Is it true that this new term, omnichannel approach, is bridging the divide between the newspaper ads of our youth and the digital campaigns of our present?
Before you click away to Google what exactly an omnichannel marketing approach is — the answer is a resounding yes. Omnichannel marketing is collapsing the space between our online and offline worlds to offer businesses a more effective strategy for connecting with their audiences.
By combining the best of what traditional and digital marketing have into one, seamless approach, businesses now have the opportunity to not only meet but exceed the high demands of their audiences in our customer-centric world. But there’s an if, and it’s a big one: If the omnichannel approach is done right, it can generate an unparalleled impact for small to large businesses.
If not, it could result in scattered efforts that undermine the integrity of your marketing initiatives.
Read on to learn more about omnichannel marketing: How it differs from traditional and digital marketing, the benefits of an omnichannel approach, real-world case studies, and more.
What’s the Difference Between Digital and Traditional Marketing?
Traditional marketing and digital marketing both have their place in the current landscape, but understanding the nuances between them is key to bridging the digital divide effectively.
Traditional Marketing
Traditional marketing refers to the tried-and-true methods of reaching customers through offline, physical channels. Think: newspaper ads, radio spots, billboards, direct mailers, and even television commercials.
These methods have been the bedrock of advertising for decades, and many businesses still rely on them to reach their audiences. The advantages of traditional marketing include its ability to target local, specific demographics and the opportunity to create tangible materials that people can hold and engage with.
However, traditional marketing’s limitations come into play in today’s digital-first world. It is often more expensive, harder to track, and typically slower to respond to changes in consumer behavior. The one-size-fits-all model of traditional marketing can sometimes miss the mark when it comes to personalization, which is one of the key differentiators of digital marketing.
Digital Marketing
On the other hand, digital marketing has revolutionized how businesses connect with potential customers.
From social media platforms, SEO, and content marketing, to email campaigns and pay-per-click advertising, digital marketing provides a wealth of opportunities for businesses to connect with audiences where they spend a huge portion of their time — online.
The main benefit of digital marketing is its ability to track and measure success in real-time. Tools like Google Analytics, social media insights, and email open rates give businesses the ability to quickly pivot, optimize, and adapt their marketing strategies. Digital marketing is also infinitely scalable, at least in theory, meaning it can offer a broader reach to global audiences at a fraction of the cost compared to traditional methods.
However, the rapid pace and overwhelming amount of online content can make it harder for businesses to break through the noise. Consumers are constantly bombarded with ads and messages, which can lead to apathy, fatigue, and diminished engagement.
As a result, relying exclusively on digital channels may not always be the best strategy, despite what many digital marketers say! Especially when you’re trying to reach more diverse or offline audiences.
By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of both approaches, businesses can create a more effective omnichannel approach that integrates the best of what traditional and digital marketing have to offer.
Why Do Business Owners Need Omnichannel Approach?
As a business owner, you might assume that because the internet age is in full swing, all you need is a great online presence and digital marketing strategy. After all, most people are spending a significant amount of time on their phones, tablets, and computers, right?
But if you’re focusing exclusively on digital marketing, you’re likely to miss valuable opportunities in traditional, offline spaces where your audience engages when they look up from their phones. Because, despite the fact we’re all struggling with text neck, we’re still humans that walk, talk, read, and generally exist outside of the internet, too.
Here’s where the omnichannel approach comes in. This marketing strategy allows businesses to meet their audience wherever they are, online and offline. As businesses race to keep up with the fast-paced world of digital marketing, the omnichannel approach is the bridge that connects those efforts with traditional marketing strategies that still work.
In practice, this might mean integrating social media efforts with direct mail campaigns, or aligning email newsletters with radio spots. These multiple touchpoints work together to reinforce your brand’s message and drive conversions.
How Can Digital and Traditional Marketing Work Together with an Omnichannel Approach?
So, to recap: An effective omni-channel approach seamlessly combines the best of traditional and digital marketing, creating a strategy that reaches consumers online and in the real world.
The trick is to unite these different marketing approaches into one cohesive strategy that amplifies your message and strengthens your connection with your audience. Your starting point for an omnichannel approach that makes an impact should be data.
User data and real-world market research can help you figure out where your target audience is truly spending their time. You might think, “Well, I’m sure the data says my audience is online, so why even think about traditional marketing?”
While it’s true that more people are online than ever before, this doesn’t mean your audience is exclusively digital. And yes, this includes even with the self-proclaimed “chronically online” generation known as Gen Z. You may assume that running an ad on social media is enough to capture the attention of Gen Z. But here’s the thing: Most people are seeing thousands of ads every single day.
That means competition for attention in that arena is fierce — creating a campaign that sticks around in your audience’s mind and drives active conversion is no small feat. Plus, if you look a little closer at the data, you’re likely to find that Gen Z spends a significant amount of time in physical spaces like university campuses or in-person events.
That’s where the omni-channel approach proves powerful. It’s not just about sticking to one medium. It’s about bringing together digital and traditional tactics to create a comprehensive experience based on data. Imagine taking that digital initiative designed to reach and engage Gen Z — an influencer-driven social campaign, perhaps — and pairing it with a traditional offline strategy, like a uniquely designed, eye-catching poster at a concert or university cafe.
Now that can drive conversion. But why?
The Marketing Rule of 7 and How It Supports an Omnichannel Approach
This brief example of an omnichannel approach to a Gen Z focused campaign ties into a fundamental marketing concept known as the Rule of 7.
This tried-and-true marketing concept refers to the idea that a consumer needs to encounter your brand at least seven times before taking action. When your message is present in both the digital and physical worlds, you’re amplifying your chances of sticking in the consumer’s mind.
Because seeing your ad online once or twice might not be enough. But the combined impact of seeing it on a billboard, on a flyer, and in an Instagram post? That can create a more lasting impression.
Don’t worry if you’re thinking, “Okay, I hear you, but I don’t have the budget for a nationwide print campaign!”
An omni-channel strategy doesn’t require massive spending. In fact, it’s often the smaller, localized traditional campaigns that work wonders when paired with digital. Local events, pop-up shops, or targeted posters in areas where your audience frequents can be incredibly effective. For instance, if you have a strong social media presence, reinforcing that presence with a well-placed print ad — say, at a local event or hub — could really drive your message home.
The beauty of an omni-channel approach is in its ability to reach your audience where they live, work, and play. By bridging the gap between these worlds, you allow your audience to engage with your brand more deeply, whether they’re scrolling through their phone or walking through their hometown.
What Do Business Owners Need for a Successful Omni-Channel Approach?
Not all of the fears surrounding an omnichannel approach are based in reality. However, some of the difficulties are, in fact, very real.
How do you track data and engagement without minute-to-minute click-thru updates? How do you maintain brand consistency across multiple channels? And what about personalizing your CTA, which digital marketers say is crucial, when communicating to vast swaths of the general population?
Let’s break it down into three core tenets that must be solidified for a successful omnichannel approach:
- Audience Data: Yes, we’re coming back around to reaffirm the importance of data! While content may reign supreme in the world of digital marketing, it’s nothing without data. In fact, the most successful omnichannel campaigns are built on up-to-date user data. Knowing your audience and their habits, both online and offline, allows you to create a personalized experience that feels authentic wherever it is experienced. Leverage analytics tools to track and capture engagement across all channels — this will also help you refine your strategy over time.
- Brand Story: The foundation of effective branding, and an effective omnichannel strategy, is a clear, consistent brand story. Your brand’s identity — including the voice, tone, and visual elements like your logo, color palette, and typography — needs to be recognizable no matter where your audience encounters you. Whether they’re seeing a social media post, receiving a direct mail flyer, or walking by a billboard, your audience should know it’s coming from YOU. They don’t see one aesthetic on social and another in your print ad, they see a unified company in multiple places, constantly reinforcing that Rule of 7.
- Customer Journey: When implementing an omnichannel approach, it can be easy to get lost by focusing solely on the individual touchpoints of your customers, or where exactly they’re interacting with your marketing online and offline. Instead, take time to develop the bigger picture journey that will take your audience through each of the 5 stages: awareness, consideration, decision, retention, and advocacy. If your offline touchpoints are focused on increasing awareness, for example, then every subsequent step of the journey should reinforce that initial touchpoint and drive progress along this journey.
(Psst — data is also important to integrate into the development of the customer journey! You might be surprised by what the data illuminates about each step as well. Collect information about every part of this journey so you can see if your audience is developing awareness for your brand where you expected, or if they’re converting at different points in the journey.)
Your Audience is Everywhere and Your Marketing Should Be Too
So it turns out that omnichannel marketing isn’t just a new buzzword to gloss over.
It’s the key to bridging the gap between the worlds of traditional and digital marketing so you can meet your audience wherever they are — whether it’s scrolling, grabbing coffee at a café, or checking their mailbox. When done right, an omnichannel approach can completely transform how your business reaches and fosters connections with your audiences.
But remember, it absolutely requires seamless integration to succeed. You can’t just throw together a few digital ads and a billboard and call it a day. Instead, you have to curate messages for each channel that work in perfect harmony to create a unified, memorable experience.
Ready to implement a strategy that combines the best of both worlds? If you want to avoid the scattershot approach and actually start making an impact, let’s chat.
