Beginner’s Guide to Cohort Marketing

by Frank M. Waechter | Branding and Marketing, Communication, Communications, Content Marketing, Digital Marketing

What if we told you that you could convert more leads and predict customer behaviours? All you have to do is divide your audience into smaller groups. However, you have to find the right groups. In other words, you need to find cohorts.

Cohort marketing is a way of dividing your audience into groups that have similar characteristics. By doing this, you can get a better idea of what your customers want.

To learn more about cohort marketing and how you can implement cohort marketing into your advertising plan, keep reading. We’re going to share everything you need to know.

What Is Cohort Marketing?

Cohort marketing is rooted in cohort analyses. Both practices focus on the evaluation and understanding of a particular group of individuals. When it comes to cohorts in advertising and marketing, a marketer is going to analyse what a particular group responds best to.

Based on the cohorts shared characteristics, activities, or thoughts, marketers can improve their campaigns. Specifically, they can gear campaigns in the right direction based on the audience of people that they want to reach.

What Are Cohorts in Marketing?

A cohort is a group of people that have something in common. They could be the same age, identify with the same gender, live in the same place, or have something else in common.

A marketing cohort is a group of people that have characteristics that you want to seek out. For example, a pharmaceutical company may want to market to a specific age group or a group of people with the same condition. These groups are cohorts.

Dividing your audience into these groups can help you create more meaningful marketing materials that are more likely to interest the group that you’re marketing to.

Why Is Cohort Marketing Effective?

Cohort marketing allows you to divide your audience into smaller groups. You get to focus on fewer people that have more things in common. Therefore, your marketing team will have a clearer idea of what kind of marketing materials to prepare. However, there’s more to cohort marketing than that.

Convert More Leads

As we said, your marketing team will have fewer people to think about. At the same time, they’ll have a clearer idea of the kind of person that they’re marketing to. Thus, they’re more likely to choose the right marketing materials and interest more customers in your business.

In the end, cohort marketing can lead to a higher lead conversion rate. Your marketing team will be making more targeted advertisements, leading to more interest in the targeted groups. This bulletproofs your marketing strategy.

If you see an advertisement that’s specially made for you, you’re more likely to react positively to it. The same idea goes for the leads that your marketers are going to target with cohort marketing. They are going to be more likely to react positively to advertisements that you’ve geared towards their interests.

Predict Customer Behaviours

If you divide your audience into smaller groups, it’s going to be easier to understand the habits and behaviours of each individual group. Thus, you’re going to understand your audience as a whole better.

When your marketing team is creating marketing materials related to a specific group within your target audience, they’re going to be able to better understand that group’s reactions. By examining past behaviours, your team can make better choices when they’re preparing posts and ads.

This may also help your business understand its revenue patterns as well. If you can understand purchasing decisions and habits, you can better predict when particular groups will convert or make additional purchases. Then, you can revise your timing and posting habits to reflect these shifts in revenue and activity.

Increase Return on Investment (ROI)

ROI is one of the best ways to determine whether or not a specific kind of advertising is working. It can tell you whether or not you should continue with your current habits or move on to another method of marketing. Cohort marketing comes with a higher ROI.

Your marketing team will be able to make better decisions with access to more information about their audience, so they’ll be able to pull in more leads and customers. In the end, these people are going to be more likely to make first and repeat purchases from the company. Thus, the company is going to make more money from these advertisements.

How to Apply Audience Research to Cohort Marketing

In order to understand each cohort that your business is targeting, you need to make sure that you’re considering the right metrics. You need to understand your cohort’s preferences, behaviours, and more. You can learn all about your cohort through cohort analysis.

There are five main metrics that you should keep in mind:

User retention
Revenue per cohort
Customer lifetime value
Customer engagement
Marketing channel metrics

By paying attention to these numbers, you can learn more about your cohort and the kinds of activity that you can expect from each individual. You can also track these metrics over time to see if there are any changes as your marketing becomes more personalised.

How to Divide Your Audience the Right Way

The way that your company divides its audience is going to depend on the kinds of people that your business is trying to target in its marketing. Some companies divide their audience into age groups to change their kinds of marketing while others divide their audience by location to divide marketing between different stores.

Sometimes, the process of dividing your audience may take trial and error. To get started, think about the way that your marketing team decides to market to your audience. How could they make their marketing materials better and more personalised?

Cohort Marketing – Where Do We Start?

Cohort marketing is one of the most undervalued kinds of marketing strategies. Many people think that target their audience is enough even if it fails them over and over again. If you’re looking to help your business grow, you should get in touch with me. I look forward to helping you with your digital marketing plan.

A quick guide to Google Ads Billing

by Frank M. Waechter | Branding and Marketing, Communication, Communications, Digital Marketing

Demystifying Google Ads billing

Google Ads (formerly known as Google AdWords) is a powerful marketing tool for businesses of all sizes. This platform allows you to promote your website, set advertising budgets and bids, and measure results. But why is the Google Ads billing so complicated? Even something as simple as finding the invoice is a challenge.

I get it.

Navigating a new tool can be complicated, but it doesn’t have to be! To help you with that, in this article I’ll cover what you need to know about Google Ads billing so you can comfortably use this platform even if you’re a beginner. Specifically, I will be looking at:

Payment settings and payment methods
Finding Google Ads invoices
Discrepancies between invoices and debited amounts
VAT and taxes
Downloading and printing payment receipts

Let’s get started.

Setting up payments

When it comes to setting up payments, it’s important to remember that in Google Ads, there’s a difference between payment settings and payment methods.

Payment settings refer to how you want to make payments. Depending on the country you are in, there are different payment settings available in Google Ads, including:

Manual payments, where you pay a lump sum before the campaign starts and Google deducts the costs from the total.
Automatic payments, where Google charges you for the cost of running a campaign either at the end of the billing cycle or when you reach your threshold, whichever happens first.
Monthly billing, where Google gives you a line of credit you receive an invoice for all the ads ran during a billing cycle. This billing option is usually only available to large advertisers.

On the other hand, payment methods specify the channel used to make payments. The options vary from country to country and depend on your currency, but in most cases the following payment methods are available:

Direct debit, where the amount owed is automatically taken from your bank account.
Credit and debit card payment.

To set or change the payment method, ensure you’re logged into your Google Ads account and click on “Tools and Settings”. Then click on “Billing” > “Payment method”, enter the requested information, and save it.

For extra peace of mind, you can also set up a backup payment method. Go to “Billing” > “Settings” > “Payment methods”, then designate the payment options on record as either Primary or Back Up, and save the changes. This will ensure that you’re always up to date with your payments should there be a problem with your bank, debit, or credit card.

Partial payments with voucher codes and coupons

Google Ads allows you to make partial payments against an invoice using coupons or voucher codes. If you have any of these, you can redeem them and combine their total amount to cover a specific invoice. To do that, ensure you’ve selected a payment method and click on “Billing”, then go to “Voucher codes”, enter your code, and click on “Save”. This will apply the voucher/coupon amount towards your next invoice.

Sales tax & VAT on Google Ads invoices

Google Ads invoices do not include VAT or sales tax. However, this doesn’t mean you’re exempt from paying the relevant taxes. Google views tax compliance as the individual responsibility of each account holder, so always budget for the taxes that apply in your country. Because taxation rules differ from country to country and from situation to situation, I always recommend speaking with an accountant or a tax advisor to determine what applies in your case.

Finding your Google Ads invoice

Google Ads invoices are generated every month and available for viewing and downloading directly from your account.

To find your Google Ads invoices, you need to log into your Google Ads account. Next, click on “Tools & Settings” in the top right-hand corner. Then select “Billing” and “Billing overview”.

If your Google Ads account is new, you can access the “Billing” tab from the menu bar.

What if you need more than one invoice? You access your entire invoice history by clicking on
“Billing”, “Invoices” and then “All Invoices”. After selecting the Google Ads invoices you need, click on “Download selection”.

Still having problems finding your Google Ads invoice?

This can be due to four things.

It may still be too early in the billing cycle, which covers 30 days from the moment you purchase a campaign. So you won’t find any invoice if you’re trying to access it and it’s only day 2 in the billing cycle.
You may not have reached your threshold. In addition to the billing cycle, Google takes into account thresholds to trigger invoices. The specific amounts vary, going from $50 to $500. New accounts usually have a $50 threshold, and the platform won’t generate an invoice if your charges don’t amount to that.
Google Ads only generates invoices when there’s an activity in your account. So you may not get an invoice if you have paused a campaign or if your keyword search volume is too low to drive any traffic.
You’re trying to access an invoice without selecting a time period.

Why doesn’t your invoice match the amount debited from your account?

Finding a mismatch between the invoice total and the amount Google debited from your bank account or credit card is very common. And unfortunately, this discrepancy can create some accounting headaches. So why does this happen?

This issue can happen if you have chosen the Automatic payment settings. As I explained earlier in this article, this means that Google charges you either at the end of the billing cycle or when you reach your threshold, whichever happens first. You may reach your threshold before the billing cycle is over, or multiple times during this cycle. Each time this happens, there will be a separate charge reflected in your bank account or credit card statement. However, the Google Ads invoice generated at the end of the 30-day billing cycle will reflect the total amount outstanding.

Let’s use an example to clarify this. Imagine you have a $100 threshold and your billing cycle starts the fifth day of every month. On day 20, you hit the £100 threshold and Google debits your bank account or credit card. You don’t hit the threshold again until the following month. You may still accrue clicks between day 20 and day 5 of the following month when Google generates the invoice. This invoice will cover the clicks that took place between the time you hit the threshold and the invoice date or end of the billing cycle.

So in summary, any clicks that take place after hitting the threshold are carried over into the following month and are reflected in the respective invoice. Google does not match payments to invoices, which can make bookkeeping a bit complicated unless you are a large advertiser and qualify for monthly billing.

Making changes to your Google Ads invoice

You cannot make any changes to an invoice or payment settings once Google Ads has issued the invoice in question. If you entered the wrong payment information by mistake, you can still edit it under “Payment methods” as explained above, but the changes will only come into effect in the next billing cycle.

Bear in mind that any updates you make to payment information must be made at least 14 days before the end of the billing cycle if you want them to be reflected in the next invoice.

Downloading and printing your Google Ads invoice

You can get a hard copy of a Google Ads invoice for your records or for accounting purposes, directly from your account dashboard.

Once you’re logged into your account, click on “Billing”, and again on “View Invoices”. This will display a drop-down menu where you can choose between “All Invoices” (a historical view of all your invoices), and “Open and past due invoices”, which shows outstanding invoices.

Once you select a specific invoice, you get the option to download it in PDF or CSV format.

Conclusion

In this article I’ve covered the basics of Google Ads billing, so you can navigate this tool smoothly from now on. If you have questions on whether Google Ads is for you or would like to know how to bring real change to your business, get in touch. I’ll be happy to discuss the options and offer personalised solutions.

Ethical Marketing, One Step At The Time

by Frank M. Waechter | Communication, Content Marketing, Digital Marketing

2020 has been a year of profound changes. Due to these changes, many of us have been moved to make an in-depth evaluation of how we live our lives, which are our priorities, and which tools we use to reach them. The big question is: are we living our lives in the best possible way?

As a digital marketer, I am interested in how people in my industry handle this question. And some of their conclusions resonate strongly with me. This year’s work-from-home and isolation requirements have resulted in many people taking to social media and spending more time online than ever before. We have also seen an increase in digital interactions for business purposes, replacing in-person meetings, conferences, networking events, etc.

But has this been to our benefit? In our October post, we discussed the social media dilemma and the implications it has for anyone who works in digital marketing. In these difficult times, people flock to social media platforms to feel connected to others, but togetherness is not necessarily a priority for these businesses. These platforms are corporate-owned and built to make money out of our data.

The Social Dilemma

The social media dilemma has an ethical side that we simply cannot ignore. As a content marketer myself, I have come to question the role I play in supporting the corporate goals of social networks, whether directly or indirectly. On the one hand, I encourage clients to develop a robust online presence, and social media is a crucial component of this. But on the other hand, I can’t help but wonder how fair is it to promote practices that may jeopardise my clients’ privacy and integrity. So is what I am doing 100% beneficial to my clients?

As things stand right now, I cannot say it is. This realisation has direct implications for my line of work, and I am sure many other marketers will be in the same boat. The main implication is that my old business model is no longer viable if I want to truly serve my clients’ best interests – and only theirs.

After giving this matter some serious thought, I have decided to transform my business one step at the time. I hope to document the process and the challenges I find along the way in an upcoming series of blog posts. The transformation starts by no longer offering social media as a marketing tool. My key focus lies on strategy and data-based content marketing respecting every aspect of GDPR privacy regulation. At the same time, I started developing different ethical marketing solutions.

The Case For Ethical Marketing

The concept of ethical marketing is not new; in fact, it was being discussed even before the famous documentary “The Social Dilemma” raised the question in mainstream circles.

Society changes, and so does technology. This change means we must be prepared to ask and answer honest questions about to which extent we should accept the interference of technology into our private or business lives. This is especially pertinent to social media marketing, as the nature of the data collected via these platforms raises serious ethical questions.

But we reach another crossroads: social media marketing (and to some degree most digital marketing nowadays) is effective precisely because of the vast amounts of personal data we now have access to. This allows for higher personalisation, which can be more satisfactory to the user and financially rewarding for businesses. So if we take this away from the equation, are we setting ourselves up for disaster? In other words, can an ethical marketing business succeed?

Towards Ethical Content Marketing

I believe that there will always be a market for companies who genuinely care for their clients. The expectation is already there, for example, in late 2019 a research piece found that brands perceived as “ethical” get more committed, loyal, and satisfied customers, among other competitive advantages.

As marketers, we need to promote brands and services and help clients find the perfect match between their offerings and what their users need. But in the new context, the marketer’s role has to take an educational or informational perspective. People cannot demand what they don’t know about.

Content marketing is a big win here because offering valuable content for free, instead of using it to track or collect data, is the best move. Ethical content marketing informs and empowers through content, prioritises freedom and privacy by promoting individual choice, responsibility, and well-being.

I have started to outline a few guiding principles that will help me evaluate marketing strategies against an ethical benchmark. This list is work in progress, but I believe it sets me in the right path:

Stay clear of spammy practices.
The ultimate goal is to build genuine connections, not getting more clicks.
Content should deliver value and uphold values.
Content should empower clients through knowledge, so they implement ethical practices in their online interactions.

But I also accept that I have my limitations. It is impossible to change the way algorithms work or to influence the privacy and data use policies of the big players. But that does not mean my hands are tied: there are things I can do to limit the influence of unethical practices in my day-to-day life and also in my business.

One of these things is re-learning to use the Internet and other digital products by focusing on how to do so safely. Privacy issues surrounding the online world are a top priority in ethical content marketing, so I’ve been experimenting with the best way to transform my habits first, before recommending them to clients.

These thoughts marked the beginning of my personal (but also professional) transformation towards an ethical online presence. The time has come to critically evaluate what digital marketers have to offer in today’s changing landscape – I hope you will accompany me in my exploration!

← Social Media Is Dead, Long Live The Membership Community Customer Trust as a Central Element for Brand Success →

A Guide To Bulletproofing Your Marketing Strategy During A Crisis

by Frank M. Waechter | Digital Marketing

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought a great deal of uncertainty. Only a few organisations were prepared with a marketing strategy during a crisis. If you are in charge of a business or an organisation, the uncertainty takes on a new dimension, and you will most likely want to know which are the most critical steps you can take to fend off the global disruption we are all experiencing.

In a rapidly changing environment, your primary concern should be to keep your organisation or business running. This may require a significant shift of priorities and extensive restructuring, paying particular attention to your marketing and communications plans.

While it is impossible to avoid all risks, modifying your marketing strategy during a crisis is the first step. In this post, you’ll find a guide to bulletproofing your marketing strategy in times of crisis.

What Your Customers Want, Revisited

Marketing hinges on effective communication. Now, more than ever before, it’s crucial to ensure that your marketing strategy communicates the right message and is in line with your customers’ expectations and circumstances.

People’s needs and priorities have changed substantially. Many will have questions that your website or social media do not currently answer. To address this, you will need to rewrite customer personas based on how Covid-19 may have affected them.

You may want to use the six new customer behaviour thresholds identified by Nielsen, and evaluate how your redesigned marketing strategy should fit within them.

Above all, remember that one of the main things customers want in times of crisis is information and reassurance. Consider how your online presence needs to be redesigned, so it puts customers first by keeping them in the loop. You may not have all the answers, but being transparent will build rapport.

HOT TOPICS: Social Media For Science And Research: Current Trends And Future Possibilities

You may also want to consider using video conferences, live chat, or live Q&A sessions to draw your customers into the conversation and listen to what they need. This will generate insights into what’s most valuable to them and will inform the adjustments you’ll need to make to your marketing strategy during the crisis.

The faster you respond to what your customers need, the higher your chances will be to secure a more significant market share.

Rethinking Your Brand Image

Understandably, some business owners may be reluctant to launch any marketing campaign right now. They may think that customers have other things to worry about, or that it may be perceived as frivolous and insensitive.

Yet, this is an opportunity to forge a more personal connection with your customers, as long as the message behind your marketing strategy is relevant. The key is to increase trust and offer something of value in difficult times. To do this, you’ll need to anticipate the new normal and the role your brand is to play in it.

From Nike to McDonald’s, market leaders have been adjusting their brand message to the situation while remaining inspirational. So ask yourself “What is my brand’s key message in times of crisis?”.

Not every company can shift its core services or products to meet critical demand, but reshaping your brand image and message is doable. Your values and mission may remain the same. Still, the focus is different: it could be educational (by offering much needed fact-checked information), offer support and a sense of community, or address your customers’ pain points with new or redesigned products and services.

One thing is for sure: this is not the time to sit back and wait for the storm to pass. Your ability to respond to this crisis may completely transform your brand’s public perception, and if handled well, it will attract loyal customers.

FROM THE BLOG: Getting Started With The Digitalization Of Associations

However, because the long-term scenario is too unstable, it is wise to redesign your marketing and crisis communications along two dimensions: short term (within the next three months) and medium-term (the next six to nine months). Next, we will look at the most effective ways of doing this.

Bootstrap Marketing

Your short-term marketing strategy in times of crisis will have the most substantial impact on your bottom line. Focus on agile, dynamic, and easily adjustable solutions and be cautious with expenses. In other words, reassess your marketing strategy and incorporate the principles of bootstrap marketing into your plans.

One way of doing this is by investing in your social media strategy. Low costs and high exposure rates situate social media marketing as one of the most effective approaches to work on right now.

Under normal circumstances, people spend an average of 3 hours a day consuming content on social media. Since the start of the pandemic, social media use has increase substantially: usage time has grown by 40% for WhatsApp, 50% for Facebook, and Instagram live views have doubled. This is where your audience is, so it makes sense to redirect your resources to social platforms.

You can use social media to delivering customer service as if it was a crisis management tool. These platforms allow you to develop one-to-one and more personable interactions and can generate a positive impression that’s likely to carry on beyond the duration of the crisis.

Making Services and Products More Accessible

Another short-term marketing strategy in times of crisis involves launching price promotions and freebie campaigns. Now is the time to demonstrate solidarity and empathy with those whose day-to-day life has been affected. The examples are everywhere. For instance, online course provider Bluprint is offering free access to their content for a limited time. Digital Marketer is offering free membership to those affected by Covid-19. People are turning to creative endeavours and to learning new skills, so think about how you can capitalise on that.

This could entail fully or partially dropping paywalls, offering payment assistance or new payment terms, and creating updated low-cost versions of digital products. In short, consider what your brand can do for your community of customers, and in the process, you may generate more leads.

Adjust Expectations And Customer Retention Models

The main goal of your medium-term marketing strategy, not only in times of crisis, should be retaining existing customers. If you can maintain volume by keeping customers going back to your products and services, you’ll have a better chance to weather this storm. But you may have to do this at the expense of overall profits and accept lower ROI as a trade-off. In times of crisis, everyone’s expectations need to be adjusted.

INTERESTING READ: Generate Pre-Event Hype With Content Marketing

To adjust your retention strategy, funnel your resources taking into account what could “the new normal” look like in your industry. Content marketing will continue to play a crucial role in every medium-term marketing strategy. A new landscape equals demand for new content, and content marketing will help deliver what your customers want while keeping your business afloat.

Conclusion

The current crisis presents a chance to create long-lasting value, establish thought leadership, and inspire loyalty through actions that matter to your customers. This is an excellent time to become relevant and stay relevant. If you need support with your crisis, managing efforts or redirecting your marketing strategy, get in touch to discuss a tailor-made solution.

← Getting Started With The Digitalization Of Associations Top 10 Benefits of Content Marketing →

Getting Started With The Digitalization Of Associations

by Frank M. Waechter | Digital Marketing

This article about the digitalization of associations was first published on Boardroom, provided by IAPCO, author Frank M. Waechter, Founder and CEO of fmwaechter.com | Digital Marketing.

According to the World Economic Forum, digitalization is one of the key disruptors of the 21st-century. This process has caused profound changes in the way we interact and go about our lives. And has also transformed the nature of work and organizations. Ernst & Young suggests that the digital transformation is here to stay, and so it’s essential for associations to jump on board, embrace the digital mindset, and bring added value to their members – especially to new generations who are digital natives.

Digitalization, and thus digitalization of associations, is already underway, so embracing it is not a matter of if, but instead of when and how. In this post, we take a look at the most effective strategies and solutions that associations can use to achieve this.

Should Your Association Go “All Digital”?

The first step is to kick-start a digital transformation strategy is deciding what to implement, how to do it, and on which time frame. Although it might be tempting to go “all-in” on digital, this isn’t always practical or necessary. Implementation success rates seem to be rather low – under 30% according to this McKinsey survey. On the other hand, those who are successful take an incremental approach to digitalization. Digital organizations don’t become so overnight, but they work and rework their strategy. Until they’re able to create new and stronger forms of engagement with their members. Therefore, it’s wise to make gradual changes strategically, using carefully chosen digital tools to enhance existing and more traditional operational models.

Low-Cost, High Impact Solutions

Mindset is as important as tools when it comes to the digitalization of associations. The process starts with building digital skills into the association’s culture, bringing key stakeholders on board, and breaking down silos before going all out. You can achieve this with limited financial resources – it all starts with the right mindset and with the disposition to make small-scale changes that have a significant impact.

Free content analytics tools are an excellent place to start. These tools enable data-driven decision making, which forms the basis for digital strategy. With this anticipatory intelligence, you can discover which content drives interaction best and which digital technologies your members are already using. The information can be used to predict what your members need. Also to formulate digital marketing campaigns using the format and channels your members prefer. For example, setting up an online community on a social media platform allows members to share and network 24/7 using tools they’re already familiar with. Some organizations, like the Association for Clinical Research Professionals, have created their online community platforms. Whereas others (like Trades Union Congress) offer their members online training in a webinar format, all through their website.

Automation and Digital Tools

Another cost-effective tool is marketing automation. While not free, these software packages can save on labour costs. At the same time, deliver highly targeted communications that reach the right person with the right message at the right time. Also, consider the products or services your association already offers and how can they be digitalized. With marketing automation, it’s possible to segment members based on their interests and goals. And offer them tailored content.

Digital tools like machine learning or artificial intelligence have enormous potential for success, and they don’t need to be costly. Chatbots can be quickly built on social media platforms and drive a conversational approach to member interaction. And since they can learn autonomously and become more accurate over time, they are a sound investment.

Conferences and events are other areas of opportunity. Event apps are replacing printed conference guides, making them more portable and user-friendly.

Examples of Digitalization of Associations

Organisations like the National Association of College and University Business Officers are building membership value into their events using year-round, multi-event apps that not only deliver smooth registration, networking and personalized content but also engagement, interaction and intelligence.

Another example of how digitalization can strengthen the reach of events: BILD, a Toronto-based land management association went paperless for its annual awards event. To do so, they implemented a CSP (content services platform), which bridges the gap between digital experience management (DxM) and content management. For the annual event, this move allowed members to submit and manage applications on a self-serve basis. Also reducing greatly time-related inefficiencies and risks of human error. Content management systems can be pricey, but there are affordable options too. In the beginning, association leaders may want to explore basic packages and solutions. Thus making sure their features target the most important goals for a particular event.

Conclusion

The digitalization of associations is complex and multi-faceted, but its benefits outweigh the challenges. Taking a gradual approach to digital transformation can help your association remain competitive, future-focused, and member-oriented. Start taking steps now to give your association a strategic advantage and establish it as a trusted leader in your field. It’s never too late to become digitally aware and lead transformation successfully. If you are looking to give your association a digital strategy, get in touch with me. We offer digital solutions specifically tailored to multiple sectors in the MICE Industry.

← Generate Pre-Event Hype With Content Marketing A Guide To Bulletproofing Your Marketing Strategy During A Crisis →

How To Design An Omnichannel Marketing Planning

by Frank M. Waechter | Digital Marketing

Change is a constant in life – and therefore in business too. The digital marketing world changes especially fast, and every year something new and big promises a steady stream of customers or of event attendees. But if you want to meet KPIs and see consistent results, it makes sense to invest in a bullet-proof digital strategy instead of dabbling with whatever happens to be trendy at any given point.

To be effective, such a strategy must be based on omnichannel marketing: the use of multiple channels that complement each other and create a consistent user experience. The idea is simple: don’t put all your eggs in one basket, and go where your clients already are. Let’s take a detailed look at how cross channel marketing can benefit you, and at the best ways of implementing this type of marketing campaign.

The Benefits Of Omni-Channel Marketing Plans

An omni-channel marketing plan allows you to reach customers wherever they are. And because you can deliver your message using their preferred medium or platforms, your chances of achieving organic customer engagement are higher.

Omnichannel marketing allows the integration of several digital marketing strategies and takes the pressure off operational tasks. Email marketing, customer acquisition and retention, content marketing, or social media campaigns are no longer stand-alone tasks, but instead, form an integrated marketing strategy that is aligned with your business objectives.

Image Source: SmartInsights

If correctly implemented, a cross channel strategy is easier to manage. It can also be easier to monitor the audience response – for example, email unsubscribe link rates. This data facilitates making data-informed adjustments to continuously expand your reach.

Also, omnichannel marketing works for businesses of all sizes, because the focus isn’t so much on resources or marketing budget, but on knowing your audience inside out and on delivering an impactful message.

How To Design An Omnichannel Marketing Planning

Omnichannel marketing relies on diversifying marketing communications across multiple channels. And to communicate with potential customers, first, you need to know where to find them and go there yourself.

Start by researching the most-used channel’s platforms by your target audience. This could be a mix of email, web-based advertising, social media content, TV ads, blog posts, mobile apps, etc. Whichever you plan to target, remember to do it ensuring your strategy is not redundant, but complementary.
The platform you use may vary, but your message must stay consistent. Find the overlap between your brand identity and goals, and the needs of your audience. Then, make information available at different places where the audience may come across it, either accidentally or because they’re looking for it.
Of course, this means you must have a very granular idea of who is your audience, what they want/need, and where they shop or look for information. A customer persona is a great starting point to determine the ideal engagement model to target.
Next, identify the touchpoints. These are every interaction your potential customer has with your brand or message. Identifying them involves seeing the entire process as a journey or an experience – a holistic view of customer acquisition that takes into account obstacles, needs, and opportunities. Here you can see an example that applies to the MICE industry, but of course, this varies from sector to sector.

Image Source: Weemss

Remember that omnichannel marketing can be implemented both online and offline. For example, you can combine digital advertising with ads in a physical location. At events, this could mean using both physical banners and event apps. The right mix is different for each industry, so testing is key.
Irrespective of your industry, never underestimate the importance of social and mobile. The most visited sites in the world are social media sites including YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. These are not only used for leisure, but also as a source of information and so they are useful tools to reach a targeted audience. As for mobile use, more than 51% of online traffic comes from mobile devices -surely a channel that no business owner wants to miss!
On that note, a landing page will direct users from mobile and social platforms to your website. Landing pages play a crucial role in lead generation and conversion. Research suggests they can increase conversion by 300%, and the figures are even better if your landing page features video content.
Lastly, take advantage of technology. Digital technology can improve the efficiency of your omni-channel marketing strategy. For example, marketing automation can save precious time so you can focus on analysing results and tweaking your campaign, and their implementation is feasible even for SMEs. If you can pair marketing automation and CRM tools, so much the better!

Conclusion

Omnichannel marketing is a profitable strategy that every business owner or event organiser should know about. This type of strategy relies on personalised and targeted communications that capture your audience’s attention wherever they happen to be. The benefits are many: they can boost awareness, create a strong positive impression, generate leads, and streamline your operations.

If you’d like to establish a strong presence in multiple platforms so you can deliver the best possible customer experience, creating an Omnichannel marketing campaign is the next step. Get in touch and we’ll start planning the most effective strategy for your business straight away.

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