What is an omnichannel strategy in marketing?

You’ve probably heard, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” And while that’s great advice across the board, it rings especially true in marketing.

There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution in marketing. What works for one of your agency’s clients might not work for the next. But if you want to expand your client’s reach and help them build an awesome customer journey with strategic touchpoints that drive results, you’ll need an omnichannel approach.

In this blog, we’ll show you how to create a seamless experience for your clients’ customers with omnichannel marketing and highlight three real-world examples of these dynamic strategies in action.

Key components of omnichannel marketing strategy

Omnichannel marketing is more than just leveraging multiple marketing and sales channels — it’s about making all those channels work together to create a seamless customer experience that drives conversions.

If you want to create a successful multichannel marketing strategy that gives your client’s customers a positive and consistent brand experience, here’s what you’ll need to include.

Channel integration

Channel integration is the heart of a strong omnichannel marketing strategy. Remember, the goal is to create a seamless customer experience, so all of your client’s customer touchpoints should cultivate a cohesive and consistent user experience. So, all their customer-facing channels (emails, social media posts, chatbot campaigns, in-store displays, etc.) should use consistent messaging and provide consistent information. 

Here’s a basic example. Let’s say a customer wants to visit your client’s brick-and-mortar store, so they visit your client’s website to find out what their operating hours are: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. When the client shows up on Monday at 10 a.m., they’re frustrated to find the store closed: The client shifted their hours without updating the information on the website.

The inconsistency between the information on the website (online channel) and the sign on the door at the physical store (in-store experience) can lead to customer dissatisfaction and reputational damage. Make sure all customer touchpoints have the same, accurate information.

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Customer segmentation

A great omnichannel marketing strategy is all about using various digital channels to create strong customer relationships — and every good relationship starts with getting to know each other.

Once you form a solid understanding of your client’s customer base (their needs, preferences, and behaviors), you can use this data to segment them into groups. This will allow you to deliver more targeted and personalized marketing messages, making each customer feel like they’re getting more value from your client’s marketing campaigns. 

For example, let’s say your client is an online clothing store. When building their marketing campaigns, you may decide to segment by demographics like age or past purchasing behavior, like “frequent shopper” or “occasional shopper.” The messaging for all of these groups could be vastly different, while the calls to action ultimately point to the same product. 

Personalization

Customers don’t just value personalized experiences from brands — 71% of customers expect it. Like having different clubs for different shots on the golf course, an omnichannel marketing strategy gives you the tools you need to deliver customer experiences that are targeted and personalized.

So, how do you build a personalized experience that resonates with your client’s customer base and nudges them toward converting? With data.

Remember that data you used for customer segmentation? It’s a goldmine of information about customers’ needs, desires, pain points, and any other relevant data points. 

From there, you fine-tune each marketing channel and messaging to target each segment of your customer base individually. This allows you to deliver laser-focused, customer-centric content that still jives with your client’s branding and voice, but makes customers feel seen, heard, and valued.

Data and analytics

Beyond the data that helps you narrow down your audiences and design successful messaging for them, omnichannel marketing relies heavily on data and analytics to track campaign performance. 

You can track key performance indicators (KPIs) like click-through rates, conversion rates, and engagement to see which channels are driving the most value for your client. This access to real-time data also gives your agency greater insight into what’s working and what isn’t, so you can continue to iterate and build more successful campaigns for the client in the future.

Similarly, this data is also a great way to help you demonstrate your agency’s value to your client. You can show measurable results, giving clients a visual representation of their return on investment (ROI), which drives greater customer satisfaction.

Benefits of an omnichannel marketing strategy

Omnichannel marketing strategies are the key to building campaigns that don’t just reach your client’s target audience, but really connect with them at every turn. 

Let’s look at just a few of the powerful benefits your agency can deliver with successful multichannel strategies.

Enhanced customer experience

Omnichannel marketing is about removing frustrating roadblocks from the customer experience. And when a business does it right, the impact can be huge. In fact, companies with strong omnichannel strategies have an 89% customer retention rate — compared to only 33% for companies without such strategies.

When a customer interacts with your client’s brand, their experience should be consistent, whether they’re contacting your client’s help desk or leaving a comment on their Instagram photos. Omnichannel marketing ensures synergy between all of your client’s channels so that customers know exactly what they’re getting from the brand — and that it’s a positive experience that keeps them coming back for more. 

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Increased revenue

You don’t have to be a master of ecommerce metrics to understand that a better customer experience leads to more sales. Targeted, personalized messaging generates more conversions, and a streamlined and cohesive online shopping experience improves customer loyalty. The end result is increased revenue for your client — and a more profitable engagement for your agency.

In fact, today’s customers value a great experience so much that 58% have no problem paying extra for it. When customers are willing to pay a premium for a stellar brand experience, the companies that can give it to them have a lot to gain.

Offers better client and customer insights

Next to cold, hard cash, customer data is probably the most valuable resource a company can collect. Thankfully, an abundance of customer data is one of the secondary benefits that omnichannel marketing provides.

By giving your clients more touchpoints with their customers, omnichannel marketing offers better access to valuable customer insights. Your agency can use this data to guide improvements to just about every aspect of your client’s business — including their omnichannel marketing strategy.

Improved operational efficiency

Omnichannel marketing may focus on giving customers a great experience, but it’s also great for your clients!

When all of a business’s sales and marketing channels talk to each other, there’s a centralized source of truth. No more juggling a dozen data sources or creating different campaigns for different platforms.

This helps you and your clients allocate resources more wisely, so you can focus on the most productive channels, eliminate redundancy, and make better, data-driven decisions.

With more streamlined processes, it’s easier to build consistency across all your client’s touchpoints — leading to a better experience for their customers, and less time dealing with complaints!

3 powerful examples of an omnichannel marketing strategy

Omnichannel marketing isn’t some abstract business theory — it’s a widely employed practice that’s been proven time and time again. If you’re still on the fence, here are three powerful real-world examples that might change your mind:

1. Starbucks

It’s hard to do much of anything before you’ve had your morning coffee. That’s why Starbucks uses an omnichannel approach to make ordering as convenient as possible for its customers.

Starbucks customers can order and pay for their drinks using the Starbucks mobile app, and they can also use the app to track their rewards and find nearby Starbucks locations. Starbucks also offers a variety of ways to pick up orders, including in-store pickup, drive-thru, and mobile order and pay. This omnichannel strategy gives customers plenty of convenient options in an industry where convenience is a top priority.

2. Sephora

Sephora app

Sephora is another great example of a company using omnichannel marketing to its advantage. Customers can shop for Sephora products online, in-store, or through the Sephora app. They can also use their Beauty Insider loyalty card across all channels to earn and redeem rewards.

Sephora also offers a variety of beauty services in its stores, such as makeovers and skincare consultations. This variety of experiences and shopping options allows Sephora to cater to a range of customer needs and has helped position it as one of the top brands in the beauty industry.

3. Nike

Nike app

Nike is a global sportswear brand with customers on every continent except Antarctica (and chances are there are probably a few researchers down there wearing Nike apparel, too). To engage with this vast and diverse customer base, Nike relies on a combination of omnichannel marketing and product-led growth.

Customers can shop for Nike products online, in-store, or through the Nike app. Nike also offers a variety of features on its app, such as personalized product recommendations and workout tracking. Lastly, Nike has a strong presence on social media that it uses to engage with customers and promote its products.

Teamwork.com’s approach to omnichannel marketing

In omnichannel marketing, coordination is the name of the game. If you want to align and integrate all of your client’s marketing objectives, you need to make sure your agency and clients are on the same page — and able to communicate efficiently.

This is where an advanced project management platform like Teamwork.com can help! Teamwork.com is the only all-in-one platform for client work, combining powerful operations and project management tools under one roof. You can organize all your marketing projects, assign tasks to different team members, and track their progress in real time. You can easily invite clients to join you on Teamwork.com projects for maximum visibility and more streamlined communication.

Reporting and analytics are key to ensuring any campaign’s success, and Teamwork.com’s customized reporting makes it easy for your agency to track project planned versus actual spending, time spent on tasks and projects, and project profitability.

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We’d say that omnichannel marketing is the future of ecommerce marketing, but it’s already here — and it’s here to stay. From a better customer experience to improved data collection, there are plenty of benefits that make omnichannel marketing so effective.

Pulling off a successful omnichannel marketing strategy for your clients is no small undertaking. Before you embark on the journey, make sure that you’ve got a project management tool that will help you organize, streamline, and coordinate all of your different marketing objectives.