What is omni-channel marketing?
In today’s world, there are numerous channels you can use to reach your target audience. Websites, email, social media and more serve as conduits to your customers or “touch points” whereby your customer engages with your brand.
In omni-channel marketing, pertinent platforms are leveraged to reach those customers, but unlike multi-channel marketing, there is consistency across the channels.
An omni-channel experience leverages consistent messaging, branding, tone and visuals across all platforms allowing the customer to have a seamless experience. This approach also supports better brand penetration and higher consumer engagement, which is why most brands are transitioning from a multi-channel approach to an omni-channel approach.
Hubspot defines omnichannel as “a lead nurturing and user engagement approach in which a company gives access to their products, offers, and support services to customers or prospects on all channels, platforms, and devices.”
“With an omni-channel retail, marketing, or service strategy in place, you’ll be reaching your customers where they are. They no longer have to search and search to find you. No matter where they are, your team or your products are only a click, an email, a direct message, or a phone call away.”
What channels are best to reach your members?
For a brand or organization, it’s a no-brainer that a website is needed to provide crucial information about your business, product offerings and/or services.
Additionally, social media is a great way to increase brand awareness and build brand equity among stakeholders.
Unfortunately just about every brand these days leverages those exact channels. So how do you remain competitive, or better yet, surpass the competition?
A study released by Deloitte found that Americans collectively check their smartphones upwards of 8 billion times per day. Mobile usage over the past decade has skyrocketed, and is likely to continue rising, as mobile technology continues to advance in functionality and sophistication, and the value that this can provide to users.
A branded mobile app is the next channel to add to your portfolio of channels. This is the most innovative channel that is easily managed and serves the highest level of access to members. Once launched it can easily be included in an omni-channel marketing plan.
Using a mobile app engagement platform that not only supplies and launches a branded mobile app in app stores for you, italso gives you the tools you need out-of-the-box to offer the most innovative channel for your omni-channel marketing approach to increase reach, grow sales, brand loyalty and retention.
A mobile app is the only channel that becomes a true direct, two-way channel for communication and engagement with your audience. Plus, a mobile app can house everything that your organization offers, with a tap of a button.
There are so many benefits of using a mobile app as your vehicle to meeting your members where they are, on their device.
What are the advantages to having a mobile app?
Unlike other channels, a mobile app is more personal, it reaches someone right on their mobile device, the very device people spend more time on than any other.
No searching for the other channels and information, users just open the app and tap on the features to find products, offers, and support services…
- Feature Contact Us: gives access to your team via PM, call, and email with a tap
- Feature Weblinks to ecommerce
- Pop-ups for special offers
- Media gallery for product demos with links to buy
- Surveys- for customers sentiment and direct sales channel
Specific recommendations, in-app messaging, and links, can significantly increase the level of personalization offered to members. You can trigger personalized content and messages as the app is being used, boosting conversion rates and increasing overall engagement.
It is really important to integrate this personalized mobile experience with other channels. Successful associations excel at generating a personalized omnichannel experience.
Members should be able to look at events on the website, then move to the brand’s mobile app to RSVP, and then receive information on the mobile app based on the event they viewed on the website.
Associations must leverage mobile apps to connect with their members on their most personal and trusted device. A mobile app marketing strategy can simply help connect an organization with its loyal members.
Successful membership-based associations and businesses are integrating a branded mobile app with their holistic omni-channel strategy to deliver a more personalized and engaging experience.
