More Marketing Channels Means Better Marketing Results

February 7, 2019

In an increasingly online, offline and mobile world, marketing across multiple channels is a business imperative for thriving businesses.

SMBs are finally paying attention to multi-channel marketing as a proven strategy to boost revenue. Those doing it right and moving beyond email to channels like targeted social ads, text messages and conversational content are seeing measurable increases in leads, higher conversion rates and stronger brand loyalty.

This doesn’t mean email is dead. Email remains an efficient and cost-effective marketing channel—but it isn’t enough.

The most effective marketing campaigns—particularly those targeting existing customers—fulfill the consumer demand for choice through multiple channels and an authentic, personal touch.

WHY IS MULTI-CHANNEL SO IMPORTANT?

When choosing an SMB like an aesthetic provider, loan officer or lawyer, consumers rely on an increasingly wide variety of platforms to collect information, including social, web, mobile and email. For your marketing to reach the people you’re targeting, you have to be where they are, and today, that’s everywhere. This makes multi-channel the new marketing imperative for SMBs that want to increase revenue and growth.

Need another reason to move beyond email? Consider this: Multi-channel customers spend three to four times more than single-channel customers, according to Econsultancy.

But creating and executing effective, engaging multi-channel marketing doesn’t happen at the click of a mouse. Technology and resource constraints lie at the heart of why even SMBs that understand what needs to be done to grow still aren’t doing it.

If you’re thinking about investing the necessary resources in multi-channel marketing, here are four important tips and considerations:

Multiple Channels Offer Convenience—and Control. Customers value control over how they interact with you. They want to make appointments, make purchases and get information on their terms and schedules. They aren’t always available during your business hours. Provide ways to make appointments or ask questions online, and offer easy links to do so from your email and landing pages, as well as through texting and mobile apps on smartphones.

Remember: people have communication preferences, so you’ll reach the most targets—at the most opportune times—when you’re not dependent on a single channel.

Systematic Communication. You establish credibility when you regularly communicate information across channels to customers. Set and stick to a regular schedule. But don’t over-communicate or you’ll find your open and click-through rates will decrease, while your unsubscribes increase. The best way to determine the right schedule is to test and measure results. Weekly communication through each channel is a good start.

Track & Measure Results. Before you begin a multi-channel campaign, clearly identify the metrics by which you will judge success. If you want customer appointments, ensure your marketing campaigns provide a clear path to make an appointment. You will also need an easy way to monitor and track results, and then tie them to specific efforts. You want to know what works and not waste money or resources on what doesn’t. Listen to your patients, then adapt to the methods they prefer and respond to most.

WHEN TO SEEK HELP

If you want to grow your business through multi-channel marketing, you have to first determine if you have the internal resources and expertise to do it on your own.

Marketing automation tools are an option but do you and your team have the time and expertise to implement them effectively? While an initial investment is necessary if you choose to outsource, the most cost-effective path may be to hire an expert. An expert familiar with marketing best practices and executing the work for you will likely yield results much more quickly than an overburdened and inexperienced staff member’s trial and error. With outside help, those internal resources can remain focused on other vital business operations for your practice.