Three Reasons Multichannel Marketing Works

January 2, 2014

The data is undisputable. More channels (print, email, social media, mobile) equal more results. While producing multichannel campaigns requires additional time and investment, it’s worth the effort. Let’s look at three reasons why…

Distracted consumers.

In a survey of 1,600 U.S. Consumers, Google and IPSOS reported that 90% of consumers move sequentially between different screens (I.e. smartphone, laptop, tablet) on the same day. At the same time that they are using more channels, however, they are paying less attention to each one of them. Responsys found that customers tend to spend 30 seconds or less absorbing digital content. Consumers are highly distracted.

You never know which channel is going to reach them, so deploying multiple channels is necessary to stay in front of them. It’s also why print is critical to the mix. Print channels tend to hold attention longer.

 Consumers expect it.

Consumers expect marketers to provide them with seamless access across channels. So while you are deploying multiple channels, you need to maintain consistent branding and messaging too.

When consumers move from channel to channel, they want consistency. It’s like what you expect from McDonald’s. When you walk into a McDonald’s in Texas, you know the food will taste identical to when you walk into a McDonald’s in New Hampshire. The same expectation exists in retail. One day a shopper might want to go into a store to physically see and handle a product. On another, they might want to do comparison shopping and read reviews online. They want the same messaging, offers, and brand experience in both.

Multiple channels produce results.

In a multi-screen world filled with distracted consumers, multichannel marketing produces results. Not only do response rates go up, but conversion rates do too.

An InfoTrends study found that when print was the only channel used in a campaign, the average response rate was 6.0%, with a conversion rate of 16.2%. When email was added into the mix, the response rate rose to 7.6% and the conversion rate rose to 18.3%.

When print, email, personalized URLs, and mobile were used together, the response rate jumped to 8.7% and the conversion rate rose to 19.0%. These results are typical for well-produced personalized marketing campaigns.

Are You Giving Your Customers What They Want?

Consumers are looking for a consistent brand experience between their print, social, mobile, and Web campaigns and want your online and offline presence tied together. Are you giving them what they want?

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