Multi-channel buyers spend three times more than those who communicate with your brand through a single channel. Why does it happen?

Multi-channel marketing gives you additional touchpoints to reach customers and remind them about your offer. Imagine someone browses your website and finds the item they like. The person opens the product or service page and checks out the information but leaves upon deciding to place an order later. If you don’t get in touch with them shortly after, they may never convert.

The challenges of multi-channel marketing implementation are worth the return on investment. Although 23% of marketers complain about the lack of resources to go multi-channel, and many have problems with address validation for marketing strategy, you can do it with the right approach.

To learn more about multi-channel marketing campaigns and address validation for marketing strategy, read about:

• What is multi-channel marketing, and why does it matter?
• Multi-channel marketing vs. integrated marketing
• Examples of multi-channel marketing campaigns
• Address validation for marketing strategy in multi-channel campaigns

What Is Multi-Channel Marketing, and Why Does It Matter?

Multi-channel marketing is the interaction with customers through the combination of channels, including retail storefront, website, email, direct mail, social media, mobile, and others. The main idea behind this approach is that modern consumers swiftly move across channels. Any business’s task is to stay connected during the whole journey, enabling them to take the desired action (e.g., place an order).

The importance of multi-channel marketing

Frankly speaking, the main reason to build multi-channel marketing strategies is that you just don’t have a choice not to. All market leaders and renowned brands effectively communicate with potential customers, both online and offline. 52% of marketers combine from 3 to 4 channels in their campaigns. Hence, if you aim to make yourself noticeable on the market, it’s crucial to align all customer touchpoints. Apart from this, multi-channel marketing has some other prominent benefits. Here are a few of them:

• Multi-channel marketing boosts customer loyalty. Consumers appreciate when merchants care about their comfort. When you can quickly assist them whenever they need it, they are very likely to become your brand promoters. The findings state that 42% of customers expect to get a response on social media within 60 minutes. So each time you are late, they get disappointed.
• It helps you learn more about customers. Buying habits differ across channels. That’s why by monitoring behavior at several touchpoints, you get valuable insight about customers. For example, you may find out that offline mail campaigns have the highest response rate and, therefore, it’s worth shifting focus to them.

• Multi-channel marketing improves ROI. Marketing efforts are not only about engaging leads but also about profitability. Once you synchronize online and offline channels, they will generate more sales and justify the invested resources.
• Optimizes your customer conversion funnel. On their way to purchase, people pass many stages and channels. If you fail to guide them through this journey with multi-channel marketing, they may get lost or bounce.

Overall, multi-channel marketing strategies make your customer communications more versatile and enhance the quality of support. It’s not something you can choose or overlook. Multi-channel campaigns must be at the core of your marketing.

Multi-Channel Marketing vs. Integrated Marketing

Since multi-channel marketing is often confused with integrated marketing campaigns, we want to differentiate between these two concepts. Although both multi-channel and integrated marketing are based on the combination of several touchpoints, they don’t work in the same way.

The goal of multi-channel marketing strategies is to use every chance to reach customers. In this case, the type of communication and the actual content is less significant than customer experiences. On the other hand, integrated marketing is mostly about delivering one consistent message multi-dimensionally. This means that whenever customers go, they hear the same slogan, CTA, or message online and offline.

Examples of Effective Multi-Channel Marketing Campaigns

Mobile app for brick-and-mortar retail stores

Many retailers that started their business offline have grown into well-known e-commerce stores promoting their services through online resources, social media, and digital ads. Some giants like Zara or H&M even offer mobile apps, where users can place orders, track new arrivals, save favorites, etc. It’s a multi-channel marketing approach you can adopt if you’re an offline chain that wants to simplify the buying process and make its product or service available to mobile users.

Engaging rewards program

Encourage any kind of in-store or online purchases by launching a loyalty program. Give buyers points or bonuses for every order they place and allow them to use them on your website or at the counter. Starbucks is a beautiful example of a brand with a decent loyalty campaign. They offer “Stars” for every purchase, free perks, refills, etc.

Targeted messaging in offline communications

Mail campaigns are a great addition to your digital marketing efforts. They have higher response rates, feel more personal, and increase customers’ attention span. With the right address validation for marketing strategy, you can achieve a single customer view to align your print and online communications. All customer data will be verified and collected in one secure database. As a result, a customer will, for example, automatically get a catalog when they start a subscription on your website or send the corresponding request through email.

Address Validation for Marketing Strategy in Multi-Channel Campaigns

Even if you target online channels, offline interactions remain essential. After all, most of the orders placed online will be delivered to a physical address. That’s why you need address validation for your marketing strategy.

The easiest way to implement address validation is automation software like Inkit. Inkit is a Reach Enablement Platform with built-in address validation for marketing strategy, address autocomplete, PDF rendering, and customer communication automation. It supports hundreds of integrations that additionally expand Inkit’s functionality and allow you to send communications via email, direct mail, social media, and other channels.

Just connect the tool to your CRM, and it will automatically verify addresses, generate messages, and deliver them to the right recipient through the right channel.

Want to test Inkit’s address validation for a marketing strategy? Contact us to get the demo.