The Dos and Don'ts of Multi-Channel Marketing

Building a successful multi-channel marketing campaign is a bit like making a cake. For the recipe to be a success, you need to add all of the right ingredients. In order to help you do so, let’s take a look at some dos and don'ts for executing multi-channel campaigns that will keep your clients and their customers happy.

Do: Know Your Audience
It sounds simple, but knowing your target market and where you will find them is key to implementing a successful multi-channel campaign. Does the campaign speak to those of a certain age, for example? Rigorous market research and planning is a best practice that will ensure your campaigns are targeted and relevant.

Do you remember Chili’s fundraiser campaign for cancer a few years back? They included QR codes on printed marketing materials that prompted guests to go online and donate money to St. Jude’s Hospital. By doing so, they raised $5 million in donations and got hundreds of thousands of QR code scans.

Do: Use robust testing and market research to understand your audience.
Don’t: Roll out campaigns that lack a specific target and focus.

Don’t: Miss Your Chance
The importance of a good landing page is often underestimated. The flashiest multi-channel campaign won't provide good value to your customers if it doesn't include a specific, defined call to action. Knowing what action you want customers to take is vital to crafting a multi-channel campaign.

Automobile manufacturer Buick rolled out an impressive QR code campaign that linked consumers to a video about their latest model. Unfortunately, the video was shouting in a vacuum – there was no call to action, no purchase link, and no clear path for the consumer to follow next.

Do: Ensure that every part of every campaign has a defined purpose and outcome.
Don’t: Include cross channel media “just because” with no defined aim.

Do: Know How You’ll Measure Your Results
As you may know, it's vital that you use the results of a campaign to plan the next stage. A multi-channel campaign can quickly get messy in terms of results, thanks to the need to track statistics across multiple channels. Knowing how you are going to gather and analyze results is a vital practice for any campaign.

Restaurant chain Red Robin combined gaining statistics on who visited them, with an engaging QR code campaign. Customers were given a scannable flyer with their bill, offering entry into a daily $1,000 prize drawer in return for sharing their feedback. The result? Valuable insights that the brand could use to review its business strategy, gathered in a straightforward and easy to understand way.

Do: Plan what data you are going to collect, and how you’re going to collect it across all channels.
Don’t: Rely solely on conversion rates or Facebook likes – you need all the statistics together for an overall picture.

Don’t: Neglect Planning
It's a good best practice to look at each element of your multi-channel campaign and make sure all the resources are in place to carry it out. Attention to detail is vital, whether that means training all staff on how to use the campaign “voice” when tweeting, or making sure every link does what it should.

Don't let a lack of planning create a bad PR nightmare for your clients. When Timothy's Coffee decided to use social media to offer a free sample, a lack of planning meant demand far exceeded supply, leading to many disgruntled customers.

Do: Go over all the details of your plan and make sure every element of your campaign works.
Don’t: Skip over anything – one little mistake can reflect badly on your client’s brand.

Do: Keep an Eye on New Technology
Keeping an eye on the latest technology can make a world of difference to sales and visibility. The world of marketing is fast paced and ever changing, and as a print provider it's vital that you keep up, and find appropriate ways to integrate print with other technologies.

When Topps found their baseball trading card sales were dropping, they embraced augmented reality technology to produce 3D baseball cards. The cards grabbed customers' attention and got them talking about Topps once more.

Do: Make keeping on top of emerging technology and evaluating its usefulness for each client part of your best practice.
Don’t: Dismiss new technologies in favor of sticking rigidly to old methods.

Planning, executing, and measuring a multi-channel campaign takes dedication and forethought. Formulating and sticking to your own best practices will increase the chances of success for both you and your clients. What’s your biggest tip for multi-channel success? Tell us in the comments below!