By Kate Burston
On average, 390 people search online every month for information on “multi-channel marketing.” Throw in another 100 looking for a slightly different keyword variation of “multi-channel marketing” and it is still not that many. Even when you look at all the keyword variations, there are still only 2,400 people a month searching for information on this topic.
What does this mean? One interpretation could be people still don’t consider multi-channel within their marketing strategy. However, according to research from StackAdapt, it has gained increasing relevance as advertisers recognise the benefits of running campaigns simultaneously across multiple channels.
The beauty of multi-channel marketing is that it covers the entire funnel. StackAdapt found 50% of advertisers believe multi-channel advertising is extremely important to achieve upper-funnel goals, making it particularly critical for raising awareness.
The research also shows companies that employ multi-channel marketing use a good spread of channels, with 81% using social media, 50% using search and 40% using DOOH.
Why is understanding marketing channels important?
Both at work and at play, we rely more on technology to share and obtain information. So, marketers must be in the right place at the right time with the right message. It sounds simple, but as channels increasingly fragment, it becomes harder to identify where to be and when.
We must understand the importance marketing channels play across the funnel.
A recent Nielsen meta-analysis of consumer-packaged goods (CPG) campaigns found full-funnel strategies see up to 45% higher return on investment (ROI) and a 7% increase in offline sales compared with marketing campaigns at a single purchase stage.
I love when a client comes to us with a multi-channel, full-funnel brief. It means we get to dig in and find the channels that will really complement the target audience and develop a truly bespoke set of solutions.
In a recent example for a consumer client, we recommended television as a channel – a first for quite some time! Our full-funnel strategy also consisted of search, display and social, an approach that reminded us the best solutions do not necessarily have to be made up of only the newest technology, but rather should be designed to fully address the challenge at hand. In executing this approach, we will work with great partners, such as Sky Adsmart, that will help us land that ad content as close as possible to our target audience.
What will we see in multi-channel marketing in 2024?
We will continue to consume video content across multiple devices and streaming is expected to grow across all demographics. Influential marketing publication ‘The Drum’ predicts this will be the year of connected TV (CTV), with global advertising spend predicted to reach $33 billion – 12.1% growth YoY. By one metric, it would also appear to be of greater interest to advertisers than multi-channel marketing, with 1,600 people looking for ‘CTV advertising’ every month.
What is CTV?
Long gone are the days of going down to your local Blockbuster to pick up your favourite video. And who remembers Netflix in its original form, when it delivered DVDs through the post?
In 2019, the streaming wars started with a shift from traditional cable watchers to cord-cutters. As marketers, we jumped on this. As streaming subscriptions continued to grow, programmatic advertising enabled us to advertise to people directly via their devices.
So where does over-the-top (OTT) come in? OTT platforms provide exclusive streaming content, such as Netflix or Disney+. CTV or OTT devices are the physical devices that allow you to stream through your screens. For example, Apple TV, Amazon Firestick or Roku.
How does CTV fit within a marketing strategy?
For brands looking for large awareness and reach campaigns, CTV fits nicely into a multi-channel strategy. It can be cost-effective – even more so than Facebook and Google in some cases.
There are some great targeting and creative opportunities for CTV using programmatic media buys. These will help enhance a multi-channel marketing strategy.
For example, we can show our adverts alongside content the great British public know and love. We also have the added benefit that these people are logged into their devices. Thus giving us even more insight and data. We can leverage to find and engage more audiences.
Remember that if you push out content through CTV, the campaign should be backed up with a paid search campaign. Your brand is immediately visible when people start looking for you. CTV will create a halo effect across other channels and will enhance your marketing strategy across multiple devices and platforms.
If you are curious to find out more, please reach out to chat to us about your marketing needs. We’d love to hear from you.
Kate Burston is a vice president with 20 plus years’ experience in data-driven digital, multi-channel marketing for web and app, writing and executing strategies across the globe.
