Marketers know better than anyone that in order to run a successful campaign they have to be able to adapt to the ebbs and flows of the industry. Marketing trends are constantly changing, which means that you have to be fluid with your marketing strategies in order to get the most bang for your buck. In many cases, that means testing different communication styles, designs, and platforms.
Things like social media platforms are always evolving, and what gave you the most exposure last quarter may not be the same this quarter. A perfect example of this is Instagram and TikTok. In the last year many businesses frustrated with the Instagram algorithm have begun testing content on TikTok to see if they can broaden their reach on that platform. Being flexible, and willing to test new things, is what makes marketing teams successful.
It’s a pretty old-school mentality to only market on one platform. Why would you only want to reach one demographic when you can reach three? While your TikTok demographic may be different from your email database, cross channel marketing allows you to hit both with less of a lift from the team.
In this blog we spill the tea on cross channel marketing, why it’s important, and how you can get your marketing team on board and equipped for success.
What is cross channel marketing?
Cross channel marketing— often referred to as omnichannel marketing— simply means you’re increasing your brand’s exposure by running campaigns across various different channels and platforms. This can include, but is not limited to; email marketing, social media, your company website, advertisements, word-of-mouth marketing, public relations, and blogs or other third-party articles. Most marketers will dabble in all of the above in an effort to generate more brand awareness and trust with prospective customers. For example, you might simultaneously run paid social media campaigns to boost brand recognition, create blog posts that explain the pain points your product or service solves, and send a promotion via email. All of which will work together and (ideally) push the customer to the point of purchase.
Cross channel marketing is important because it allows you to test different platforms and strategies to see which channels or content are resonating best with your audience. It’s a lot more low risk for companies to test new content because they aren’t putting all of their eggs in one basket. If something flops, they’re likely running a similar campaign elsewhere so it’s less of a hit to the business. With cross channel marketing teams can optimize and recycle existing assets for new platforms so they achieve more impact with fewer resources.
Leading cross channel marketing
Keep these five tips in mind to lead your team to success in their cross channel marketing efforts.
1. Create buyer personas
Increase engagement by tailoring your marketing materials to each unique customer’s needs. By creating buyer personas you can get a better understanding of your demographic and which platforms and content speak to each.
2. Each channel has a place in the customer journey
With so many different options for cross channel marketing, it’s important to choose platforms that complement your audience and their place in the customer journey. From generating leads, to the final buying decision, there’s a platform for every stage.
3. Don’t be afraid to cross promote
Cross-promotion is a great way to get extra eyeballs on your campaigns. If your CEO was featured in a podcast, or you have a blog article that would bring value to your audience, cross-promote those in emails or on social media.
4. Recycle assets and tweak them for each unique platform
Just because you’re running campaigns across various channels doesn’t mean your designer needs to be bogged down with asset requests. Recycle existing assets by tweaking the sizes, replacing images, trimming videos, or swapping out colors so that they’re appropriate for the right platforms.
5. Monitor data and analytics
The beauty of cross channel marketing is that you can monitor stats to see how one strategy is affecting another. Tapping into analytics can help you better optimize future marketing campaigns and decide which channels need more attention than others.
Marketing presentations to get your team started
The first step to nailing cross channel marketing is getting your team aligned on strategies, campaign goals, and deliverables. The following presentation templates will help you plan for cross channel marketing strategies and collaborate on projects more seamlessly.
Marketing plan template
An effective marketing plan starts with communicating your goals to your team and other stakeholders. Our marketing plan template can help you outline campaigns, proposals, departmental budgets and deadlines with the team.
Marketing campaign plan template
The purpose of a marketing campaign plan is to identify relevant, integrated, marketing activities and channels to reach campaign objectives as well as influence customers. You can customize our marketing campaign plan template to suit your team’s needs.
Marketing communication plan template
When you’re posting campaigns across various channels, you want to ensure that the communication remains consistent from platform to platform. Use our marketing communication plan template to help you with brand and customer alignment, and nail down the voice and tone of your efforts.
Brand guidelines template
When you’re juggling multiple campaigns, branding is the glue that holds it all together. People should be able to recognize your brand regardless of the platform it’s reaching them on. A brand guidelines template ensures your whole team is on-brand and stays visually consistent across all channels.
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