Multi-channel marketing is the process of using multiple “channels”, or marketing media, to reach customers. A channel can be anything from a brick and mortar store front to email marketing, direct mail, catalogs, TV commercials, trade shows, social media, and so on.
The benefit of a multi-channel marketing approach is that different channels attract different demographic groups, and by using multiple channels, a company can maximize its reach. The best approach is to combine both traditional media with technology based media.
Derek McAllister of 123Print notes, “Despite the influx of digital marketing tools available to businesses, the use of both digital and classic direct marketing initiatives continue to produce the best results for their investments.”
One of the biggest challenges of multi-channel marketing, as reported by Econsultancy.com, is providing a consistent message across all channels. This is why a successful multi-channel marketing campaign has to be backed by an integrated marketing solution.
What are the best methods to keep your message consistent?
Here’s a few tips:
- Keep strong communication lines between all of your employees and vendors that are developing each marketing channel to ensure that all parties are on the same page.
- Use a common design scheme (colors, graphics, font, tag lines) across all media to keep the message familiar through multiple touches
- Meet regularly during the design and implementation periods to coordinate the content and distribution of your campaign elements.
- Use an experienced agency that can help you design a multi-channel marketing campaign from the top down to ensure a consistent message across all media and expert execution of each stage.
What challenges are you facing when it comes to multi-channel or integrated marketing?
I'm the Director of Digital Services and Partner at Ballantine, a family-owned and operated direct mail & digital marketing company based in New Jersey. and started in 1966 by my great uncle!
