Appropriate Marketing On The MultiChannel

Coordinated conversions or multichannel mayhem? eCommerce can be faced with a major challenge in understanding the context in which target users may use each channel and the information and functionality expected at different touchpoints. Multichannel really does have to be crosschannel – listening and responding to customer behaviours are key to driving niche audience segments to a higher conversion channel.

Going social for some types of businesses may be simply more easier than for others. But it’s never a case of “one size fits all”, “following a fad” or being asked to abandon tried and tested online marketing campaigns. Recent UK surveys have found that around two thirds of respondents actually preferred to hear about discounts and special offers through traditional email marketing campaigns

It is also important to note that only around 2 to 3 per cent of users state they would rather find out about sales promotions via social networking websites. A social channel is for being social not blatantly selling your wares! Multichannel is all about appropriate action with the right social media content. Too often, networking sites are still viewed by many traditional business owners as cost-free advertising hoardings to promote brand identity, products and services.

Multichannel does not mean blasting out sales messages on every new channel on every new platform that suddenly becomes available. Connecting with specific audiences based on understanding how to engage appropriately on their chosen channel is key to further interaction along the search and discovery journey to conversion.

In other words, non-response by one channel at one point does not mean engagement is not possible on a different channel at another time! A comment or enquiry left by a follower in response to a blog post might be followed up by a site owner’s request to engage further via email. A social tweet leads to clicking onto an article posted at a separate site or checking out an offer placed on a company’s Facebook page.

The possibilities for versatile but soft marketing strategies, where making contact, offering help and encouraging trust rather than simply selling, are the appropriate behaviours of the socially determined web.

It also means keeping alert and being responsive across a company’s multichannel presence. Coordinating, analysing and acting upon behaviour data. which leads to creating more appropriate content, is crucial to developing a valuable presence with targeted audiences.

Experience and expertise are critical to improving outcome rates.

Success on multichannel is a long term journey not an overnight crossing!