Implementing omnichannel marketing: delivering moments that matter

The importance of omnichannel marketing

Omnichannel marketing is quickly becoming a critical component of all marketing strategies and is more and more important in customer experience discussions. As customer expectations increase, the need for relevance in content and across touchpoints is make or break for organizations both big and small.

While delivering omnichannel experiences is not a completely new concept, companies have yet to fully embrace and execute omnichannel strategies. But they will start feeling the pressure to in order to keep pace with changing customer demands and stay competitive in their market. One of the biggest challenges to true omnichannel marketing is the connection of data and systems. In an October 2019 eMarketer report on CX and Personalization trends, 21% of respondents noted that they don't have any channels connected to deliver omnichannel personalization 

So with omnichannel marketing combining all customer interaction points across devices — website, blog, email, social, brick-and-mortar and e-commerce shops — and forming a single integrated customer journey that is focused on driving conversion and building customer loyalty, the question becomes how can companies start executing omnichannel marketing? Here are three important considerations:

1. Invest in a headless CMS

Having a headless CMS in place allows marketers and content teams to create content once and display it across all devices and channels. Not only that, it provides flexibility for teams with decoupled content that can also help companies embrace new technologies and channels such as IoT, VR and AR. Making the investment in a headless CMS will give teams the ability to execute omnichannel marketing by delivering content across channels and tracking customer interactions as they go from touchpoint to touchpoint in their journey.

2. Segment audiences

Despite having a headless CMS where content can be created once and delivered across channels, it's important to make sure you are avoiding a "spray and pray" approach with your content. To execute a truly successful omnichannel marketing program you need to know your customers and their nuances. Audience segmentation should be a focus for omnichannel whether you have two systems connected or 20 so that the content delivered is still targeted to specific segment needs. Using customer data you have collected or insights from marketing automation tools are great places to start when segmenting audiences. Having an understanding of user segments will add an additional layer onto an overarching omnichannel marketing strategy that will drive a higher ROI.

3. Prioritize channels

Not all channels are created equal, so when developing an omnichannel marketing strategy, it is important to prioritize the channels for content distribution. While you want to be where your customers are, you don't want to waste their time on channels where they don’t want to interact. Listening to data and seeing how customers behave across channels will provide actionable insights on where to scale back efforts and where to double down.

Be where it matters

In the age of constant connectivity, the value of being where your customers are can't be overstated. A focus on omnichannel marketing will ensure you are providing consumers with a consistent experience from touchpoint to touchpoint. Successful omnichannel experiences come from prioritizing content and technologies that help your company engage your customers — wherever they may be.

Jill Grozalsky is Product Marketing Director at Sitecore. Find her on LinkedIn.