Multi-channel marketing has been a buzzword for a couple of years now, but it’s only in 2018 that it’s really started to take off as a viable marketing trend. Part of the reason for that is the proliferation of new software options, many of which rely on new technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence.
There’s been a lot of discourse about AI, with many claiming that it’s taking away the human side of marketing. It’s certainly true that we’re more reliant on technology than ever before, but we only lose sight of the human touch if we allow it to happen. The truth is that technology can help us to be more human than ever before, but only if we’re smart enough to use it to enhance what we’re already doing.
Ultimately, our multi-channel marketplace is now so complex that if you’re not using tools to help you to stay on top of it, you’re rapidly going to fall behind. Marketing and technology are no longer two separate disciplines that go hand-in-hand. They don’t just go hand-in-hand. One is required for the other.
What is Multi-Channel Marketing?
Sales and marketing have always been about reaching the right person in the right place with the right message at the right time. Multi-channel marketing is just the next step in this natural evolution, and it relies on the smart use of technologies to track customers across every touchpoint. If you speak to someone on Facebook and they later send you an email or give you a call, you should be able to identify who those people are and remember the last time you talked to them.
This is where technologies and CRM systems come in. We deal with so many people on a daily basis that it’s impossible for us to keep track of every one of them by hand. On top of that, many modern companies are huge, sprawling organisations where customers are passed from department to department, often with little to no communication. This leads to a disconnect between the way that customers expect to be treated and the way in which we actually treat them.
Remember, though, that using new technologies to provide a more personalised service should be all about becoming more human. If you rely on them too much, it’s easy to start looking at clients and customers as figures and metrics instead of as living, breathing individuals. People do business with people that they like, and getting to know your customers is a great way to get them to like you.
Being likeable
You can’t force someone to like you, but you can make it easier for them to like you by being thoughtful and considerate whenever you deal with them, remembering past interactions and using them to personalise your conversations. It takes a little extra effort on your part, but it’ll be worth it. Good luck.
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Dane
Dane Cobain is a published author, freelance writer, book blogger, poet and (occasional) musician from High Wycombe, UK. Before going freelance, he worked as a social media marker, now specialising in writing about publishing, technology and marketing.