First, let’s define the word “channel” as it is used in the marketing industry. A channel is a line of communication, such as your company website, tv commercial, social media accounts, radio, etc, that allows a business to deliver their message to a potential customer. Multichannel marketing is the ability to deliver your message to a lot more potential customers on various channels at once. The more channels you access, the more people you will reach.
It is important that your message is consistent across all channels to establish a reliable customer experience.
With a consistent message, you can measure the effectiveness of each channel to determine which channels generate the largest number of customer responses and conversions to sales.
To reach local consumers, a multichannel marketing strategy must include both online and offline channels. A company will use online marketing through website and social media channels to support their offline marketing in TV commercials and event signage.
A sports fan may watch his favorite team on live TV, or watch the game from the stadium. Or, he may go to the game and later watch TV reruns. An avid fan will talk about the game with his Twitter pals and Facebook friends, and read about the game in the morning newspaper. Right there, you have 6 marketing channels where you could transmit your company’s message to a defined demographic target.
Companies must use multichannel marketing to interact with their potential customer base. They need to be where their customers are, and they are everywhere.