What’s the difference between Multichannel Marketing and Omnichannel Marketing Anyway?

Hint: It’s all about the Customer Experience

XMPie uses a few phrases to explain what you can do with our software.  You’ll see the terms Cross Media or Multichannel, and Omnichannel in various articles and resources.  These reflect the two common approaches that brands are using to reach their customers and prospects and our customers are using both.

The terms are often used interchangeably, but there is a distinct difference that separates omnichannel from the others.  If you’re a print shop considering how best to expand your print services or an enterprise considering how to improve the entire customer journey, it’s important that you understand the different options.

Marketing Strategies: Omnichannel vs. Multichannel Marketing

The main difference between the two relates to the ‘Customer Experience’. You’ve probably heard this term a lot lately – it’s a hot marketing trend that is helping brands to re-define their communication approaches. At the highest level, the customer experience is the sum of all interactions that a customer will have with a brand.

Multichannel Marketing

With cross media or multichannel marketing, the focus is more on hitting a variety of channels in the hope that it will spur the most action and highest levels of engagement among customers.

Omnichannel Marketing

Omnichannel marketing is a much more strategic and targeted approach and it aims to build a stronger customer-brand relationship over time. With this tactic, the brand will still use a variety of channels but will offer an integrated, personalized journey to ensure a single and consistent experience.

For the customer during an omnichannel campaign, each interaction is a seamless extension of their previous interaction, no matter which channel they are on now or which channel they just left. Their context and history will continue to the next channel with them. The channel itself isn’t important anymore. What’s important? Delivering the best customer experience.

Delivering a Customer-First Experience

The customer isn’t interested in channels or devices.  They don’t want to jump through hoops.  They want an effortless and seamless interaction when they make a connection with a brand and they want to feel valued.

And even though the omnichannel campaign might be delivered on a massive scale to thousands or even millions of recipients, each customer will still feel that they are the single recipient of the campaign.

In order to create these individual customer journeys effectively – and to scale, you need the right tools to orchestrate and automate your campaigns.

If you would like more information, contact paul.stead@digitalprint.org.uk or call 07518 604611

N.B. Information supplied by XMPie