Cross-channel marketing is a customer-focused, strategic, digital marketing technique used by marketers across the globe. 

It provides customers with a consistent and holistic experience. It’s a way to design your marketing strategy to create customer journeys on all possible channels.

In today’s article, explore what is cross channel marketing and the best cross channel marketing platform for you. In addition, we bring you the best examples of cross channel marketing.

What is Cross-Channel Marketing?

Cross-channel marketing is the combination of several marketing channels to create a cohesive customer journey for your target audience.

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In simple words, it helps improve your customers’ shopping experience through personalization. It enables you to reach your customers across all channels. Doing so allows your brand to always remains in front of their eyes.

In addition, it allows you to move your prospects through the sales funnel across different channels. 

The number of marketing channels has increased in the last few years. Therefore, it’s important to have an effective cross-channel marketing strategy. 

Therefore, you need to ensure that your brand is in front of your customers’ eyes all the time to increase the chances of conversion.

How Does Cross-Channel Marketing Work?

Cross-channel marketing is also known as multi-channel marketing. It is the practice of using different channels to reach a customer.

It makes it easy for customers to easily complete their desired conversion on the medium of their choice. 

In today’s era, you can take advantage of the following channels to reach customers:

• Mobile marketing
• Mail-order catalogues
• EmailAn email (or electronic mail) is a method of exchanging communications through the internet. It is one of the most used features on the web and the number one mean... marketing
• Direct mail
• Website
• Content marketing or blogging
• PPC
• Retail storefronts
• Other online advertising methods

The Importance of Cross-Channel Marketing

There are different marketing channels that your customers are active on. 

For instance, Person A could be active on social media. Whereas Person B loves reading new articles.

If you’re only limited to social media marketing, then you would miss out on Person B and vice versa.

Therefore, it’s important to have a cross-marketing strategy. Create a strategy that allows you to be where your customers are.

Cross-channel customers spend 3-4 times more than single-channel customers. Don’t let those valuable customers slip through the cracks!

Which Channels Work Well Together?

Some multi-channel marketing channels work together better. 

A report released by MediaPost examined the best media pairings for adults aged between 18-64. The following were the most popular pairings:

• Radio/computer
• Mobile/radio
• TV/computer
• Mobile/computer

The Mobile/computer pairing was most popular between work hours i.e. 9 to 5 pm. Mobile/TV was most popular in the evening i.e. between 5 to 11 pm.

How to Create a Cross-Channel Marketing Strategy

Creating a cross-channel marketing strategy can be daunting. Follow these steps to create a suitable strategy for your brand:

#1. Integrate All The Data

Unify all the data within your customer data platform. CRM is great for handling such data. As a marketer, you should have access to analytics so that you know your customer’s touchpoints. 

#2. Determine Customer Segments

Understand the different customer segments that are there in your target audience.

Study each lead touchpoint to determine whether there are trends, successes or failures.

You will get a clear understanding of your segments by studying the customer data.

Therefore, you will know which channels work the best for your brand. In addition, you will find out which channels to promote and focus on the most.

#3. Unify Interactions

Customize the content to match their needs. Using smart content is an excellent way to unify interactions.

Smart content is dynamic messages determined by a particular set of criteria. In simpler words, smart content basically means something like, “If a person does A, show them B.”

Therefore, this is an easy way to determine what your customers are doing and how to redirect them.

#4. Optimize

For best results, continuously check and optimize your cross-channel marketing strategy.

Gain valuable insights from A/B testing experiments and use high-conversion CTAs.

In addition, change ads on Facebook Messenger. This will help you make suitable adjustments and make your strategy more effective

Pros and Cons of Cross-Channel Marketing

Consider these pros and cons of cross-channel marketing before creating a strategy:

Pros

• Brand Awareness: Build a significant brand image by being active on different channels. In addition, increasing your investment in one channel increases customer’s interest in other channels.
• Regular Messages: Send brand-related messages to your customers to build trust and increase conversion.
• Increased Audience Communication: Reach more potential customers with the help of different channels. Post ads on social networking sites and invest in paid search engine forms. This will help you get ahead of your competitors.
• Increased Touchpoints: More touchpoints in your marketing funnel means you can collect more data and increase conversions. 

Cons

• Costly: More marketing channels need more resources. It’s not possible for you to adopt a cross-marketing strategy if you’re working with a limited budget.
• Time-Consuming: You need to update all channels with changes in offers and stock. 
• Poor Customer Management: Resolving customer queries on different channels can become problematic. This might jeopardize your relationship with them.

Cross-Channel Marketing Best Practices

Keep the following essential aspects in mind to get the most of your strategy:

• Determine the most effective channels for your target audience.
• Choose a professional marketing platform. It should allow integration with marketing automation software, retargeting tool and analytics.
• Nurture leads more effectively by segmenting the audience wisely. 
• Continuously develop and optimize customer touchpoints. 
• Remove bottlenecks and problems that hinder the effective coordination of your cross-channel campaigns.

Examples of Cross-Channel Marketing

We bring you some of the best examples of cross-channel marketing that companies follow.

• KFC uses Facebook advertising and email marketing among other methods.
• Netflix uses Instagram and email marketing to advertise its products.
• Mercedes Benz uses Facebook ads, influencer and Youtube marketing to advertise their cars.
• Starbucks uses push notifications and Facebook ads to advertise their products.

In Conclusion

Remember to:

• Leverage data insights from marketing campaigns and
• Make improvements

This will ensure that your strategy is driving profitable results. 

A good strategy allows you to reach your audience in a sophisticated manner. In addition, it will help you generate leads and drive more sales. 

Ensure that your content and customer service are in perfect sync with all your channels. This will provide a smooth transition to your target audience. Therefore, experiment and polish your strategy until it’s optimized.

Which other things should we consider when implementing a cross-channel marketing strategy? Do you have any other tips that can help us make the most of our marketing strategy? Let us know in the comments section below!