02 Feb Taking Your Marketing Campaign Omni-Channel
We’ve all done it. You’re in the aisle at the big box store, trying to make a decision among the three different models of microwaves you’ve carefully researched before setting foot in a store. Uh-oh! It looks like they’re out of stock on the one you think is your favorite. You take out your smartphone and check the store’s website. The website indicates it’s in stock and you show your phone to the poor clerk in the microwave department. He goes over to his computer and finds your microwave at the store in the next county. The transaction ends there, with you deciding whether you’re going to drive another 25 miles just to see this microwave.
You have just experienced a frustrating example of how difficult it is to manage Multi-Channel marketing. You did online research, maybe on a laptop or desktop or a tablet, went to the brick-and-mortar site and used your mobile phone in the store. While you got great information about the product, the inventory and purchase information broke down between platforms, leaving you, the customer, without the product and the retailer without a sale. How can that information work better for both the consumer and the retailer? Multi-Channel marketing isn’t enough anymore. The new standard is Omni-Channel.
The concept of Omni-Channel marketing seeks to make the research and purchasing process seamless for the customer and a conversion for the retailer. Experiencing the customer’s journey through the different channels of your company’s marketing strategy and making sure that they are completely integrated is much more likely to result in a sale. For example, Chipotle’s online ordering and mobile app work together to save your frequent orders so that you can order your favorite burrito bowl whether you’re in the office or on your way to the restaurant. Once you have an account, you can access it from any platform and your personal information is ready to go. It couldn’t be easier for the customer, and that’s the goal of Omni-Channel marketing.
How does that work for a craft business? It depends, of course, on the channels you’re using to reach your market. Social media platforms, for example, seem to be multiplying daily. Knowing where to concentrate your social media marketing efforts is the first step. Once you determine which platforms you need to be on for your customers to find you, there are concrete steps you can take to turn followers into customers. For example, activating a Shopify account on Pinterest or integrating a shopping app with your Instagram account allows you to sell on the social media platform as well as from your own online store.
If the customer goes back and forth between Pinterest and your online store, you can add an app to ensure that the products that s/he are viewing on one channel appear immediately on the other, optimizing the omni-channel experience. And if a product is left unpurchased in a shopping cart, reaching out with a reminder via yet another channel like a retargeting campaign, an email, or a pop-up window back on your online store website) could make that sale.
Another thing you can do to make your Omni-Channel Marketing more effective is to make sure that both your website and your email marketing channel have their best possible appearance and functionality no matter what device your customer is using to view them.
If you’re a wholesaler, Omni-Channel Marketing will work a little differently for you. Your channels need to work seamlessly for your retailers, while the public face of your product has to appeal to consumers as well. Something as simple as making sure your list of stockists is accurate and up-to-date is essential, but an easy-to-use online wholesale catalogue with real-time inventory updates for your retailers will keep your stock moving.
Omni-Channel Marketing is customer-driven and data-intensive. It creates a web of connections that enhances the customer interaction with your brand. Email us if you need help making it work for your craft business: Leanne@stitchcraftmarketing.com
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