By: Tammy Tufty
‘‘Cause we are living in a omni-channel world. And I’m a omni-channel girl’
Madonna sang about living in a material world and I’m here to tell you that we are living in an omni-channel world. Marketers now need to provide a seamless experience, regardless of channel or device. The rise of digital technologies and the intersection of data combined with a millennial generation present challenges that skilled marketing practitioners need to get their strategic arms around. According to the Retailing 2020 Report, the demand for an omni-channel customer experience will be amplified by the need for nearly perfect execution. Here are a few tips for living in an Omni-Channel World:
Tip #1 Data is the Alpha and Omega
Data management is the foundation of omni-channel marketing. Ask yourself, is your customer data validated? Is it a mess? Do you know how to leverage it? Are you collecting the right information? You need to be where your customers are and tailor your efforts to the interactions they have with your business.
Tip #2: Know your customers.
This is not “new school” marketing. You should always know your customers, but now customers expect one to one conversations. You have a ton of data on them. Therefore, you should know what they want, where and how they want it. Do you deliver a uniform message and provide a seamless experience for potential customers across all channels and devices?
Tip #3: Walk Your Customer Journey
As marketers, we now need to meet our customers where they are. 98% of Americans switch between devices in the same day according to Google Research. Do you know how customers are interacting with your company? Is your site optimized for mobile and social interactions?
According to Salesforce, 86% of senior-level marketers say that it’s absolutely critical to create a cohesive customer journey.
Tip #4: Break down Silo’s
Is your marketing department siloed? Do you have a unified strategy so your customers receive a consistent message? All components of marketing have to work together to provide a consistent marketing experience on the customer journey. This can be harder in larger corporations where many people manage the pieces of the marketing strategy.
Tip #5: Technology is Your BFF
Every marketer should be best friends with their IT department. Omni-channel success requires tools such as marketing automation and platforms to help you execute across channels and devices. Additionally, our customers create mountains of data with their company interactions and you need to be able to analyze and make sense of it all.
Marketing is evolving at a rapid pace and presents several unique challenges for today’s professionals. You need the right mix of people, processes and technology to achieve a fully seamless customer experience. Marketers need to account for each platform and device customers use to interact with the company and then delivering an integrated experience to align messaging, goals, objectives, and design across each channel and device.
About the Author: Tammy Tufty
Tammy Tufty is a Brand and Marketing Strategist who partners with CEOs, executives and entrepreneurs to grow their professional brands. After spending 18 years in marketing for sports nutrition brands and Fortune 500 companies, Tammy knows how to craft strategies to propel your brand forward. She is an award-winning marketer, blogger and relationship builder. In addition to her extensive marketing experience, Tammy is a mom to two girls, a wife, and a die-hard Virginia Tech football fan. Learn more at TammyTufty.com.
