Perceived Obstacles to Omnichannel Strategies

Although more businesses are moving toward omnichannel marketing every day, those who are lagging behind cite several reasons for delaying implementation. Do any of these sound familiar?

1. A top-down management style that limits innovation
2. No dedicated staff for digital marketing
3. Communication roadblocks between marketing and sales
4. Insufficient data management resources

You'll need to have everyone on the same page when it comes to a marketing strategy.
The key is to hire good people and give them the autonomy to carry out your goals. Having a dedicated staff member for digital marketing is well worth the investment.
Give your departments the opportunity to work as a team, and invest in the data management tools your company needs. You'll be pleased with the results.
Here are the four components of a strong omnichannel marketing strategy and seamless customer experience:

1. Cross-Channel Marketing

The ability to reach buyers from any channel allows your business to meet their needs almost instantly. One of the most valuable facets of cross-channel communication is that it provides timely feedback.
For example, you can adjust your product descriptions in real time, customize popups according to browsing history and location, and target advertisements and web pages that get the most traffic.
By creating a relevant message that adapts to your customer’s behavior, you’re taking personalization to the next level.
Just putting your customers first name in the subject line isn’t enough anymore- they want a completely personalized experience from beginning to end, no matter what channel they use.

2. CRM for Smart Adaptation

An top-notch customer relationship management software program is the heart of an effective marketing strategy. Your marketing technology stack starts here, with efficient capturing of customer email addresses and a data-driven record of browsing and buying habits.
But data alone isn't enough. You need a powerful analytic program to crunch the numbers and give marketing recommendations.
Why is this important? Because creating a seamless customer experience, an omnichannel experience, starts with putting your customer and their data at the center of everything that you do.
By centralizing your data in the same place, you can be better at knowing where the customer is in their purchase journey, and knowing where they’ll go next.

3. Integration of Tech, Marketing and Customer Service

Just as your advertising is tailored to fit multiple platforms, your goal is to achieve a smooth interface between the company's IT, PR/Marketing and customer service professionals.
Departments need to work together as a team to create a seamless process. Start by focusing on the customer experience, and then brainstorm how multiple teams can work together as one.
You should end up with:

1. Clear expectations and roles
2. Fluid communication
3. Customer-centered objectives

If you’re centralizing your data, it only makes sense that your entire company has access to it. This helps each team stay on track and moving in the same direction when it comes to your customer experience.

4. Segmenting and Targeting

Once you have your data in the right place, it’s time to use that data to send better messages to your customers. You can do this through segmentation.
If you’re a savvy marketer, you already have a killer marketing persona. If you have a lot of different customer types, chances are,  you have more than one. Start by segmenting your different customer types that you’ve defined, and then move on to behavioral and engagement-based segments.
For example, you can have different messages that go out to different segments based on how often they engage (or not) with your campaigns. You can tailor your messages to the exact spot in the customer journey to create a message that will actually speak to what your customer need.
From here, using omnichannel marketing automation can take the menial tasks out of the equation, ensuring that your experience is absolutely immersive, and on complete autopilot.

Tying It All Together

Using that automation is the final step that brings your digital marketing strategy together. Through cross-channel marketing, you've been able to reach prospective customers and loyal shoppers where they are at any given moment. Your CRM program and data analytics have worked together to gather information and give nuanced marketing recommendations.

After you've cross-trained a team that works together as a whole, your business will have a cohesive message. You'll also have the ability to set up campaigns with the click of a mouse.
And no matter which platform a customer uses, they'll get the same message and experience. Once you've implemented your omnichannel strategy, you'll see what a difference it makes.