Omnichannel vs. Multichannel Marketing

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Omnichannel marketing explained

You might have heard of the terms omnichannel and multichannel marketing while pondering upon the different tactics and channels to use while advertising your company to your desired audience. While you might be familiar with these two terms, you would be shocked how many people assume that these two mean the same thing.

Multichannel marketing is about marketing through various channels, each providing you with additional information and working separately from each other. It refers to the use of more than one channel to market and communicate information about a brand. Although this is great, you may face problems such as style inconsistency, miscommunication, and customer frustration while browsing through many different platforms to find the information they are looking for.

On the other hand, omnichannel marketing is about forming real-time interactions with customers through representatives, products, and all decisions made throughout the sales process. Using this technique, you create a combined and united message that circles your customer throughout the different channels.

A connected and united message

Using this technique, you create a connected and united message that revolves around your customer throughout the various channels. Using this technique, you make a combined and united message that circles your customer throughout the different channels at your disposal.

Other than this, you create constant communication between all your media, giving direct and easy access to the customer. For example, while marketing your new product, you want your Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn accounts to have the same style and message as your website and other communication channels. This unity shows signs of brand consistency.

So, what was the difference again? It all comes down to the customer’s journey and how they perceive it. Multichannel marketing leads the customer towards a particular goal, taking them from point A to B.

This could be a specific promo code or social media campaign that is seen both on Instagram and Facebook, designed to lead the customer into using that code to buy new products. While Multichannel Marketing drives customer engagement, omnichannel marketing focuses on the user’s mind, creating a unified message while driving customer experience.

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To illustrate the concept

Imagine that you were to launch a new product. While using multiple different platforms, you would first send out emails with information about the latest product release publish promo codes on your Facebook account to drive customer engagement, and finally repost customer reviews on Instagram. While using these multiple different channels, you constantly remind the customer of your company and create a unified message.

Stand out from the crowd

The question you might be asking yourself is which one is better? While most organizations naturally use multichannel marketing, being straightforward and requiring only a message and CTA, omnichannel marketing requires different strategy models and much more time. In today’s digital era with thousands of competing companies and content products, standing out while using omnichannel marketing could be the strategy-making you stand out from the crowd.

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The key differences between these two marketing strategies:

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Customer vs. channel-centric

Omnichannel marketing centers around the customers. Rather than the number of channels to increase engagement and reach. When again, multichannel marketing is all about expanding the number of channels to as many as possible without linking the media to each other. ‍

Personalization

‍Multi-channel marketing aims to spread a message and simply get as many as possible to complete a call-to-action. The omnichannel approach is similar but with a more personal touch. The omnichannel method additionally focuses on getting to know the potential customer.

Integration

‍The omnichannel approach ensures that their potential customers receive the same message from all channels. When again, brands that apply the multichannel approach handle all media separately, which results in inconsistency and a more impersonalized message. With a fulfilled and consistent omnichannel marketing approach, brands can create a sense of familiarity with their brand and messaging.

If you’re interested in fulfilling your omnichannel marketing approach with a Google My Business profile, let us help. Book a free demo from the link below.