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The Conveniences of Multi-Channel Marketing

Posted by John Foley, Jr. on Tuesday, August 25, 2009 at 7:47 AM in Marketing

Multi-Channel Marketing presents multiple benefits to the companies who implement such campaigns.  It increases the chances for marketing messages to be received by your target market. It allows you to personalize your marketing, while retaining a consistent message and brand.  And let’s face it, the more your target market hears and sees your message, as long as that message is consistent, your marketing will be a success!  But there are some additional benefits, or conveniences, to using multi-channel marketing for your business.  One convenience is that you provide faster access to information – both internally and externally. With integrated multi-channel marketing platforms, you have all the information at your sales force’s fingertips.  A sales person can pull up information ranging from what channel a prospect received a marketing message through, what that marketing message was and any special offers or discounts made via that marketing message and whether the prospect has yet acted upon the message. For the marketing department, a multi-channel marketing campaign with clear measurement metrics can provide immediate feedback on the success of a campaign.  They can see if certain messages are falling flat or if certain channels are less well-received. And having access to this information is imperative when managing the current campaign and designing the next one. Externally, but using effective multi-channel marketing, you are providing your prospects and customers various ways to obtain information and purchase your services and products.  Consumers like information and they don’t like to jump through hoops in order to get it. By making information easily accessible, you are providing your target market with an enjoyable experience, an important aspect of a successful campaign.  Another convenience is opening up channels to allow multiple points of purchase.  Again, it’s all about making things easy on the consumer.  Some want to be able to just visit a website and, with a few clicks of the mouse, place their order and wait for the products to be delivered.  Other consumers may want to pick up the phone and talk to a live person, get questions answered and then place an order.  Some people like to be able to go into their favorite store and pick up products in person.  The point is, you want to make it as convenient as possible for prospects and customers to get their hands on what you’re selling. If you have a store-front, what conveniences do you provide your customers?  Do you have a website?  Can orders be placed from that site?  Can customers call in and place orders for pick-up or delivery?  It’s easy to sit back and assume that everything is currently in “working order.”  But you want to take a step back and think with the mind of a consumer.  A busy consumer who has a lot of choices and will typically chose what’s most convenient time and again.

The more integrated your multi-channel marketing program for your business, the more convenience you are providing your prospects and customers. From sending marketing messages across multiple channels to allowing different options to make purchases to offering a personalized experience – it’s all about brainstorming up how you can provide the most convenient experience to your target market. Using multi-channel marketing makes it easy for consumers to fall in love with you!

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