An essential guide to multi-channel marketing strategy

Is multi-channel marketing a must for businesses in 2024? We’re inundated with brand messages from every direction – but what can you do to make your marketing stick?

From waking up and scrolling through social media and listening to the radio on your morning commute to checking your emails, you’re exposed to ads all day long. With so much noise, it’s easy for your brand’s message to get lost in the crowd.

That’s why consistency across all marketing touchpoints is crucial. Which brings us to multi-channel marketing.

Multi-channel marketing enables businesses to connect with their audience through multiple platforms, increasing visibility and engagement. When done right, multi-channel marketing can help you reach more customers, boost your return on investment (ROI), and strengthen your brand’s presence across various mediums.

In this guide, we’ll explore what multi-channel marketing is, why it works and how you can start to strategically share messages through the channels that matter to your target audience. We’ll also share practical tips and real-world examples of brands that are killing it in their industries.

What is multi-channel marketing?

Multi-channel marketing is a strategy that involves using a number of platforms or channels to interact with your target audience. Instead of relying on just one medium, multi-channel marketing leverages a variety of touchpoints to reach customers where they are most active.

Essentially, you want to create a cohesive experience across these channels, ensuring that your messaging, branding, and overall strategy are consistent and highly targeted towards your audience.

For example, a brick and mortar retail brand might use a combination of flyers, social media ads, SMS notifications, and in-store promotions to engage with customers, but the same strategy might not work as well for a consultancy firm or SaaS company. By carefully choosing multiple avenues for interaction, your brand can increase the likelihood of capturing the right attention and driving conversions.

Multi-channel vs omnichannel vs cross-channel marketing – what’s the difference?

Before we get stuck in, let’s clarify some of the terminology you might have heard around multi-channel marketing. Although the concepts below are closely related, they have distinct meanings and applications and it’ll be useful to get your head around the differences.

Multi-Channel marketing: As mentioned, this strategy involves using multiple, independent channels to reach your audience. Each channel operates separately, with its own set of goals and metrics. The focus is on maximising your reach by being present on various platforms.

Omnichannel marketing: The main difference between multi-channel and omnichannel marketing is the number of channels used. While multi-channel marketing strategies choose a limited selection of highly targeted channels, omnichannel marketing takes place across all available media channels.

Cross-Channel Marketing: Cross-channel marketing, also known as integrated marketing, focuses on creating a cohesive journey for the customer, even if they switch between platforms. For instance, a customer might receive packaging with a QR code taking them to a website to place another order. They may then receive an email with a discount reminder to further encourage them to take this action.

Why is multi-channel marketing so effective?

Multi-channel marketing has become a go-to strategy for businesses looking to maximise their reach and engagement. But what makes it so effective?

Increased reach

It probably goes without saying: the more channels you use, the more potential customers you can reach. Your customers on social media might not be the same customers in your email mailing list, or the ones finding your website through SEO blog content. The beauty of multi-channel marketing is that it allows you to meet your customers where they are!

Better engagement

Different channels offer various ways to engage with your audience. For example, social media allows for real-time interaction, while print design provides a more personalised approach. By combining these methods, you can create a more dynamic and engaging customer experience.

Improved brand awareness

Consistent messaging across multiple platforms helps reinforce your brand identity. The more often customers see your brand, the more likely they are to remember it and engage with your products or services.

Higher conversion rates

Multi-channel marketing creates multiple touchpoints with your audience, increasing the chances of conversion. For example, a customer might first hear about your brand through a social media post, receive a follow-up email, and then make a purchase after seeing a reminder SMS. Each interaction reinforces the customer’s decision-making process, leading to higher conversion rates.

Data-driven insights

By leveraging multiple channels, you can gather valuable data on what makes your customers tick. This information allows you to refine your strategy and make informed decisions, improving your marketing efforts and ROI.

Sounds great! Are there any disadvantages?

While multi-channel marketing offers numerous benefits, it’s not without its challenges. Here are a few considerations to keep in mind when it comes to branching out across different channels.

Channel expertise

Successfully managing multiple channels requires expertise in each platform. This means you’ll need team members who are skilled in social media, email marketing, PPC advertising, and more.

Cost

The costs of multi-channel marketing can add up, especially if you’re investing in paid advertising, sophisticated analytics tools, and hiring multiple channel experts.

Aligning strategy

With multiple channels in play, you’ll need your team to work closely harmonising messaging. Ensuring that all channels work together cohesively can be challenging, particularly if different teams are responsible for each platform.

Partner with the pros at Bubble for your next winning campaign!

One way to overcome these challenges is by partnering with a digital marketing and advertising agency. Agencies – like Bubble Design! – have teams of dedicated experts in various channels, allowing you to leverage their knowledge and experience without the need to hire in-house specialists. They’ve also got the necessary know-how and strong internal relationships to effectively align your channels.

What are the different marketing channels?

The channels you use in your campaign will depend on your business and where your customers spend their time. Here’s a breakdown of some of the most popular marketing channels:

Email

Email marketing is one of the most effective channels for reaching customers directly. You can use email campaigns to share news, promotions, and product updates or to re-engage inactive customers.

Social Media

Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn allow you to build brand awareness, engage with followers, and drive traffic to your website or online store. Choose the channels that matter the most to your customer base. For example, if you’re a B2C furniture retailer, you’re more likely to reach the right people on Instagram and Pinterest than LinkedIn.

Mobile & SMS

With the majority of consumers now using smartphones, mobile marketing has become increasingly important. SMS marketing allows you to send time-sensitive messages directly to your customers’ phones, making it a highly effective channel for promotions and reminders. Mobile apps also offer opportunities for push notifications and in-app messaging.

PPC & paid advertising

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and paid advertising (like display ads) allow you to target specific audiences based on keywords, demographics, and online behaviour. This makes paid advertising a powerful driver of traffic and conversions, particularly when used as part of a larger multi-channel strategy.

SEO & content creation

By optimising web content and technical aspects of your website design and development, SEO (search engine optimisation) helps build organic traffic, increase brand credibility, and drive conversions, making it an essential part of any multi-channel marketing strategy.

Direct Mail

In a digital world, sending physical mailers, postcards, or catalogues can create a personal touch and help your brand stand out. Direct mail is often used in conjunction with digital campaigns to reinforce messaging and drive conversions.

Banners & POS

Point-of-sale (POS) marketing and banner ads are highly effective for capturing attention in physical locations and are great for promoting specific products and offers. Banners can be displayed in stores, events, or outdoor locations, while POS displays target customers at the moment of purchase.

Radio & TV Adverts

Radio and television ads offer a broad reach, allowing you to connect with a wide audience. While these channels can be expensive, they are highly effective for brand awareness and mass-market campaigns. Radio and TV ads are particularly useful for reaching older demographics who may not be as active on digital platforms, or trades that commonly listen to the radio as they work.

5 key steps to creating a multi-channel marketing strategy (& getting it right!)

Now that you’ve got more of an understanding of what multi-channel marketing is and the different channels available, it’s time to create your own strategy. Here are five key steps to help you get it right:

1. Understanding your audience

The most successful marketing strategies start with customer research. Begin by creating detailed buyer personas that represent your ideal customers. Consider factors like demographics, preferences, online behaviour, and pain points. These personas will guide your decisions about which channels to use and how to tailor your messaging.

The more you know about your audience, the better equipped you’ll be to engage them across multiple channels.

2. Choosing the right channels

It’s tempting to use every available channel in your marketing strategy, but it’s more effective to focus on the ones that are really relevant to your audience. Not every channel will be a good fit for your brand or your customers.

Refer back to your buyer personas and choose the channels that best align with their preferences and behaviours. For example, if your audience is predominantly young and tech-savvy, digital channels might be more effective than direct mail or radio ads.

3. Aligning your approach

Everyone, from marketing to sales to customer service, should be working towards the same goals. This alignment will help maintain consistency in messaging and branding across all channels.

Establish clear objectives for your multi-channel campaigns, such as increasing brand awareness, driving sales, or improving customer retention. Communicate these goals to your team and ensure that everyone understands their role in achieving them.

4. Using consistent branding and messaging

Consistency is key in multi-channel marketing. Every piece of marketing collateral that goes live should be unmistakably ‘you’. This consistency reinforces your brand and helps build trust with your customers.

Pay particular attention to visual elements, such as logos, colour schemes, and fonts. Your tone of voice and key messaging should also remain consistent, even if the content itself is channel-specific.

5. Measuring the results

Once your campaign is in place, it’s important to measure its impact and continuously refine your approach for the best results. Use analytics tools to track the performance of each channel, paying close attention to metrics like engagement, revenue and conversion rates.

Regularly review your data to identify what’s working and what isn’t. Use these insights to adjust your strategy, optimise your campaigns, and improve your overall marketing efforts.

Real examples of effective multi-channel marketing campaigns

To better understand how multi-channel marketing works in practice, let’s look at some real-world examples of brands that are smashing it with this tactic.

Ryanair

While Ryanair continues to leverage traditional tactics like SEO-optimised blog content and PPC advertising, the company has branched out with a mould-breaking social media strategy, particularly on TikTok.

By creating humorous, relatable videos that appeal to a younger demographic, Ryanair has effectively tapped into new markets as the next generation of travellers starts flying.

This approach not only enhances brand visibility but also positions Ryanair as a fun and accessible choice for younger customers, reinforcing their presence across multiple marketing channels.

Surreal

Surreal, the cereal brand known for its provocative and bold marketing, leverages multi-channel marketing (and its keen sense of humour) to build strong emotional connections with its audience.

Their eye-catching billboard campaigns grab attention in high-traffic areas, creating buzz and curiosity. Paired with a unique, playful tone of voice on LinkedIn, Surreal establishes itself as a relatable brand that resonates with modern consumers, particularly those working in marketing.

This combination of offline and online strategies allows Surreal to engage with their audience on multiple fronts, reinforcing brand recognition and loyalty.

Spotify

Spotify’s multi-channel marketing success lies in its deep understanding of its audience’s habits and preferences, particularly among smartphone users. Spotify creates a buzz across their digital channels, like social media and email marketing, every year with its ‘Wrapped’ campaign, which uses customer data to create personalised playlists and stats for every user.

But they’re also incredibly clever when it comes to strategic out-of-home (OOH) advertising, such as their memorable campaigns on the London Underground. These ads resonate well with commuters who often listen to music on their phones, reinforcing Spotify’s presence during key moments in their daily lives.

This approach highlights the importance of customer research and persona development, ensuring that Spotify’s marketing efforts are always relevant, timely, and impactful – no matter the channel.

Partner with multi-channel marketing experts!

Ready to take your marketing campaigns to the next level and reach more customers than ever before? Our team of marketing maestros specialises in creating and managing effective multi-channel campaigns that align with your brand’s goals and drive measurable results.

Whether you’re a small business looking to expand your reach or a larger brand aiming to optimise your marketing efforts, we’re here to help. Get in touch today for a FREE consultation and let’s start crafting a multi-channel marketing strategy that works for you!