10 Key Steps for Creating a Successful Multichannel Campaign

Today’s consumer is picky. Between flashy banner ads, spam emails, and colorful billboards, they’ve become numb to traditional marketing efforts. This oversaturation of advertising has spawned a new school of thought in the marketing world. Sometimes called “content marketing” or “inbound marketing,” it focuses on providing value to only the most qualified and relevant consumers (and leaving everybody else alone). Multichannel marketing works off this same concept. Through a variety of different channels, this approach aims to deliver valuable content to the people who want to see it.

When done well, a multichannel campaign is carefully researched and orchestrated to bring the company's message to the right people via a number of different mediums. Here are the ten key steps for creating a successful multichannel campaign. 

1. Determine Your Specific Marketing Goal

Using a variety of marketing channels doesn't mean that you should attempt to meet a different marketing goal for every method of communication. Instead, determine a specific marketing goal and focus your energy toward it. What do you want to accomplish with your campaign? Are you looking to improve customer engagement? Increase sales?

Set a SMART goal, or a goal that meets the following criteria:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-based

This will help you ensure that you've created an actionable goal rather than a nebulous idea. 

2. Determine and Put Focus On Your Intended Audience

Now, it's time to figure out who you want your campaign to address. If you're too general, it's possible that you won't reach your audience. You might gloss over their particular pain point or place emphasis on a feature of your product that doesn't interest them. 

Instead, figure out who you're directing your campaign toward before you start. Then, you can focus every element planned on your intended audience, choosing the platforms that will be most compelling to your audience. Regardless of the platform, keep your messaging consistent. This aspect of personalization will make an impact on your audience and result in increased engagement with your campaign overall. 

3. Create a Compelling Offer with a Creative Message

Regardless of the platform, it's important that you create a compelling offer to capture the interest of your audience. What are the components of a compelling offer? 

• Benefit— How will it improve your customer's current situation? 
• Differentiator— What sets you apart from your competitors? What makes your offer better than the rest? 
• Call-To-Action— What do they need to do to get what you're offering? 

The beauty of a multichannel campaign is the fact that you can combine both print and digital methods to create unique and creative messaging through a variety of platforms. 

4. PURLs, CTAs, Direct Mail, and General Good Design

It's time to focus on building better lists. To nurture a list of receptive prospects, you're going to need to put forth a little effort. How? Here are a few simple ways to build a better list. 

Personalized URL (or PURL)— A PURL is a special landing page that was created specifically for the recipients of a direct mail or email campaign. Why is this a good tool for building a better list? It will not only improve the response rates—when a person is given a URL with their name in it, they're more likely to make the effort to click on it— but it will also improve your response tracking. You'll know immediately who's responded, and you can trigger a previously established automated workflow to start targeting them directly.

Calls-To-Action (CTAs)— Any good piece of marketing, whether it's print or digital, will contain a call-to-action, or CTA. Why? Well, without one, your customer won't know how or where to get what you're offering. Give them the guidance they need to take advantage of your product, and you'll be pleasantly surprised by the results. 

Direct Mail— A direct mail campaign simply targets the people who are most likely to be interested in an offer, rather than blitzing everyone in town with your marketing materials. For example, if you owned a pizza parlor, it would be smart to orchestrate a direct mail campaign for the college campus in your town. (Pizza and late night studying are old friends.) Whether you choose to use a postcard, standard letter, or self mailer depends upon the message you're seeking to convey. Work with your printing partner to decide which is best for you. 

Good Design— No matter what format you choose, be sure that you've created something that's attractive and well-designed. Whether it's a piece of direct mail, a point of purchase sign, or a landing page, it must be eye-catching and carefully laid out.