be reminded of this.
After all, you are working with several departments. Each member should be clear about everything your brand is made up of: logo, colors, art, and so on.
All the platforms should convey the same design and tone. For example, a sporty brand will remain sporty no matter what the sales channel is. Across your multichannel platforms, your brand should be able to shine through.
If there is any change in the design of any of your assets, all involved in the marketing and brand communication should be aware of it.
Create and Aim for Your Benchmarks
To keep things running the way you want them to, you must create and aim for your set benchmarks. Do it for each communication platform. Make sure you aim to either maintain or improve the flow.
Specifically, examples of benchmarks may be in the form of SMS click-through rates, customer service satisfaction scores, email open rates, and more. It is easier to work on actual numbers that you can actually gauge.
Evaluate Your Performance Regularly
Because you have set your benchmarks, it is best to regularly review your performance. Check your analytics at least once a month. Check to see what your data can tell you about your chosen sales channels. You will see which ones are working well with your target audience.
You may choose your most important content via the sales channels that perform the best through high engagement rates. You can decide whether to maintain or get rid of the ones that are performing poorly.
You can also integrate some sales channels. For example, a high-performing Twitter account or blog post may also be included as a link in your email newsletter.
Keep the Communication Lines Open
This strategy means that you should not just be sending out messages. You should also be listening to what your consumers have to say.
You must continue to engage with your target consumers. Interactions do not have to be in the same format, like phone calls or face-to-face discussions. They can be as simple as receiving and learning from a customer’s chat ticket.
Make sure all your communication records per client are updated. Ensure that your clients are aware that what they have to say matters to you. Therefore, your customer service agents should be ready to respond to various queries in an individualized manner.
Prepare Your Message According to Each Channel
Customize the way you set up your communications based on the channel. They all cannot be copied and pasted versions of each other. For example, Twitter can only accommodate a few characters, while an email can contain more details.
Your Instagram and Messenger communication may be more relaxed compared to your emails. Of course, you must be able to balance tailoring the content and maintaining the brand.
Consider the Device Your Target Audience Will Use
Your messages will show differently across various devices. Your messages' looks will be different on a desktop, for example, compared to your mobile phone. Check if responsiveness is also affected when your client changes devices.
Before you send out your message campaigns, make sure that you use a testing tool to check for spam, formatting problems, and broken links. Making sure that there are no issues is part of ensuring professional communications.
No matter what, you must make sure you come across as a company or individual who is updated in technology and the latest sales channels. Even if your client does not care much about the image, they still don’t get the message you are planning to send across if there is a broken link.
Establish Guidelines for Your Team
You are more likely not a one-man team. So, you must make sure your messaging guidelines are clear and concise. Send the guidelines to your content marketing team, social media manager, and other people who make communication and marketing happen.
This strategy is related to the points above about consolidating your messages and maintaining your brand image and voice. Putting together the brand voice, points, schedule of campaign, brand essentials, and more is important in syncing everything.
Use Multi-sales Channels
Even though you are always trying to put together everything and to use only the most relevant channels, do not limit yourself to just one type. You should be ready to explore more up-and-coming sales channels.
Research also does not end at the beginning. You always need to be kept on your toes. Your target clients may be seeking and using various types of communication channels they are more comfortable with.
Go Non-digital, Too
Multichannel marketing is not limited to digital means. You must also keep some of the offline channels that still work. You should check your means of offline communications and maintain them for clients who still prefer traditional means.
Conclusion
While it may be overwhelming at first, using several channels, online and offline, can help you more effectively reach your target audience. Of course, you can get rid of some channels that simply do not work for you.
Choosing your channels depends on what works best with your target audience and what jives with your brand identity.
If you need help consolidating your sales channels, you may visit Verde Strategies. Why? Because attracting more sales and maintaining clients will rely on just how good you are at keeping the balance. You need to keep the integrity of the brand while sending just the right number of messages.
