5 omnichannel marketing mistakes to avoid at all costs
27 January 2023
Today’s consumers expect a seamless experience across all channels, both online and offline. That’s where omnichannel marketing comes in.
However, omnichannel marketing isn’t as simple as it sounds, and there are five major mistakes to avoid at all costs. Keep on reading to find out what they are.
1. Not having a clear strategy
If you fail to develop a clear and comprehensive omnichannel marketing strategy, your customers will receive inconsistent experiences. This will frustrate them, and they may take their business elsewhere.
Conversely, having a well-defined strategy provides a framework to effectively coordinate your omnichannel marketing efforts.
Start by mapping out your customers’ journeys. Identify which channels your customers use, at which stages of the buying journey, and how they move from one channel to another. Work out where customers typically lapse and find out why. Dig into what frustrates them before making any adjustments.
Remember to align your omnichannel marketing strategy with your organization’s overall goals. If you want to drive more online conversions, funnel prospects to your website. Or, if customers who visit your stores have a higher customer lifetime value (CLV), offer them special promotions.
2. Not having a single customer view
It’s impossible to provide a consistent omnichannel experience without a unified view of your customers. You’ll struggle to track customer interactions and preferences across channels. You’ll serve generic, one-size-fits-all marketing strategies, and your conversion rates will suffer.
So, what’s the solution?
First, gather as much data as possible from all touchpoints, before consolidating this in a single source of truth like a customer data platform (CDP). This will provide a holistic view of your customers and how they behave across all channels. You can then use this information to personalize your marketing efforts, adjusting the experiences you serve accordingly.
3. Not having the right technology
Without the right technology, it can be difficult to coordinate your efforts or measure their impact. This will have a harmful impact on your omnichannel marketing success.
For example, you need tools to track customer behavior (such as Google Analytics), tools to automate marketing strategies (like Marketo), and software to measure customer satisfaction (a feature of Exclaimer). This list is far from exhaustive as most enterprises have anywhere from 5 - 10 tools in their marketing tech stack.
4. Not properly training employees
You can’t deliver a seamless omnichannel customer experience (CX) on your own. It relies on organization-wide collaboration.
Every single employee should know what your company’s trying to achieve, how you plan to do it, and where they fit in. They also need training and support to deliver this experience at scale.
Businesses that excel in omnichannel marketing invest in their employees, making upskilling a constant priority. They’re proactive rather than reactive. As a result, the whole organization is always up to date with the latest best practices.
5. Not measuring results
To optimize your omnichannel marketing efforts, you need to know what works and what needs improving.
Measuring and tracking key marketing metrics helps you better understand your customers’ behavior. You can then use these insights to fine-tune your omnichannel marketing efforts.
But which metrics should you pay particular attention to? It’s worth keeping a close eye on the following:
Customer satisfaction score (CSAT): This measures how happy customers are with your brand. By including feedback icons in your email signatures, your customers can quickly demonstrate their satisfaction in just one click.
Customer lifetime value (CLV): This refers to how much a customer will spend with your business over their lifetime.
Net promoter score (NPS): This shows whether customers would recommend your company to others.
Engagement rates: There’s little point investing in strategies that don’t generate tangible results. Analyze your engagement rates across multiple channels to identify which channels you need to optimize.
By tracking these metrics, you’ll gain key insights to improve your omnichannel marketing strategy.
Make 2023 your best omnichannel marketing year yet
Omnichannel marketing provides customers with a consistent buying experience. By avoiding the five major mistakes outlined above, you’ll create an omnichannel marketing strategy that delights customers and boosts your bottom line.
Learn more about how Exclaimer lets marketers present a unified brand image over business email and offers new customer engagement opportunities.
