Making mobile messaging as easy as email

Mobile marketing is an essential element of any cross-channel marketing mix.  This year we provided marketers more tools to reach their customers more effectively on their favorite devices.  

It can be hard to find the perfect message in 160 words. That’s why we rolled out the WinstonAI features you know and love for email out to SMS, too.  To save time when creating an SMS campaign, you now have the option to have WinstonAI perform a spelling and grammar check, add emojis, rewrite your copy in a different tone, and shorten or lengthen your copy. 

SMS personalization leaped forward with the introduction of Liquid script, a flexible and dynamic markup language that enables creating highly personalized and targeted content in SMS campaigns. Now, you can use Insight data like order and booking details to create highly personalized experiences going far beyond basic contact data.

Our MMS functionality officially launched for customers in the United States and Canada, delivering impressive results. Companies like ScentAir reported an impressive ROI of 28:1 on when using MMS. MMS offers various benefits, such as enhanced engagement with multimedia content, higher conversion rates, improved brand recognition, and a better customer experience.

We also improved existing integrations with the likes of Adobe Commerce, Hyvä themes, and Zapier, to make mobile syncing as seamless as email.

And we’re not stopping there. To help marketers build deeper connections through mobile messaging, watch out early next year for full details of our native WhatsApp capability. This will include self-service campaign management, two-way chat, user-friendly editing, and much more.

Seamless cross-channel personalization

Our Fresh Relevance platform gives you access to all of the tools you could ever need to ensure that the journey of a prospect or customer is highly personalized and engaging across web and email.

It allows you to create a customized experience for your audience before you even know their name, by leveraging their behavior, location, weather, and price preferences. 

With the Advanced Personalization pack, Dotdigital customers can access this powerful functionality more easily than ever:

• Countdown timers to help add urgency to your promotions and limited-time offers to encourage immediate action.
• Weather tools to allow even more personalized email content based on real-time weather conditions in the recipient’s area.
• Website easy-editor to quickly and easily customize your website’s appearance, layout, and messaging.
• Image personalization supporting the delivery of tailored images reflecting individual preferences, contributing to an engaging visual experience.
• Advanced popovers which enhance the user experience with personalized pop-over messages and banners.
• Advanced product recommendations, providing users with highly relevant product suggestions to boost conversions and sales.

Dynamic social media integrations

Consumer expectations are higher than ever, so it’s important that you reach them on their preferred channels.

Our focus on integrating with additional platforms and channels continued throughout 2024, with a number of new integrations including LinkedIn and TikTok.

Maximizing the potential audience reach on social media platforms is vital for a successful marketing strategy. Dotdigital’s integrations with LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms and TikTok enable you to create highly personalized campaigns to maximize your ROI.

With LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms, you can easily capture leads by pre-filling LinkedIn profile information, resulting in high conversion rates due to the detailed, company-related data provided. Our integration enables seamless syncing of these leads with Dotdigital, so you can follow up and drive conversions through targeted campaigns.

The TikTok integrations opened up possibilities to engage with over 1 billion users worldwide. With the TikTok leads integration, valuable leads can be automatically synced from TikTok to Dotdigital and segmented based on user interests. Our TikTok audience retargeting feature allows you to create hyper-personalized ads by syncing and targeting your most engaged Dotdigital contacts, optimizing your TikTok ad spend.

We also rolled out new ways to help you engage your customers on whatever channel you prefer. With self-service webhooks, you can programmatically push data from Dotdigital to other platforms to create your own bespoke customer journey, whether that’s to your CRM or to fuel a direct mail campaign.

Sharpen your skills with the Dotdigital Academy

Acknowledging the ever-increasing demands on marketers, we launched the Dotdigital Academy to empower our customers to stay on top of industry trends and improve their overall marketing skills. This learning platform covers a wide range of on-demand topics, from campaign creation and automation to analytics and industry best practices.

The Dotdigital Academy lets you learn at your own pace and offers courses tailored to your specific needs and interests. Whether you’re a beginner looking to enhance your marketing prowess or an experienced professional seeking to refine your skills, the Academy has the resources to help you excel. 

As we continually expand the Academy with new courses and certifications, you can stay ahead and unlock your full potential as a marketer.

You asked, we listened

As always, we listen carefully to customer and partner feedback. This year we’ve taken this on board to launch a number of most-requested improvements to help make the day-to-day that little bit easier for marketers.

These time savers include:

• Easily excluding a segment at the point of sending an email
• A quick-find search bar in settings
• Mobile push notifications included in your CXDP allowance – unlocking an extra channel at no extra cost
• Dozens of new verified, quality-assured partner integrations (check out our new and improved partner directory here)
• Easier and deeper reporting on the things that matter, like revenue attribution

Got an idea? Let us know via our roadmap page and it might appear on this blog next year.

Dive deeper

In this article, we’ve just given a snapshot of all the new releases from this year. For a full overview, check out our release summary blogs:

• February 2024 release
• May 2024 release
• September 2024 release
• November 2024 release

What’s next?

Our product team is busy as ever working on new ways to help marketers achieve more through their cross-channel marketing campaigns in 2025. As always, you can find details of our upcoming launches on our public facing roadmap. We’re excited to work together and be part of your success in 2025 and beyond.

Stay tuned for more updates.

In this ultimate guide to cross-channel personalization, we will explore effective strategies and tools that can help you deliver tailored experiences that resonate with your audience.

Whether you aim to boost engagement, increase sales, or build lasting customer relationships, understanding the principles of cross-channel personalization is essential for transforming your customer experience.

What is cross-channel personalization?

Cross-channel personalization goes beyond just sending personalized emails. It’s about crafting a seamless and cohesive experience that connects with customers across all platforms—be it email, SMS, website, mobile apps, or even in-store interactions.

By leveraging customer data and past interactions, you can deliver experiences that are relevant and engaging for each individual. This could mean recommending products based on their purchase history, sending targeted promotions through their preferred channels, or providing personalized support based on their past inquiries.

Key strategies for effective personalization

Here are some key strategies you can use to kick off your personalization strategy: 

Data collection

Collecting and analyzing customer data is important for understanding your audience. You can collect zero-party and first-party data to gather valuable insights directly from your customers. 

Zero-party data is information that customers voluntarily share with a brand. This can include preferences, interests, and feedback. You can build trust and gather highly relevant data by proactively asking customers for their input.

First-party data is collected from email clicks, your website, or an app. It includes information such as browsing behavior, purchase history, and demographics. Implementing a simple script on your website can quickly enable you to collect this data. With a solid data collection strategy in place, you can harness the potential of cross-channel personalization. 

Data analysis

After collecting important data, the following step is to perform a thorough analysis. By unifying data from across your CRM, ecommerce store, automation platform, and more, you can gain clear insight into your customers’ preferences and behaviors.

The expansion of AI functionality in recent years means it’s easier than ever to analyze data and create bespoke customer experiences. You can use predictive analytics to make educated guesses about your customer behavior. 

This includes when your customers are most likely to purchase again or to identify those who are at risk of churning. This enables you to deliver timely and personalized recommendations that drive customer engagement and boost sales.

Customer segmentation and targeting

Once you have a solid understanding of your customers, it’s time to segment them into smaller, more targeted groups. A powerful method for customer segmentation is eRFM (engagement, recency, frequency, monetary) customer modeling. This method provides a comprehensive view of your customer’s value and potential.

By tailoring your messaging to specific segments, you can deliver more relevant and impactful content. For example, you might send personalized product recommendations to frequent shoppers or offer exclusive discounts to first-time buyers.

Creating a consistent brand voice

A consistent brand voice is essential for building trust and recognition. This means using the same tone, style, and language across all your marketing channels. Develop clear brand guidelines that outline your brand’s personality, values, and messaging. By adhering to these guidelines, you can ensure that your brand’s voice is consistent and authentic, no matter the platform.

How to personalize across channels

Cross-channel personalization is all about creating a smooth and consistent experience for customers across different platforms. Here are some effective strategies to make every interaction feel personal and customized.

Cross-channel coupons

Using cross-channel coupons is a great way to enhance engagement and drive sales at various touchpoints. Set up a unified coupon system that generates and tracks offers seamlessly across all channels.

Each coupon can be tailored to a customer’s behavior and their current stage in the buying journey. For example, a new visitor to your website might encounter a pop-up inviting them to share their email in exchange for a discount for first-time customers.

On the other hand, a returning customer could receive a targeted email featuring a different discount to encourage another purchase. If you operate a physical store, think about using QR codes to connect your physical and digital channels, making it easy for customers to redeem their coupons.

Product recommendations

Imagine walking into a store and being greeted by a sales associate who presents you with exactly what you’ve been looking for. Personalized product recommendations can replicate this experience. By analyzing user behavior across various channels, you can create a list of tailored product suggestions.

Whether customers are browsing your mobile app or checking out your website, presenting them with relevant items boosts the chances of conversion. The key is to keep your recommendations current and responsive to their evolving preferences and needs.

Dynamic content

Dynamic content can tailor your message based on the viewer. By updating visuals and messages in real time according to user preferences, you ensure that what you present remains relevant.

From email newsletters to website banners and app interfaces, personalized experiences can significantly boost user engagement. Dynamic content keeps the experience fresh, making customers feel that every interaction is uniquely theirs.

Recently browsed

Helping users continue from where they left off is a powerful strategy. Displaying recently browsed items across different channels serves as a convenient reminder of what caught their interest, simplifying their buying decisions.

If they checked out a new pair of sneakers on their desktop or explored some gadgets through your mobile app, showcasing these items during subsequent visits or on other platforms can gently encourage them to make a purchase.

Social proof

Incorporating social proof into your cross-channel strategy can greatly enhance your success. A study by Trustpilot has shown that 66% of customers are more likely to purchase a product when they see evidence of social proof, making it an essential tool for brands.

However, our Hitting the Mark research indicates that only 19% of brands feature user-generated content (UGC) and reviews on their home pages, while only 26% utilize social proof on conversion pages. Displaying reviews, ratings, and testimonials throughout all interactions with your brand fosters trust and encourages customer action.

Seeing a thumbs-up from a friend or reading a glowing customer review on an item they’ve been eyeing can significantly influence users’ purchasing decisions. Integrate these elements seamlessly into emails, apps, and websites, ensuring customers encounter positive feedback at every touchpoint.

Push notifications

Push notifications can serve as a helpful reminder that encourages browsing to turn into purchases. Customize these messages to add value, whether it’s a nudge about an abandoned cart or a special offer tailored to previous purchases.

It’s important that these notifications resonate with user interests and behaviors, ensuring that customers stay engaged without feeling bombarded. Striking the right balance is essential—provide helpful updates that come across as a friendly reminder instead of unwanted spam.

Examples of successful cross-channel personalization

Let’s explore two real-world examples of brands that have effectively implemented cross-channel personalization:

Blue Sea Holidays

Blue Sea Holidays has optimized and automated customer engagement across email and website channels by leveraging the combined power of Dotdigital and Fresh Relevance. The company created personalized and visually appealing emails using Dotdigital’s email builder and utilized Fresh Relevance’s AI-driven capabilities for dynamic content personalization.

The personalization strategy includes:

1. AI-powered email recommendations: Fresh Relevance’s AI personalizes each email with specific recommendations based on the destination page the customer visited.
2. Seamless email delivery: Dotdigital ensures that these personalized emails are delivered efficiently while maintaining an attractive design.
3. Social proof: The emails incorporate valuable information such as “People like you browse” and “People like you buy,” leveraging social proof to enhance engagement and conversions.
4. Dynamic website content: Visitors to the Blue Sea Holidays website experience personalized content, with recommendations and offers tailored to their preferences and behavior.

By implementing this cross-channel personalization approach, Blue Sea Holidays has created a cohesive and relevant experience for their customers across both email and website touchpoints. 

Neal’s Yard Remedies

Neal’s Yard Remedies effectively enhanced its cart abandonment strategy by implementing a sophisticated email solution through Dotdigital, optimizing their customer engagement process. Here’s how they achieved success:

1. Expert guidance: Dotdigital’s Professional Services team, along with customer success managers, conducted a comprehensive customer journey mapping exercise. This foundational work enabled the creation of a tailored automation strategy that suited Neal’s Yard Remedies’ unique needs.
2. Automated email campaigns: With the new system in place, Neal’s Yard Remedies could send timely and personalized cart abandonment emails to customers who left items in their carts. The automation simplified the process, allowing the team to focus on crafting compelling creative copy for their emails.
3. A/B testing for optimization: The Dotdigital platform facilitated A/B testing, enabling Neal’s Yard Remedies to compare different email strategies. They tested emails that included a 10% discount code against those that provided only basket information, gaining insights into which approach drove higher conversion rates.
4. Leveraging Fresh Relevance: By using Fresh Relevance’s advanced personalization capabilities, Neal’s Yard Remedies enhanced their email content with tailored recommendations based on customer behavior and preferences.

By using Dotdigital and Fresh Relevance, Neal’s Yard Remedies successfully transformed its cart abandonment and improved customer engagement. 

Choose Dotdigital as your cross-channel personalization solution

Dotdigital is the ideal choice to elevate your cross-channel personalization efforts. With a suite of powerful tools and an intuitive platform, you can deliver highly targeted and engaging customer experiences.

• Comprehensive integration: Dotdigital easily integrates with various marketing tools you already use, making it a seamless addition to your existing setup. Whether it’s your CRM, ecommerce platform, or social media channels, Dotdigital connects them all, ensuring that your customer data flows smoothly across different platforms.
• Cross-channel capabilities: Dotdigital provides a comprehensive suite of cross-channel marketing tools under one platform, allowing you to reach customers across email, SMS, push notifications, live chat, and WhatsApp. This unified approach enables you to create consistent and personalized experiences across all customer touchpoints.
• Advanced personalization: With Fresh Relevance, Dotdigital offers enhanced cross-channel personalization capabilities. This integration empowers you to drive excellent customer experiences at every point in the customer journey. You can utilize advanced website and email personalization tools, including countdown timers, weather tools, image personalization, and advanced product recommendations
• Intelligent automation: With Dotdigital’s powerful automation features, you can set up personalized campaigns that run like clockwork. Automate your email marketing, SMS, and more, all while maintaining a personal touch. This means less manual work for you and a consistent experience for your customers.
• Data-driven insights: Dotdigital provides valuable insights into customer behavior and engagement. With detailed analytics and reporting tools, you can track your campaigns’ performance and fine-tune your strategies. More importantly, you can use this data to truly understand your audience and tailor your messaging accordingly.
• Scalability: Whether you’re a small business or a large enterprise, Dotdigital scales with your needs. As your business grows, the platform can easily adapt, providing advanced features that support even the most complex personalization strategies.

With Dotdigital as your cross-channel personalization service, you can effortlessly create impactful marketing campaigns that enhance engagement and deliver results across various channels.

Get started with cross-channel personalization today

Creating meaningful connections with your customers relies heavily on cross-channel personalization. By adopting effective strategies and utilizing platforms Dotdigital, you can create personalized experiences that resonate across various platforms. Start enhancing your customer experience today by implementing the insights and strategies outlined in this guide.

In our blog post, we will demonstrate how leveraging first-party data and understanding the customer journey can help in crafting personalized campaigns that engage, build loyalty, and drive results. 

How can you engage with your customers when there are numerous touchpoints?

In our digital team at The PHA Group, we often hear this challenge from almost all our clients, whether it’s from a paid social or paid search perspective. Both of these channels have traditionally worked together, but with changes in customer behavior and generational shifts, we’re seeing paid search and paid social appearing at all stages of the sales funnel, rather than just the traditional ‘see an ad on Facebook and then go to Google’.

For example, YouTube operates as a search engine that generates directly attributed revenue, while TikTok engages users from the awareness stage down to the point of purchase. However, one advantage we are leveraging is first-party data. We can utilize platforms like Dotdigital to use this data to create lookalike audiences on social media and incorporate signals into search.

This integration was initially as a way to mitigate the impending loss of cookies, and more recently as a way to support our clients’ commercial targets. Beyond looking for new users, we can reflect and start to understand the wider touchpoint journey of our client’s customers.

How can paid media be used to build your CRM?

The most obvious use case for paid media is usually advertising your goods and services to potential customers as part of your wider marketing strategy. It can also be used for lead generation and help support the growth of your pipeline – whether B2B lead generation or your retail customer newsletter.

For example:

• Promotion of content that is gated,
• leveraging platform audience data to entice new customers to your website.

This in turn can then be re-fed into your paid media campaigns to inform the persona of your customers or clients, informing the next step in your ongoing marketing plan and how else to engage with your audience. You can also use your paid media data to evaluate how they reached you and what they engaged with on your site beyond the intended goal of pipeline and newsletter growth, again informing the next steps.

How can paid media promote loyalty and improve lifetime value with your CRM data?

If lifetime value (LTV) is important to your business growth, paid media can be there to support your customer retention and repeat purchase rate goals.

Your CRM data can be split into audience segments and be used in multiple ways, through remarketing and observational targeting:

• Already engaged or loyal customers – can be shown your next launch of the product, or if you have a preview launch or discount.
• Actively engaged, but no purchase – could be shown specific discounts and copy to encourage that all important first purchase to enable you to show off your amazing customer service from purchase to delivery, all the way past with the aftercare.
• Purchased, but nothing since – the beauty of paid media is that we can engage this user in several ways – whether intent driven search or disrupting their feed on socials.
• The cold one, signed up but zero since – in much the same way as above, we can cater the messaging to entice the cold ones back into your warm welcoming business. However, this one will need to have some thought applied as there may be a very good reason they became a cold customer.

Remarketing with CRM data tends to yield the best results for us, much like the right keyword at the right bid can capture your customer at the time of intent to purchase or contact you – adding this beautiful layer of audience detail, can make this a more efficient click, CPA, ROAS etc. For example, in our Google Ads accounts the CRM audience has a 10% CTR vs 3% average, and a 15% conversion rate vs 5% average.

In Google Ads (across search, shopping, performance max, and video) you also have the added benefit of layering your CRM data with platform data, demographics, and website data. When we have done this, we have seen CTR shoot up to 30% and the conversion rate reaches the heady numbers of 45%.

Conclusion

We hope you agree that using your CRM data can not only benefit your paid media performance but can be used to inform your tactics within paid media. If you’re not already implementing segmented audience layering from your CRM, whether it is Dotdigital or another platform, it’s something you really should consider. Especially as cookie-led data is ever-evolving.

All your performance channels should be working as one, and the first-party data – from remarketing to signaling and lookalikes should be a key unifying factor. If you’d like to learn more about how we could elevate your first-party data to achieve thrilling results in your paid media activation – please get in touch, we’d love to chat.

This blog will explore the benefits of push notifications, how to use them effectively in promotional campaigns, and the advantages Dotdigital offers if you’re looking to leverage this powerful marketing channel.

What are mobile app push notifications?

Mobile app push notifications are short messages sent directly from an app to a user’s device, even when the app isn’t actively in use. They appear as popovers on the lock screen or notification bar, attracting user attention and delivering important information. Unlike emails that can get lost in inboxes, push notifications have high visibility and can be a powerful tool for engagement.

Three benefits of mobile app push notifications

Mobile app push notifications can boost your app marketing success. Let’s delve into three key benefits:

1. Boost user engagement 

Push notifications keep users informed about exciting developments within your app. Imagine notifying them about a limited-edition product launch or exclusive app-only discounts. These messages land directly on their phones, driving them back to the app and fostering continued engagement.

2. Improved user retention and re-engagement

Keeping users actively using your app is crucial. Push notifications can be strategically used to win back lapsed users or remind them of unfinished tasks. For example, sending cart abandonment reminders can nudge users to complete their purchases. Additionally, celebrating user achievements within the app through push notifications fosters loyalty and encourages them to keep coming back for more.

3. Increased conversions

Push notifications are a conversion powerhouse. Promote limited-time offers and discounts to incentivize downloads and purchases. A well-timed push notification reminding users of a flash sale can turn app downloads into paying customers.

How you can use mobile push notifications for a promotional campaign

A seamless cross-channel approach is key to a successful mobile app marketing strategy. Here’s how a sportswear brand can leverage push notifications within a promotional campaign:

Stage the excitement

Email (1 week before sale)

Target lapsed customers with an email teasing the upcoming sale and offering them exclusive early access if they download the brand’s app. This email piques their interest and incentivizes app downloads.

Re-engage dormant users

SMS (mid-week)

For users who haven’t opened the email, send a timely SMS reminder about the limited-time sale and the early access benefit through the app. This rekindles interest and captures those who might have missed the email.

Drive last-minute sales

Push notification (24 hours before sale)

Send a final push notification to all users, granting them early access within the app 24 hours before the general sale begins. This creates a sense of urgency and exclusivity, driving a surge in app traffic and sales.

By combining these channels, the sportswear brand creates a cohesive customer journey. The email ignites initial interest, the SMS acts as a mid-campaign nudge, and the push notification delivers the final call to action, driving sales and app engagement.

How Dotdigital customers can leverage mobile push notifications

Dotdigital empowers you to unlock the full potential of mobile push notifications. Here’s how:

Seamless integration

Push notifications integrate seamlessly with your existing marketing channels. This means you can design cohesive customer journeys that combine email, SMS, and push notifications for maximum impact.

Segmentation and personalization

Dotdigital allows you to segment your user base and send targeted push notifications based on demographics, preferences, and past behavior. Imagine sending discount alerts on running shoes to users who have shown interest in that category – this level of personalization enhances the user experience and increases the effectiveness of your campaigns.

Real-time analytics

Track the performance of your push notifications within the Dotdigital platform. Gain valuable insights into open rates, click-through rates, and conversions. This data empowers you to optimize future campaigns and maximize your return on investment.

Cost-effective messaging

An added benefit for Dotdigital users? Sending push notifications won’t affect your messaging allowance within the platform. This allows you to leverage the power of push notifications without worrying about additional costs.

By leveraging Dotdigital push notification capabilities, you can create a robust mobile marketing strategy that drives engagement, retention, and sales for your enterprise app.

Start using mobile push notifications today

Mobile app push notifications are essential for improving your mobile marketing strategy. They can boost user engagement, improve retention and re-engagement, and increase conversions, making them a powerful tool for helping your brand grow. By seamlessly integrating push notifications with your other marketing channels, such as email and SMS, you can create a comprehensive and cohesive customer journey.

But what if you could break through the noise and forge genuine connections with your audience?  By leveraging cross-channel marketing strategies with a human touch, you can build trust, loyalty, and ultimately drive sales.

This blog will guide you on how to achieve exactly that. Keep reading to discover how human-to-human marketing (H2H) and cross-channel strategies can help you create a marketing approach that resonates with your audience.

Weaving a cohesive brand narrative cross-channel

To effectively connect with your target audience, establishing a presence across various marketing channels is not enough. You need to tell a consistent story that resonates with them, regardless of the platform they use to interact with your brand. This is where cross-channel marketing comes in.

Cross-channel marketing involves creating a unified customer experience across all your marketing channels, such as social media, email, website, and even offline channels. By weaving a cohesive brand narrative across these channels, you ensure that your message is consistent and reinforces your brand identity.

For example, let’s say you’re running a social media campaign promoting a new product. In your cross-channel approach, you would also create email newsletters with more detailed information about the product, and update your website with landing pages that expand on the product’s features and benefits.

By tailoring your message to the specific strengths of each channel, you can create a seamless journey for your customers, guiding them through every step of the purchasing process within your cross-channel marketing strategy.

At the heart of a successful cross-channel marketing campaign is a cohesive brand narrative. This narrative should be woven throughout every touchpoint, fostering a sense of familiarity and trust with your audience, which can lead to increased engagement, loyalty, and ultimately, sales.

Strengthening connections at every interaction

It’s important to build strong and meaningful connections with your customers to be successful. This can be achieved by creating a series of interactions that occur at various touchpoints. By engaging with customers across different channels in your cross-channel marketing, you can create a relationship that feels natural and continuous.

H2H marketing emphasizes the importance of personal connections. Every interaction with a customer is an opportunity to build trust and strengthen the relationship. This can be achieved by providing personalized and relevant communication that addresses their specific needs and interests. From the first email they receive to the live chat conversation they have, each touchpoint within your cross-channel strategy provides an opportunity to deepen the connection.

Embrace two-way communication

Marketing shouldn’t be a one-way street where you only promote your products or services. Instead, it’s important to encourage interaction across all channels to build trust and loyalty with your customers.

H2H marketing is all about having conversations, not delivering monologues. Respond to comments on social media platforms promptly. This not only shows that you care about your customers’ opinions but also helps you to address any concerns they may have.

Additionally, answering questions through email, WhatsApp, and other messaging platforms can help you provide more in-depth answers and build stronger relationships with your customers, as you develop a personalized connection with them. 

Another effective way to encourage two-way communication within your cross-channel strategy is by asking for feedback through surveys or polls. This allows your customers to share their thoughts and opinions about your products or services, and it also helps you to identify areas for improvement.

Start community building

Engaging in community building is a powerful way to strengthen your brand’s presence and foster deeper connections with your customers. H2H marketing is all about building relationships, and communities are built on shared interests.

By actively participating in conversations on social platforms, forums, and other digital spaces relevant to your target audience, you can create a sense of community around your brand within your cross-channel marketing. This can help customers feel like they are part of a larger movement, rather than just a transactional relationship with your company.

To effectively engage in community building, you can start by identifying the platforms and digital spaces where your target audience is most active. This could be social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn, or it could be forums and message boards related to your industry.

Once you’ve identified the relevant spaces, you can begin to initiate and participate in conversations. This could involve sharing content that is relevant to your audience, responding to customer inquiries and feedback, or simply joining in on discussions related to your industry.

Embrace the power of storytelling

Nowadays, customers are bombarded with advertisements, so it’s important to create a strong emotional connection with your audience. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is through the power of storytelling. H2H marketing is about connecting with people on a human level. Stories are a powerful tool to do this.

As a brand, it’s important to leverage the power of storytelling to showcase your values and beliefs. By sharing stories that align with your brand mission across all your cross-channel marketing efforts, you can establish a stronger connection with your audience and build trust. When done right, storytelling can help you stand out from the competition and differentiate your brand in a crowded marketplace.

The beauty of storytelling is that it can be used across all channels within your cross-channel marketing strategy. From social media posts and video content to email marketing campaigns and website testimonials, weaving a consistent narrative through storytelling can create a truly memorable brand experience.

Think beyond digital

While digital channels are undoubtedly crucial for any marketer, it’s equally important to connect with your audience face-to-face. H2H marketing is about creating real-world connections. Consider hosting meetups or workshops where you can interact with your customers in person. This allows you to build relationships on a deeper level and create a more memorable brand experience.

To further amplify the impact of these events, consider leveraging your cross-channel marketing efforts. Promote your events across social media channels, include details in your email newsletters, and even create targeted ads promoting the event to a relevant audience. This ensures a wider reach and fosters excitement for the event.

Once attendees have registered, utilize your cross-channel marketing strategy to nurture them further. Send pre-event emails with reminders and additional information, and follow up with post-event messages expressing gratitude and potentially sharing event highlights.

Start creating genuine human connections 

Creating genuine human connections is the key to standing out. By implementing cross-channel strategies that emphasize human-to-human connections, you can effectively cultivate brand loyalty and trust. So, start connecting with your audience on a deeper level today and witness the remarkable impact it can have on your overall marketing efforts.

What is cross-channel marketing?

Cross-channel marketing is not just about using multiple marketing channels. It’s about creating a seamless and consistent experience for your customers. You can do this by strategically utilizing various channels and ensuring that your messaging is consistent across all touchpoints.

The objective of cross-channel marketing is to interact with customers across preferred channels throughout the customer lifecycle.

As a marketer, your goal is not only to expand your marketing database and acquire new customers but also to keep the conversation going with your existing customers. Cross-channel marketing enables you to connect with them whenever and wherever they need your services.

An example of cross-channel marketing in action

Here’s a practical example of how cross-channel marketing works:

• A potential customer sees a social media advert for your new product.
• Intrigued, they visit your website to learn more and download a helpful guide.
• A few days later, they receive a personalized email with a discount code for the product.
• They then visit your physical store to make the purchase, interacting with a knowledgeable salesperson.

Keep in mind that this is just one example – the channels you use to connect with your audience will depend on your industry and the people you’re trying to reach. So don’t be afraid to get creative with the channels you use. 

Why does cross-channel marketing matter?

Cross-channel marketing is important for any marketer for several reasons:

• Reach customers everywhere: People use different channels when they are looking for a product or service. By having a cross-channel strategy, you can reach your target audience wherever they are, maximizing your engagement and reach.
• Personalized customer experiences: By gathering data from multiple channels, you can gain valuable insights into your customers’ preferences and tailor your marketing messages accordingly. This personalized approach helps you to build stronger relationships with your customers and increase your conversion rates.
• Channel consistency: Cross-channel marketing ensures consistent brand messaging and visuals across all your platforms. This helps you to build trust and credibility with your audience and creates a more positive brand perception.
• Improved brand storytelling: A unified message across channels allows you to craft a compelling brand story that resonates with your audience. This emotional connection strengthens brand loyalty and advocacy.
• Enhanced customer journey: By using different channels strategically, you can guide customers smoothly through their buying journey. For example, social media can generate awareness, email marketing can nurture leads, and a user-friendly website can facilitate conversions.
• Measurable results: Cross-channel marketing allows you to track customer interactions across various platforms, providing valuable data on campaign effectiveness. This data can be used to optimize your strategy and improve your return on investment (ROI).

What problems can cross-channel marketing solve?

Cross-channel marketing is a powerful strategy that can help marketers overcome challenges.

Problem 1: Information overload

With so many brands competing for customers’ attention, it can be challenging to make your voice heard. Cross-channel marketing helps by ensuring that your message reaches your target audience. By using multiple channels such as email, social media, and SMS, you can reach customers where they are and deliver your message in a way that resonates with them.

Problem 2: Disconnected customer journeys

Fragmented marketing efforts can confuse customers, leading to an inconsistent experience. Cross-channel marketing creates a smooth and unified journey by delivering a consistent message across all touchpoints. This way, customers can seamlessly move from one channel to another without feeling like they’re starting over.

Problem 3: Lack of personalization

Generic marketing is no longer effective in today’s world, where customers expect a personalized experience. Cross-channel marketing allows you to tailor your message to individual customers based on their preferences, behaviors, and interests. This fosters deeper connections and helps build long-term relationships with your customers.

What’s the future of cross-channel marketing?

Cross-channel marketing is no longer a novelty; it’s the cornerstone of successful customer engagement.  However, as technology continues to evolve, what does the future hold for cross-channel marketing? Here’s a glimpse into what we can expect.

Hyper-personalization

Hyper-personalization is the future of cross-channel marketing. Brands can deliver ultra-personalized content, offers, and recommendations across every channel.

Imagine a customer browsing for hiking boots online on your retail ecommerce website. They’ve looked at rugged brands and waterproof features. Hyper-personalization goes beyond just suggesting similar boots.

Predictive analytics will analyze your customer’s past purchases (think climbing gear or outdoor apparel) and weather data for their location (predicting upcoming rain). They might then receive a real-time live chat message from a virtual assistant offering a personalized discount on those specific boots, along with high-traction socks based on their browsing behavior.

Customer experience and data platforms (CXDPs) like Dotdigital will play a significant role in unifying data from various sources such as behavioral, demographic, and transactional information. This comprehensive data pool will fuel powerful marketing automation tools, enabling brands to personalize their marketing efforts to a greater extent.

The rise of voice search and live chat 

Voice search and live chat are rapidly gaining traction. As these technologies become more integrated into our daily lives, brands will need to adapt their cross-channel strategies accordingly. Optimizing content for voice search will be crucial, and chatbots can become valuable tools for personalized customer support and product recommendations.

The focus on customer privacy

The focus on customer privacy is another key aspect of future cross-channel marketing.

The landscape is evolving in two key ways: the demise of third-party cookies and the rise of Mail Privacy Protection (MPP).

Traditionally, online marketing relied heavily on third-party cookies. These cookies tracked user behavior across websites, allowing for highly targeted ads. However, this raised significant privacy concerns. With major browsers like Chrome phasing out third-party cookies, marketers need to find new ways to personalize experiences without compromising user privacy.

Another challenge comes from Mail Privacy Protection (MPP). MPP is a feature in email providers like Apple Mail that limits the ability to track email opens and clicks. This makes it harder to gauge the effectiveness of email campaigns based on traditional metrics.

In this new environment, the focus needs to shift towards first-party data – information collected directly from customers with their consent. This could include website behavior, purchase history, and preferences explicitly shared through surveys or sign-up forms. Building trust with customers is crucial. Transparency about data collection and offering clear opt-in options will be essential for building strong relationships and gathering valuable first-party data.

By embracing these trends, marketers can unlock the true potential of cross-channel marketing in the years to come. The ability to deliver personalized, seamless, and privacy-conscious customer experiences across all touchpoints will be the key to building lasting brand loyalty and achieving sustainable business growth.

Get ready to take your marketing to the next level

The future of marketing is all about creating connected and personalized customer experiences. By adopting a cross-channel marketing approach, you can ensure your message reaches your target audience on their preferred platforms, fostering deeper connections and guiding them seamlessly through the buyer’s journey. 

As technology continues to evolve, stay ahead of the curve by embracing trends like hyper-personalization, voice search, and live chat, all while prioritizing customer privacy. By delivering exceptional customer experiences across all touchpoints, you can build lasting brand loyalty and achieve sustainable business growth in the years to come.

Understanding your target audience

It’s important to understand your target audience before selecting appropriate marketing channels. By understanding their preferences, habits, and pain points, you can create effective and personalized marketing campaigns that resonate with your audience. There are several ways to gather data and learn more about your customers:

1. Preference centers: Use preference centers to give your customers control over the content they receive from you and, in the process, collect valuable data. Invite subscribers to manage their preferences, such as the frequency of emails, topics of interest, and communication channels. This not only enhances their experience but also equips you with actionable insights into their preferences.
2. Dotdigital pages and forms: Create pages and forms that help collect data from your customers. For instance, build sign-up forms that request basic demographic information, such as age, gender, and location.
3. Surveys: Send surveys to your existing customers to collect additional information about their preferences and habits. 
4. Customer feedback: Actively encourage customers to provide feedback and share testimonials about their experiences with your brand. This can offer significant insights into what resonates with them and what doesn’t. 

Types of marketing channels

After gaining a solid understanding of your target audience, it’s time to explore the various marketing channels you can implement in your strategy. Each channel offers unique benefits making it essential to select those that best align with your audience’s preferences and your overall marketing goals.

Email marketing

Connecting with customers through email marketing has numerous advantages, and it’s no wonder that it remains a favorite communication channel for many. Customers appreciate the ability to stay up-to-date with brand updates while maintaining control over their inboxes. 

They enjoy the freedom to decide when to check their email, choose their subscriptions, and unsubscribe when they wish. Over recent years we’ve seen new subscribe rates plateau while unsubscribe rates have increased significantly by nearly 8%. This can be attributed to various factors, but a primary reason is fatigue.

Customers tend to become disengaged when brands consistently send sales-focused content that lacks personalization. To keep subscribers engaged, it’s essential to utilize dynamic content that tailors messages to their preferences. This encourages click-throughs, exploration of your website, and ultimately, conversions and sales. When implementing email marketing as part of your strategy, several aspects should be considered:

1. Segmentation: Use customer data to create segments based on demographics, preferences, and behaviors. By segmenting your audience, you can deliver customized content, making your email campaigns more relevant and engaging.
2. Testing and optimization: Regularly test different elements of your email campaigns, such as subject lines, content, and design, to optimize performance. Utilize A/B testing to compare results and fine-tune your email strategy based on data-driven insights.
3. Analytics and reporting: Monitor and analyze key email marketing metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. Identify trends and areas for improvement to inform future strategies and continuously enhance your email marketing efforts.
4. Deliverability: Maintain high email deliverability rates by following best practices, such as maintaining a clean email list, avoiding spam triggers, and using a reputable email service provider. High deliverability ensures your messages reach your audience’s inbox, increasing the chances of engagement and conversions.
5. Subscriber retention: Focus not only on attracting new subscribers but also on retaining current ones. Monitor your unsubscribe rates and proactively address any issues. Offer valuable content, ensure easy subscription management, and respect your audience’s preferences to reduce the likelihood of unsubscribes.

SMS marketing

We’ve seen unprecedented growth in SMS marketing. The number of SMS marketing messages sent over the past year has increased by 160%, with click-through rates increasing by over 300%. This means there is more of an appetite for SMS than ever before.

But how do we get it right?

SMS can be considered a fairly intrusive marketing channel. Notifications and messages pop up on readers’ screens with every send. This means you could be interrupting them in the middle of a meeting, in a movie theater, or while they’re driving.

Therefore, it’s vital that you only use the channel when you have something to say.

Appointment confirmations, reminders, and flash sales are great use cases for this marketing channel. Recipients want immediate and actionable info, right in the palm of their hands. Messages about seasonal sales like Black Friday and early access for loyal customers will help you drive more sales than email alone. When incorporating SMS into your marketing strategy, consider these aspects:

1. Message relevance: Ensure that the content of your SMS messages is highly relevant to your audience. Share valuable information, promotions, or indispensable reminders your customers will appreciate.
2. Brevity and clarity: SMS messages have a character limit, so it’s essential to craft concise and impactful messages. Keep your texts clear and straightforward, making it easy for recipients to understand the intended message and take action if required.
3. Timing and frequency: Be mindful of the timing and frequency of your SMS messages. Too many messages can lead to customer irritation, while poor timing often results in messages being overlooked. Tailor your SMS schedule to suit your audience’s preferences and the nature of the content you’re sharing.
4. Personalization: Personalize your SMS messages using customer data for a more relevant and engaging experience. Addressing recipients by name or tailoring offers based on their past purchases can significantly increase engagement and conversion rates.

Social media marketing

It has been reported that approximately 4.95 billion individuals all over the world use social media. This indicates that social media marketing can be a tool for marketers to enhance brand visibility, connect with their audience, and create leads.

To kick-start your social media marketing strategy, it’s important to first focus on platform selection. It’s recommended that you choose the most suitable platforms as per your target audience’s interests and the type of content that you plan to share. This will help ensure that your brand’s presence is in line with your audience’s online activity, which increases the chances of engagement and conversion. Here are some essential elements to consider when developing an effective social media marketing plan:

1. Mix up your content: Implement a variety of content types, such as text, images, videos, and polls, to cater to varying audience preferences and pique their interest. This diversity not only keeps your audience engaged but also makes your brand more memorable in their minds.
2. Schedule and frequency: Plan your content schedule to strike a balance between regular updates without overwhelming your audience. Consistent posting helps maintain your brand presence while over-posting can lead to audience fatigue.
3. Build community: Foster a sense of community by promptly responding to comments, direct messages, and mentions, showing your commitment to your audience and making them feel valued. Encourage user-generated content to showcase your brand advocates and increase credibility among potential customers.
4. Hashtags and engagement techniques: Utilize relevant hashtags and engagement techniques such as contests, giveaways, and partnerships to widen your reach and attract new followers. These methods increase visibility and incentivize interaction with your brand.

Live chat

The demand for live chat has skyrocketed in recent years. We live in a ‘need-it-now’ generation. Any roadblocks that appear on a prospect’s path to conversion could lead to complete derailment. They could not only abandon the process but abandon your brand entirely if you fail to offer a resolution at the moment.

Primarily used by customer service teams, live chat is a marketing channel that has finally forced marketing teams to stop working in silos. Customer service is important for the customer’s user experience (UX). If you want to create a customer journey that inspires loyalty, making customer services as accessible as possible is essential.

One way or another, customers want to engage in two-way conversations with brands. By adding chat to your cross-channel marketing kit, you’ll be able to anticipate customer needs. What’s more, having real people managing this aspect of the customer relationship can even help you grow your marketing lists. When incorporating live chat into your marketing strategy, consider these aspects:

1. Ease of access: Make sure your live chat feature is easy to find on your website or app. Users expect it to be in the bottom right corner of the webpage, so place it there if you can.
2. Responsiveness: Respond to customer inquiries quickly and efficiently. This is one of the best benefits of live chat, so use it to maintain customer trust.
3. Proactive support: Initiate chats with customers based on specific triggers, such as browsing behavior, time spent on a page, or shopping cart abandonment. Address any potential issues before they become problems to create a positive customer experience and improve conversions.
4. Data collection and analysis: Gather data from live chat interactions to analyze customer behavior, preferences, and pain points. Use this information to optimize your marketing efforts and improve your support team’s performance.

Content marketing

Content marketing is a strategy that involves creating and disseminating valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract, engage, and retain your target audience. This can be achieved by providing content that addresses their needs and preferences, which can increase your brand’s credibility and foster customer loyalty. When implementing content marketing, there are several tactics that you can use:

1. Blogging: Create informative blog posts with engaging SEO content. This will help you to gain visibility, showcase your expertise, and become recognized as a thought leader in your industry.
2. E-books and whitepapers: Offer in-depth, long-form content such as e-books and whitepapers to explore complex topics related to your industry. This will help you to demonstrate your knowledge and expertise, as well as provide valuable insights to your audience.
3. Video content: Create visually engaging and easily digestible video content like TikTok and Instagram Reels to deliver information to your audience. This will increase the shareability and overall reach of your content.
4. Webinars: Host engaging webinars that delve into relevant topics within your industry. This will allow your audience to participate in real-time discussions, ask questions, and gain valuable insights. This approach will establish your brand’s authority and keep your audience engaged.

Wrapping it up

So, there you have it. To create a winning marketing strategy, the key is to get to know your target audience – their likes, habits, and what makes them tick. That’s when you can dive into using different marketing channels with confidence to connect with your audience in a way that truly speaks to them.

That’s where cross-channel marketing comes into play. If you’re not familiar with this strategy, don’t worry. This beginner’s guide will walk you through everything you need to know, and show you how it can give your marketing strategy a boost.

What is cross-channel marketing?

At its core, cross-channel marketing is a strategy that focuses on engaging with customers through multiple marketing channels that they use. Whether it’s social media, email, content marketing, or paid advertising, the goal is to create a unified and seamless experience for your customers. By blending various communication channels, you can deliver personalized and consistent messaging that resonates with your target audience throughout their customer journey.

Advantages of cross-channel marketing

A cross-channel marketing strategy can offer several benefits beyond simply expanding the reach to more customers. When implemented effectively, it can provide tailored customer experiences, boost brand visibility, establish consistent messaging, improve campaign effectiveness, and enhance customer loyalty. Here are the key advantages of adopting a cross-channel marketing approach:

1. Personalized customer experiences

Cross-channel marketing allows you to create personalized experiences for your customers by analyzing their behavior and preferences across various platforms. By utilizing this data, you can deliver highly relevant content and campaigns that cater to your customer’s unique needs and preferences. This individualized approach not only captures their attention but also results in higher engagement and conversions.

2. Boost brand visibility

Implementing a cross-channel marketing strategy increases your brand’s visibility by reaching customers through different mediums, such as email, social media, SMS, and more. By maintaining a strong presence across these platforms, you increase the likelihood that your target audience will encounter and engage with your brand, driving awareness and promoting growth.

3. Consistent messaging

A well-executed cross-channel marketing strategy ensures consistent messaging throughout all your brand communications. This cohesive approach to presenting your brand across various channels fosters credibility and trust with your target audience, allowing them to feel at ease and confident when engaging with your brand. 

By providing a seamless and reliable experience, you significantly enhance the overall success of your marketing campaigns while boosting the potential for conversions.

Consistent messaging across all channels also helps reinforce your brand identity, making it memorable and recognizable to your audience. This familiarity allows your customers to clearly understand your brand’s unique value proposition, ultimately leading to heightened interest and engagement.

4. Improved campaign performance

Cross-channel marketing can be significantly improved by leveraging platforms like Dotdigital. Dotdigital can help you by bringing all your marketing data from various channels and platforms into one place. This makes it easier for you to strategize and execute your campaigns.

You can track and analyze data from different channels and gain valuable insights to improve your marketing strategy. By looking at the data, you can find out what works best for your target audience and adjust your strategy accordingly. This can help you drive more conversions and achieve better results from your marketing campaigns.

5. Enhanced customer loyalty

Cross-channel marketing can help you boost customer loyalty over time. This loyalty can lead to higher customer lifetime value as loyal customers tend to purchase more frequently and are more likely to refer their friends and family to your brand.

Moreover, when customers become advocates for your brand, they can help increase your brand’s reach and exposure, which can lead to growth in your customer base. Therefore, prioritizing the creation of a seamless, consistent, and personalized experience for your customers can enhance their loyalty toward your brand and ultimately drive growth.

How to create an effective cross-channel marketing strategy

Now that you have understood what cross-channel marketing is and why it’s important, it’s time to learn how to create an effective cross-channel marketing strategy. Here are eight essential steps to help you implement a successful cross-channel marketing plan:

1. Utilize a customer experience and data platform (CXDP)

To effectively implement a cross-channel marketing strategy, you need technology like a customer experience and data platform (CXDP). A CXDP is specifically designed to manage customer experiences across various channels while consolidating all marketing data in one centralized location.

By using a CXDP, you can streamline your marketing efforts and get insights into how your customers behave, what they like, and how they engage with your brand. This information can help you create marketing campaigns that target the right people and get better results.

Ultimately, using a CXDP makes it easier to connect with your customers and run effective marketing campaigns across multiple channels. So, if you’re looking to create a successful cross-channel marketing strategy, a CXDP can be a valuable tool to consider.

2. Map out your customer journey

Take a deep dive into your target audience’s entire customer journey, from the initial awareness stage to post-purchase interactions. Identify the touchpoints where they engage with your brand and pinpoint any areas that need improvement. By addressing these weak points, you can streamline the process and create positive customer experiences. 

3. Audience segmentation

Divide your customer base into well-defined segments based on demographics, behavior, interests, and preferences. This approach enables you to create customized messages and tailor your offers to resonate with specific audience groups, ultimately leading to higher engagement and conversion rates.

4. Set clear objectives

Define your specific marketing goals and objectives so that you can design your cross-channel marketing campaigns in line with your overall marketing objectives. Are you aiming to increase brand awareness, drive engagement, generate leads, or boost sales? By setting clear targets, you can measure success and optimize your campaigns accordingly.

5. Choose the right channels

To choose the right channels for your marketing campaigns, analyze the preferences and behaviors of your target audience. With Dotdigital’s single customer view, you can easily identify the preferred channels of your customers. This feature allows you to create personalized campaigns that are tailored to the unique needs of your audience. By combining this with a clear understanding of your marketing goals, you can optimize your channel selection and execution to enhance your overall marketing success.

6. Consistent branding across channels

Establish a consistent brand tone voice, visual identity, and overall feel across all marketing channels. This uniformity builds trust with your customers, reinforces your brand identity, and enhances brand recognition. When your customers encounter your brand across different channels, they’ll find it easier to connect with your business and absorb your marketing messages.

7. Create tailored content

By incorporating web and dynamic personalization into your cross-channel marketing campaigns, you can deliver meaningful and customized content that captures attention and drives customer engagement.

Web personalization enhances user experience by making real-time adjustments to your website based on visitors’ behaviors and preferences, leading to a more engaging and personalized browsing experience. This intelligent approach not only helps retain visitors on your site but also increases conversion rates as they find content specifically tailored to their interests.

Dynamic personalization takes the concept a step further by encompassing various communication channels such as emails, SMS, or push notifications. With the Dotdigital platform, you can personalize messages, offers, and recommendations for each customer, depending on their browsing history, past purchases, or other relevant data points. 

8. Monitor, optimize, and adapt

It’s important to monitor, optimize, and adapt your cross-channel marketing campaigns to ensure success. Keep track of metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) to gauge the effectiveness of your campaigns and identify areas for improvement. By staying agile and learning from your successes and failures you can continuously refine your cross-channel strategy.

Wrapping it up

Cross-channel marketing is a highly effective strategy that can help you connect with your customers and create memorable and consistent customer experiences. The following steps can help you reach your customers through multiple touchpoints and create messages that resonate with them while delivering value. By implementing these steps, you can keep your customers engaged and provide them with a seamless experience, regardless of where they are in their customer journey.

One area of confusion is the difference between ‘cross-channel‘, ‘omnichannel’, and ‘multichannel’ marketing strategies. By exploring these terms and their benefits, we can clear up any confusion and help you make the best decision for your business. So let’s investigate what these terms mean and how they can benefit you.

What is cross-channel marketing?

Cross-channel marketing is all about connecting with your customers across multiple channels. We’re not just talking about sending out a bunch of emails or posting on social media. It’s about creating a seamless experience for your customers, no matter where they are. 

Think about it, your customers are constantly switching between different devices and platforms throughout their day. They might be reading their inbox on their phone, browsing search engines on their laptop, or scrolling through social media on their tablet. By utilizing cross-channel marketing, you can reach them at each of these touchpoints and make sure they get a consistent message from your brand. 

Figuring out which channels your audience prefers and personalizing each channel is an important aspect of cross-channel marketing. Are your customers more active on social media? Do they prefer email? Once you have that figured out, it’s all about creating a consistent and tailored message that works across those channels.

Some key aspects of cross-channel marketing are:

Coordinated cross-channel strategy

Cross-channel marketing amps up your reach by strategically coordinating your campaigns across multiple channels. This creates a seamless, consistent message for your audience no matter which platform they use. 

Increase cross-channel reach

By using cross-channel marketing, you have the power to reach a larger audience thanks to the variety of platforms available. Each channel offers the opportunity to connect with different segments of your target market, amplifying your brand’s visibility and presence.

Personalized touchpoints across channels

Cross-channel marketing enables businesses to create personalized touchpoints with customers based on their behavior and preferences. By tailoring your message and content to suit the individual, you can effectively address their needs, desires, and pain points at various stages in the customer journey.

What is omnichannel marketing?

Omnichannel marketing is similar to cross-channel as it allows you to deliver a seamless and integrated customer journey across marketplaces, devices, channels, and platforms. 

When comparing omnichannel and cross-channel marketing, the main difference is that omnichannel integrates marketing efforts, data, and strategy under one umbrella while cross-channel does not.

With omnichannel, data is organized centrally and becomes more reliable. This creates more chances for personalization as customer data is synchronized, making it easier to deliver personalized content and messages. This approach enables retailers to offer shoppers the products they need, when and where they need them.

So how does it work? Let’s say someone finds your company through a Facebook ad and decides to view your website. With omnichannel marketing, you want to make sure that the messaging and branding on your website match what they saw in the ad. And if they decide to make a purchase, you want to make sure that their shopping cart is saved across devices, so they can seamlessly continue the checkout process on their phone or tablet.

Some key aspects of omnichannel marketing are:

Customer-centric focus

The primary goal of omnichannel marketing is to ensure customers have a convenient and engaging experience, regardless of the channel they use. By prioritizing the needs and preferences of your customers, you can create a unified experience that encourages brand loyalty and satisfaction.

Connected interactions

In an omnichannel strategy, all customer interactions are interconnected, allowing for a smooth transition between various touchpoints. For example, a customer browsing your website on their phone can continue shopping on your desktop site or in-store, experiencing the same level of personalization and tailored recommendations.

Data integration

Omnichannel marketing relies on integrated customer data that provides a holistic view of each individual’s preferences and behaviors. This information enables businesses to offer relevant content, promotions, and offers across all channels, enhancing the overall customer experience.

What is multichannel marketing?

Multichannel marketing is using different marketing channels to reach your audience. Instead of just relying on one method, like email or social media, you’re spreading your message across various platforms to maximize your chances of connecting with potential customers.

Think about it like fishing. If you only cast your line in one spot, you might catch a few fish, but you’re limiting your chances of reeling in a big one. But if you cast your line in several different spots, you’re increasing your odds of catching something awesome, right?

So, multichannel marketing works the same way. You’re casting your marketing net wider, reaching people through different channels. This approach amplifies your brand visibility, as you’re able to reach a larger and more diverse audience who might have different preferences when it comes to how they like to receive information.

Some key aspects of multichannel marketing are: 

Diverse channel selection

Multichannel marketing involves implementing a mix of channels, such as email, social media, content marketing, paid advertising, and traditional avenues like print or TV ads, to reach your audience. By leveraging each channel’s strengths, you can optimize your overall marketing strategy and reach a wider range of customers.

Channel-specific strategies

With multichannel marketing, each channel has its unique strategy, catering to the specific characteristics of that platform. For example, social media campaigns might focus on building brand personality and driving customer engagement, while email marketing is more targeted towards nurturing leads and driving conversions.

Measurement and optimization

If you use multichannel marketing, analyze the performance of each channel to determine which are most effective in achieving your business goals. Through data analysis and performance metrics, you can optimize your marketing strategy by allocating resources to the most successful channels and maximizing the return on investment (ROI).

What approach is best for me?

Choosing the right strategy depends on your business goals, resources, and the preferences of your target audience. To determine the best fit, consider these key factors:

Customer experience

If delivering a completely unified and immersive customer experience (CX) is your priority, cross-channel or omni-channel marketing may be best suited for your business. 

Personalization

For businesses looking to personalize messaging and engagement at specific milestones in the customer journey, cross-channel marketing offers the flexibility and customization needed to create targeted touchpoints.

Channel diversity

If your focus is on actively engaging with customers via multiple channels, without necessarily linking the messages or strategy between them, multi-channel marketing is the ideal approach.

How Dotdigital helps your cross-channel marketing strategy

Here at Dotdigital, know the importance of implementing comprehensive marketing tools tailored to your business goals and target audience. That’s why we’ve developed an innovative cross-channel platform as an all-in-one solution to help manage your channels.

With the Dotdigital platform, you can:

Connect with your customers on all their favorite channels

In today’s world, reaching savvy customers through multiple marketing channels is essential to stay ahead of the game. With Dotdigital, you can effortlessly connect with your audience across various touchpoints, leading to a more effective and rewarding marketing strategy.

Create seamless customer journeys

Dotdigital’s marketing tools help you send personalized messages to customers through email, text messages, and social media. By enhancing their experience at every stage of their journey, you’ll be able to build stronger relationships and drive engagement.

Supercharge your email marketing

Email is a powerful way to stay in touch with customers who want to hear from your business. Dotdigital’s email builder makes designing eye-catching emails a breeze so that you can grab your customers’ attention and inspire them to take action.

Turn texts into sales

Have you considered using SMS marketing to reach your customers? It’s a quick and effective way to connect with them in real time. With Dotdigital, you can integrate your text messages with other channels like email and social media to increase your chances of making a sale.

Grow, convert, and retain with social media retargeting

Looking to expand your customer base? Dotdigital has got you covered. With Facebook Lead Ads, you can easily acquire new leads and grow your marketing lists. Plus, keep your current customers engaged by showing them targeted ads after they visit your website.

Reduce barriers to purchase with live chat

Forrester says using live chat on your website can increase conversion rates by up to 40%. With Dotdigital’s live chat feature, you can make it easy for customers to get the help they need while also increasing their happiness and likelihood of buying from you. 

Reach customers anywhere with push notifications

Dotdigital helps you stay connected with customers by sending them timely push notifications on their smartphones. These messages remind customers of your business and encourage them to take action, like making a purchase.

Summary

So there you have it – the key differences between cross-channel, omnichannel, and multichannel marketing. Now that you’re in the know, it’s the perfect time to reevaluate your marketing strategy. The good news? Dotdigital’s cross-channel platform can make the journey smoother and more effective than ever before.

What is a martech stack?

A martech stack is simply the name given to the collection of marketing technology or software used by a business to support and enhance its marketing efforts. Even if you’re not familiar with the term, you likely already have one.

Forrester found that martech stacks now account for over 20% of the total marketing budget, and 56% of businesses planned to increase their allocated budget to spend on martech. Plus, a huge 82% of marketers said they plan to change their martech stack in 2022. There is a lot of growth in this area because marketing technology is constantly evolving, and martech frees up marketers’ time, and we all know that time is money.

The importance of a martech stack

The importance of a martech stack cannot be overstated in today’s digital age. With the proliferation of marketing channels and the vast amount of customer data available, a martech stack is essential for businesses looking to gain a competitive edge in the market.

By leveraging customer data from various sources, such as CRM systems, social media platforms, and email marketing campaigns, a well-designed martech stack can help automate and streamline marketing processes, improve customer targeting and engagement, and increase marketing ROI. By integrating various marketing tools and technologies, businesses can achieve a holistic view of their marketing efforts and gain valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences.

A martech stack also enables businesses to stay agile and adapt quickly to changing market conditions. As customer expectations and preferences evolve, businesses must be able to respond in real-time to deliver personalized experiences and relevant content. A martech stack can help businesses achieve this by providing the necessary tools and technologies to analyze and act on customer data.

How to build a martech stack

Curating your marketing stack isn’t as intimidating as it sounds. There are no rules and no expectations. It’s as simple as looking at what you need, both as a business and as a team, and going from there. Do you have an SEO specialist on your team, or do you need an all-in-one solution to automate your processes? Once you’ve got an idea of the areas you need support for or simply want to enhance, you need to look at your budget.

38% of marketers cited budget as a barrier to building a martech stack. However, a martech stack optimized for a marketing team’s needs is going to be worth the investment. Once you’ve figured out your priorities and your budget, you can start researching which options will work for you. There is no set number of technologies you should have in your stack.

What does a martech stack look like?

Still unsure of exactly what a martech stack is? Let’s provide some examples. For SEO, we use Semrush for social media scheduling and reporting. Then, for marketing automation, we use Dotdigital (duh), and for CRM, we use Microsoft Dynamics. 

That’s just a fraction of our complete martech stack; we simply use technology that works for us, and you should do the same. No business and marketing team will be the same, so it’s highly unlikely any martech stack should be the same.

We have previously had other technologies in our stack too, ones that we’ve since changed to a new offering or simply no longer need, and we’ll likely add new ones in the future too. A martech stack is simply a name for the collective technologies and software your marketing team uses, it’s not a strict parameter, and it can be fluid.

So, how can tech integrations improve your marketing?

Dotdigital is an example of how technology can improve your marketing. Our platform unifies data, which in turn raises insights ready to empower hyper-personalized marketing messages, automated depending on customer behavior. Pretty impressive, right?

The martech industry is vast, with 9,932 martech solutions available. This means you’re highly likely to find what you’re looking for, no matter your industry or need. Dotdigital works with lots of different technologies to strengthen your marketing throughout the customer journey.

Some examples include:

• Customer service platforms like Zendesk to keep records of all interactions in one place
• CRM platforms to support sales team integrations and remove silos
• Ecommerce integrations to improve understanding of customer behavior
• Enhanced personalization through platforms like Movable Ink

If you have any questions about what’s possible, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Put into practice

For an example of how one of Dotdigital’s integrations can help, let’s look at Reviews.io. You can set up an automation program that sends customers an email asking them to review your brand on Reviews.io once they’ve completed a purchase. 

You can also have an automation set up to send a follow-up email based on the review they leave. Three stars or under? Nurture campaign. Four or five stars? Thanks for your review. Have you checked out this similar product? You get the idea.

The journey is seamless back and forth. You’re prompting customers from your communication platform, letting them provide a review on the review platform, and then following up on your communications platform. This is a great example of two technologies that offer different services working together to bridge the gap—exactly what a good martech stack is all about.

But wait, there’s more. You can also use the social proof editor within Reviews.io to create a graphic and have that automatically appear in your Dotdigital image library. That extra hit of social proof ready and waiting in your image library to add to your welcome campaigns can make all the difference to your conversion rates. 

And the best part? No one on the team had to spend time looking for good reviews, creating an image, and manually uploading it to Dotdigital. The result is stronger marketing campaigns, as well as more time on your hands.

Working together

As soon as you’ve identified the technology you need, make sure it works together. As we’ve just explored, your martech stack is there to support you and make your day-to-day run smoother. You don’t want to be bogged down in manual tasks to share data from one platform to the next.

When your technology works together, it’s going to be more effective overall. Knowledge is power right? If system B knows what a customer has done on system A, it can better market to them based on this and let systems C, D, E, and F know too. 

Of course, it won’t be this linear in reality, as your customers’ journeys aren’t linear. Your stack will be a collection of tech platforms that work in different areas as and when they’re required, in no particular order.

The point remains that your tech platforms communicating with each other is key. Data-driven marketing is imperative for success. The technology is there to strengthen your customers’ journey, so being aware of what happens throughout that is crucial. Think of your stack more like a web, with each piece of technology or software able to connect with each other. 

You need to ensure that multiple systems are integrated to transform a wealth of customer data into reliable, contextual, and timely insights and make that information easily accessible to other platforms that can take action on those insights.

Choosing technology partners based on their integration capabilities with your existing technology is imperative to building a marketing stack you can rely on. This will in turn improve your customer journey, and as we all know, a positive customer experience leads to higher rates of customer loyalty.

How can Dotdigital improve your martech stack?

With 46% of marketers citing the complexity of integrating the technologies as their top barrier to creating a martech stack, we understand it can feel daunting. We know that your time is valuable, so we offer both out-of-the-box integrations so you can get started straight away and a bespoke solution if your stack requires a bit more tailoring. (Our developers always love a new challenge).

Our marketing automation software is the best in the biz thanks to data unification, cross-channel functionality, and leading marketing automation. And while our platform does a lot, it can’t do everything.

Dotdigital is designed to work with the best of the best in other areas too, such as ecommerce, social media, review platforms, and so on, so that you can create a truly joined-up stack. Our integration hub is a great place to start exploring, as it explains how you can integrate Dotdigital with other marketing software.

Embrace technology

Marketing is a broad discipline, and there’s a lot to keep track of. As consumers have largely moved online, the tactics and tools used to engage with customers have become more and more technology-based. 

Back in the day, print advertising and direct mail were huge channels, these days, social media ads and email marketing are more common. Even billboards, which used to be printed out and pasted on by someone climbing up a ladder with a bucket and brush, are now digital screens that can be updated at the touch of a button.

The point is, technology is undeniably a huge part of marketing, and it’s only going to continue to grow. It can be hard to know where to start, what’s going to be worth your investment, and how to make it all work together. 

However, if you start by looking at what you need, researching what’s available, and curating a stack tailored to your business, it’s going to benefit both your marketing output itself and your team’s productivity.