We OUTSIDE! This is the battle cry of consumers as the veil of Covid-19 has lifted and the masses have re-entered “real life” to exchange the almighty dollar for goods and experiences ergo brick and mortar offline touch points have become important again after 3 or so years of a HEAVY digital push.
Let us be clear Digital is going NOWHERE. Your digital platforms will remain a driving force behind campaigning due to their wide reach and impressive ROI. What is going to happen is we now need to shake off the cobwebs of our offline strategies and bring them back into the mix.
Why? According to a report on B2C consumer behaviour, 84% of (U.S.) consumers have researched products online before buying offline (in a store), and 77% have browsed products in-store but purchased online.
What does it all mean? Consumers are engaging with both online and in-store resources to learn about products, reinforcing the importance of an omnichannel strategy. (2023 B2C Survey Results, Akeneo)
So, what should you be doing to give your customers the BEST experience on and offline? Well, after you are done reading this you should be able to answer that question.
Get Back to Basics
You thought you could avoid this step? Think again! The core of EVERY strategy begins with the Ws of strategy i.e. the WHO, WHAT, WHY, WHEN, WHERE and HOW in whatever order you choose.
Explore these basics for a digital campaign here
Actions:
· Define Your Goals and Objectives:
o Start by clearly defining your campaign’s goals and objectives. What are you trying to achieve with this campaign, and how will success be measured?
· Understand Your Audience:
o Conduct thorough audience research to understand where your target audience spends their time online and how they prefer to engage with brands.
· Choose Relevant Channels:
o Identify the most relevant channels for your campaign based on your audience research. Common digital channels include social media, email marketing, websites, mobile apps, search engines, and more.
Keep It Consistent.
From messaging to look and feel there MUST be cohesiveness in the presentation of the campaign across mediums. Now hear me out, cohesiveness doesn’t mean replication so we will 100% be considering best practices for the different mediums in optimizing for customer experience and expectations.
Actions:
· Develop a Consistent Message:
o Craft a consistent brand message and storytelling strategy that can be adapted for each channel. Ensure that your message aligns with your brand values and resonates with your audience.
· Create Cohesive Content:
o Develop content that is tailored to each channel’s strengths and limitations while maintaining a unified brand identity. Content may include text, images, videos, and interactive elements.
· Implement Cross-Channel Branding:
o Use consistent branding elements such as logos, color schemes, fonts, and tone of voice across all channels to reinforce your brand identity.
· Coordinate Timing and Messaging:
o Plan your campaign timeline to synchronize messaging and promotions across channels. This can help create a sense of urgency and anticipation among your audience.
Let’s get PERSONAL…within reason.
Consumers are getting used to being served what they want (or sometimes what they don’t know they want yet ) when they want, where they want it. You have an opportunity to use what you learn over time about a consumer set to give them just that.
How? Data. Google is the granddaddy of using TONS of data scrapped from consumer interactions to serve relevant ads, so DO use this for ads and remarketing for your website and digital platforms but it doesn’t have to start or end there.
Consider building consumer databases and collecting information from on and offline touch points that can help you understand your customers and then use this information to customize offers. Sounds complicated? It doesn’t have to be.
Re-marketing and subscriptions/opt-ins can take care of the digital space but what can you do offline? The same thing. Collect information by providing value and then building on that.
How To Get Personal? An Example
Are you a small business that participated in a fair? Exchange an email address for a future purchase discount coupon for visitors interested in a particular product e.g. necklaces. Once that information is captured, tag it accordingly. Begin serving this customer base with RELEVANT information about what they expressed interest in. This keeps your brand top of mind and will increase the likelihood of them making a future purchase.
“There are 4 billion daily email users. This number is expected to climb to 4.6 billion by 2025. (Statista, 2021)” (Hubspot)
Chances are your customers are part of these 4 billion users. Make this COUNT!
PS – Building databases also ensures that you own your user data. Remember the social media blackouts that have happened a few times in the past few years? Don’t get caught out being completely disconnected from your customer by being dependent on 3rd party platforms. Own that one-to-one connection.
Actions:
· Personalize the Experience:
o Leverage one-to-one customer insights to personalize content and offers for individual customers. Personalization can significantly enhance the customer’s experience.
· Use Data Analytics:
o Implement tracking and analytics tools to monitor campaign performance on each channel. Collect data on customer interactions, engagement, and conversions.
· Provide Seamless Cross-Channel Integration:
o Ensure that your channels are integrated so that customers can easily switch between them. For example, allow customers to start a transaction on one channel and complete it on another without any friction.
Get Your <Technical> Ducks in A Row
A great campaign means NOTHING if the core components do not work! This means everything from making sure links and re-directs work to ensuring that contact information provided will result in customer service being rendered in fair timelines. If it doesn’t work, park it until it does. The Akeneo report noted that “a bad product information experience from any source can result in 60% of consumers abandoning their purchase.” Need I say more?
· Mobile Optimization:
o Given the increasing use of mobile devices, make sure your campaign is optimized for mobile experiences, including responsive design and mobile apps if applicable.
· Customer Support and Engagement:
o Offer consistent customer support and engagement across all channels. Provide multiple contact options and ensure that customer inquiries are addressed promptly.
· Compliance and Security:
o Ensure that all channels adhere to industry regulations and security standards, especially if you are collecting customer data or processing transactions.
Keep Your Finger on the PULSE of your campaign.
This goes without saying. Numbers don’t lie. Place Kaizen at the core of your campaign and seek to continuously improve based on results. Never be afraid to make changes mid-execution. Whether it’s cutting back, ramping up or tweaking the output. The goal remains to create the BEST customer experience which oftentimes means, letting the customer rather than our own intuition guide what that looks like.
· Test and Iterate:
o Continuously monitor campaign performance and collect feedback. Use A/B testing and customer feedback to make improvements and refine your omnichannel strategy.
· Measure ROI:
o Evaluate the return on investment (ROI) for each channel and the overall campaign. Adjust your strategy based on the channels that are performing best.
And there you have it! Creating an omnichannel experience requires careful planning, execution, and ongoing optimization to ensure a seamless and consistent customer journey across all digital and non-digital touchpoints.
Remember that the specific channels and strategies will vary depending on your industry, target audience, and campaign objectives so DO spend time clearly defining these elements.
Good luck with your next campaign!
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A digital Marketing Consultant, strategist and entrepreneur with 10 years and counting in the advertising & and digital marketing space she has experience creating digital campaigns for well-known and loved brands.
She holds an MBA in Management Information Systems and is the owner & operator of Start Social Ltd., a digital media consultancy.
A Distinguished Toastmaster, she channels her love of public speaking into her role as the current host of Kingston Beta and her YouTube series #StartStories where she talks to Caribbean entrepreneurs about their journeys.
Follow Start on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube: @startsocialcbn
LinkTree: linktr.ee/startsocialcbn
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