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The entry of web 2.0 paved several ways to redesign your campaign themes across multiple mediums to get optimized results in sync with user experience and the purchase decision journey. Let’s dive in to explore this aspect.
Today, we are experiencing information overload, where too much information is begging for user’s attention. The proverb out of sight, out of mind rings true. Brands can no longer afford to keep their communication in silos – it’s important to break through the clutter and stay on top of your customer’s mind.
Consumers today have an unprecedented variety of avenues to source in information. Prior to the web era, the prominent channels of information were:
- TV
- Radio
- Direct mail
In Web 2.0 era, the marketing channels have expanded to:
- Website
- Social Media
- Sponsored content
- Mobile
- Video
- Podcasts
- Digital ads
Ad infinitum!
In this article, we will look at 6 ways in which you can broaden your campaign themes across multiple mediums.
1. Remarketing
Have you ever browsed an e-commerce website only to find their ads later in your social media feeds? This is remarketing. It helps you reinforce the message by showing targeted ads to users who have already visited your website. Coherent messaging makes remarketing appear seamless to your audience.
Another piece in the puzzle of remarketing audience is lookalike audience. This lets you reach out to a wider audience consisting of similar traits and interests (data points) like that of your existing audience. Lookalike audience empowers you with a set of users at the top of your marketing funnel who are most likely to become your customers.
Remarketing and lookalike audience help you reach more customers (both current and prospective) with relevant campaigns, with ease.
2. Email Marketing
With a median ROI of 122%, which is more than 4x higher than other marketing formats, including social media, direct mail and paid search, Email Marketing is anything but obsolete. (SourceOpens a new window ). And since email address is primarily used for registrations and sign-ups, it can be further leveraged for other strategies such as behavioral targeting.
To build email lists, marketers can utilize social media, website sign-ups, mobile apps or free downloads.
Email marketing can be fit in cross-channel marketing by including strategies like triggered emails and drip marketing campaigns. Personalization plays a key role hereOpens a new window . An e-commerce brand can email a promo code to the user who had abandoned the cart one day prior. Incentives, product recommendations tailored to the specific user increase the probability of revenue generation.
3. Utilizing Hashtags
Most of the major social media platforms support hashtags now, but the test of the virality of a campaign still depends on whether it trended on Twitter or not. Brands have already started mentioning campaign hashtags on different marketing mediums and collaterals.
Mainstream television has implemented this by adding a hashtag overlay on the screen to encourage discussions. Nielsen has reported that 1/3rd of active users tweet about TV showsOpens a new window .
Brands can reap benefits of hashtags by running contests, hosting tweet chats, conducting Q&As with experts, live videos and so on. The opportunities are endless. To increase hashtag participation, use emails, social media channels, and digital ads to reach out to your audience.
4. Roping In Influencers
Launching a new product? One easy way to spread the word is by engaging influencers in your product launch campaign. With cross-channel social media becoming staple in the marketing strategy, influencer marketing has paved its way into the mix as well. Influencers help you spread your message through their networks. So, instead of saying, “I’m the best,†you get someone else to say, “Hey, this brand is the best!â€
Brands have already started collaborating with mainstream celebrities as well as niche influencers such as bloggers to create and distribute the brand’s message. Influencers use blogs, Instagram, Twitter or YouTube to persuade your audience into buying from you.
Why does it work? Since buyers have become wary of advertising, influencers connect with them in a meaningful way. As Jay Baer says, “Genuine impact drives activity, not simply awareness.†And that’s what influencers do.
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What Is a Demand-Side Platform (DSP)? Key Features, Architecture, and ExamplesOpens a new window
5. Mobile Apps
After email marketing, mobile app marketing is probably the most powerful way to engage your users. The reasons are:
- Mobile app is always at the fingertips of your users
- Copious amount of user data giving more opportunities for personalization
- People-centric approach
The mobile app makes attributes such as location, age group, spending patterns, interests, job role, subscription details etc. easily available, which are more accurate compared to other marketing channels.
Using these attributes, brands can leverage app notifications and in-app messaging to promote campaigns, incentives, content, drive conversion and so on. Notifications and in-app messaging allow you to exercise more creativity as you’re grabbing their attention directly through their phones.
6. Digital Advertising
Digital advertising demands more accountability and responsibility as a huge chunk of the budget is being spent on ad platforms apart from time and resources. To reap the best benefits, it’s necessary to segment your audience and create a message that is cohesive to the theme of the campaign yet tailored for the platform.
Social media, search, display, mobile, video etc. are a few digital advertising avenues, wherein understanding audience behavior makes it easy to draft cross-channel advertising strategy. The biggest advantage of a cross-channel advertising strategy is the ability to deliver your message at the right time to the right audience guiding them through the marketing funnel.Â
These 6 ideas serve just as an introduction to the possibility of wider implementation of cross-channel marketing in your campaigns. The success of this activity lies in understanding your audience, defining segments, creating consistent messaging and measuring the results of your efforts.