A new year brings a new reality to business owners: we can no longer pretend that multi-channel marketing is something we can choose to do or not do. Today’s consumers have significant customer service expectations. They take it for granted that they can reach us via their social media platform of choice, as well as through our website and in person. You might even have a few old-school customers who prefer to connect with you on the telephone!

Multi-channel marketing sounds scarier than it really is. There are a lot of moving parts involved in effective multi-channel marketing, but if you’re organized and strategic, it’s relatively simple to keep all the pieces moving in the right direction.

For example, let’s say you’re having a sales event. As part of your planning process, identify the various ways you’d like to spread the word about this sale. This can include your website, print advertising, radio spots, and social media. Identifying how you’re going to share your sales messaging on each platform, as well as when it’s going to appear, and how the various messages will connect and reinforce each other, is the heart of multi-channel marketing.

The first step of multi-channel marketing is to make sure the platforms and tools you’re already using are working well together. Do this first, before you add anything new to the mix. Sometimes a fresh awareness of how different marketing vehicles can be made to work together will result in a sales boost without adding a penny to your marketing budget.

When you’re confident that all the marketing pieces you’re currently using are well integrated and delivering for you, then it’s time to expand your reach and sales by identifying new platforms. Choosing these platforms will be based on who your customers are and how they prefer to spend their time online. To learn more about how to make this happen, give us a call today. We’re here to help!