Omnichannel Marketing

By Kent Lewis, Anvil Media (aka, PDX’s Godfather of Marketing)

The goal of smart marketers is to target prospects and customers with the right message in the right place at the right time to maximize brand awareness, positive perception and ultimately, sales. With the proliferation of smartphones, tablets, laptops, and social media platforms, it is becoming increasingly challenging for brands to craft and digitally syndicate a message that will achieve the goal. One solution to the challenge is omnichannel (aka omni-channel) marketing, defined as a multichannel approach to sales (and marketing) that seeks to provide customers with a seamless shopping experience, whether they’re shopping online from a desktop or mobile device, by telephone, or in a brick-and-mortar store. This podcast covers the fundamentals of an effective omnichannel marketing program.

Before we go too far down the rabbit hole of omnichannel marketing, we first need to differentiate the term from a related, but distinctly different phrase, multichannel marketing. If you know your Latin, the phrase “omni” means all, whereas “multi” means many. Consider multichannel is an umbrella term relating to the distribution of marketing messages across multiple channels, which commonly include, but are not limited to: website, email, social media, direct response (mail or email), advertising, public relations, and events. Omnichannel, by comparison, focuses on creating a seamless experience across those channels, particularly digitally, where you can more readily identify the recipient by a unique identifier to personalize the message or action.

For those newer to the concept of omnichannel marketing, it may be helpful to provide a bit of background. According to the latest omnichannel marketing automation statistics from Omnisend’s Annual Report for 2019, there are distinct and powerful advantages to omnichannel, as compared to single channel marketing:

  • Engagement rate: 18.96% on omnichannel vs 5.4% on single-channel
  • Purchase frequency: 250% higher on omnichannel vs single-channel
  • Average order value: 13% more per order on omnichannel vs single-channel
  • Customer retention rates: 90% higher for omnichannel vs single-channel

Omnichannel marketing relies heavily on technology to accurately target recipients with personalized messaging. Key omnichannel marketing program components typically consist of a single sign-in (which may be powered by an email, phone number, loyalty program # or app), a robust customer relationship management (CRM) platform, personalization, location data, and integrated customer service.

Despite the need for an extensive investment in a marketing technology (martech) stack, the end goal is to create a seamless experience for the end user. According to the Simplicity Index, 64 percent of consumers are willing to pay more for a simplified experience. In other words, reduce the friction and increase your sales. For example, don’t offer up a sales pitch disguised as help. If a customer or prospect asks for help, provide it in the most convenient way possible, whether it be via phone, email, website, social platform or text. A Zendesk study found 50 percent of customers want to be able to fix their own problems, so be sure to build out an extensive frequently asked questions (FAQ) database.

With the fundamental framework in place, the next step is to develop an overarching omnichannel marketing plan, complete with key strategies and supporting tactics. Here are a few best practices to consider when developing your omnichannel marketing program:

  1. Take the customer journey. Walk a mile in your customer (and prospects) shoes. Gain insights into major milestones, roadblocks and messaging opportunities to reduce friction and maximize engagement.
  2. Measure twice, cut once. Every step of the customer journey creates an opportunity to generate insightful data, whether by end user, message or channel. Ensure all data is being captured for future analysis.
  3. Segment your end users. Utilize the data you’ve collected to create and refine buyer personas that can then be messaged to by channel, seamlessly.
  4. Create compelling content. This is perhaps the most challenging step in any marketing program. To target recipients based on behavior, you must create messages that elicit behaviors and actions that can be measured and analyzed.
  5. Listen, learn and act. Monitor all primary channels for insights and quickly answer questions to reduce friction. Prioritize channels based on preference and usage to maximize efficiency.
  6. Expand beyond sales and marketing. Leverage the data to create insights across the organization, including market research, product development, customer service and merchandising.

We hope you enjoy our podcast on omnichannel marketing. Be sure to subscribe and listen to our podcast archives. If you liked the podcast, be sure to leave us a review.

Omnichannel Marketing Resources

Omnichannel marketing automation statistics for 2019

12 Examples of Brands With Brilliant Omni-Channel Experiences

Omnichannel Marketing: What it is, Why it Matters, and How to Execute it

The Definition of Omni-Channel Marketing – Plus 7 Tips

What Senior Living Can Learn From Omnichannel Marketing Masters Like Disney

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Dream Big,
N

Photo by Austin Chan on Unsplash

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Why to Fail Forward

From years of running a nonprofit beginning with “Dream Big” in my title, my journey of success included failure on a daily basis. I failed more times than I succeeded, but success erased all the negative feelings about those events.  For some people, when I say “Fail Forward” to them, I see a negative kneejerk reaction.

Failing forward takes courage.

I’ve written several articles in this area, which I will list later. While I was writing it at the time, all I wanted to do is scream the message from the mountain tops because I’ve heard so many people struggling and it broke my heart- but it’s not my life. My coach would always tell me in training, “I can’t want the success more than you.”

Fear is why people don’t fail forward. They quit and blame others.

We all have our own journey and failure is part of it. It’s the old adage, “no risk, no reward.” If you want to live the life you’ve always wanted, be ready to take a risk and do the unthinkable.

Resources:
Failing Your Way to Success: https://nwebsterllc.com/2015/06/07/fail-your-way-to-success/
Failing is the Starting Point: https://nwebsterllc.com/2015/07/20/failing-starting-point/
Fail Forward: https://nwebsterllc.com/2016/04/26/fail-forward/

Enjoy the show!

 

Click here to submit your iTunes review!

Dream Big,
N

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The Top 10 Effective Social Media Strategies in 2019

Social media is a major marketing channel, which is why you clicked this link to come to this article. Hence, why Anvil Media’s Kent Lewis and I had to do a podcast on this topic. Being a social media marketing guru is a must in 2019. For a short list, here is the gist of the conversation:

  1. Video
  2. Content
  3. Storytelling
  4. Word of mouth
  5. Consistency
  6. Syndicate
  7. Go Live
  8. Advertise
  9. Use A/B Testing
  10. Never stop learning

For those of you who want to more, Kent wrote a more detailed article. Click at this link: https://www.sempdx.org/blog/social-media-marketing/effective-social-media-strategies.

One of the key pieces of advice, “facts tell, stories sell.” Social media is great for telling everyone’s stories. Facebook is the juggernaut for cataloging individual achievements, family history, and personal recognition. The view can get to know a person without having to say, “hi,” to them in person.

These top 2019 social media strategies can be overwhelming if your novice, but don’t be fearful. All of these marketing hacks can be done in bite-size actions. Take your time and handle one channel (eg – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc) at a time.

Online Marketing and Social Media – https://mrsocialentrepreneur.com/online-marketing-social-media/
How to Become a Social Media Guru – https://nwebsterllc.com/2018/01/11/become-social-media-guru-3-easy-steps/

Get some popcorn and coffee. Take notes, and enjoy your show.

Click here to submit your iTunes review!

Dream Big,
N

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Elliot for Water

How would you react if I told you that you could become a superhero and change the life of 800 million people? According to WHO, this is the number of people who still live without access to safe drinking water. Now, thanks to Elliot For Water, you can directly impact all those lives by simply searching the web.

Elliot for Water, in fact, is a search engine just like Google, the difference is, it donates 1 liter of water every time you search the web. The search engine allocates 60% of its profit to finance clean water projects in developing countries.

The way it works is pretty simple, you search the web, ads generate money, and this money goes to the water projects.

So far Elliot for Water has reached 400,000 people, provided a village in Guinea-Bissau with two seasons of seeds to allow for agriculture and installed bases to initiate drilling and provide safe water to 200 people in a Guinea-Bissau village with our charity partner, Well Found.

Elliot For Water has been founded by Andrea Demichelis, a 24-year-old Italian man striving to leave a positive impact in the world. Born in a small seaside town in the western Italian coast, he packed his belongings after high school and moved to Paris to study and start working as a Stockbroker. However, during the last year of University, Andrea came to the realization that a different type of business was possible: a business where success and giving back went hand in hand. With this new concept in his mind, he understood that he was not supposed to follow the Wall Street path, but rather should create something of his own. Soon enough, this “something of his own” became “something that could really impact the world” and he ended up creating his first entrepreneurial project, Elliot For Water.

Website: www.elliotforwater.com
Email: andrea@elliotforwater.com

Enjoy the show!

 

Click here to submit your iTunes review!

Dream Big,
N

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Introducing MobileMoxie’s Cindy Krum

In mid-March of 2019, I had the privilege to attend Portland’s SEMPDX‘s ENGAGE Marketing Conference. This was a 2-day event and the agenda was jammed packed. The audience primarily consisted of marketing professionals with a heavy emphasis on digital marketing experts.

Just in case if I lost you with the vernacular, sorry. SEM is the abbreviation for search engine marketing. Similarly, like SEO is the acronym for search engine optimization.

Ok, back to SEMPDX.

A couple of things grabbed my attention and I said, “oh shoot, I need to take notes.”

The key takeaways for me were the following:

  • data analytics–for me this would be Google Analytics–isn’t always accurate or make sense;
    • keywords
    • CTR (aka, click thru rate)
    • conversion rate
  • mobile is becoming the wave of the future;
    • especially for e-commerce
  • Google isn’t a search engine, it’s an ANSWER engine;
    • I was like “duh,” of course it is
  • AMP is the new hotness for mobile-first indexing and top of page SERPs; and
  • over 61% of web search requests aren’t clicked.

With the last statistic of 61%, I was so happy to be affirmed. I wasn’t able to articulate the message so well, but Cindy hit it on the nose. It was as if she was talking directly to me, “you’ve been right all along.”

Affirming My Agency’s Claims

These were my thoughts while Cindy Krum (of MobileMoxie) was talking/presenting:
Cindy: “It’s all about the knowledge graph.”
Me: I was like, “what’s that?”
Cindy: “It’s about rising to the top of the page, not JUST the first page.”
Me: “Oh my God, rite! I’ve been telling prospective clients for years. But getting to the top of the page is owned by Google. This is only temporary if you don’t find a way to stay there organically and get CTRs.”
Cindy: “Featured snippets are the wave of the future. Don’t forget hosted inclusions, XML feed, and answer carousels. Google doesn’t want you to leave their site. Their goal is for you to never leave.”

I was like, “BOOM!” But she kept going.

When she said, ‘the best practices aren’t always what’s best,” I had to get her on the podcast. I’ve been so tired of hearing the key leaders of companies speak of getting to the first page of Google organically without knowing what to do next. Therefore, for the first time in my marketing career, I felt affirmed.

Enough about me, listen to her. She’ll tell you.

For me, it doesn’t matter what industry you’re in. The mobile era has just begun. Smartphone technology is synonymous with having the freedom to having a license to drive, except now you have Uber. All you need is the application to connect to Uber or Lyft. Ironically, you still need a smartphone.

If you want to see her present the full 60-minute presentation, here’s the link to her blog, presentation, and deck: https://mobilemoxie.com/blog/webinar-mobile-first-indexing-the-story-your-data-isnt-telling-you. Otherwise, we’ll cover the gist of it in the under 30-minute podcast.

Enjoy the show!

Click here to submit your iTunes review!

Dream Big,
N

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How to Dominate in Your Industry

Starting a business isn’t for the faint. It takes courage and commitment. Sacrifices have to made. Hard work is a constant while networking to increase exposure to make a sell.

The sell of your product/service is good; however, newly-born entrepreneurs don’t think about dominating to they realize the work is a dogfight because you need multiple sales. Selling never stops.

One sale is competing and won’t pay the bills. We have to pay all the bills.

This isn’t about competing. Entrepreneurship is about dominating. There are too many folks to compete with instead of learning of how to dominate within your specialty, niche, and/or expertise.

No matter if you’re nonprofit or for-profit, key leaders are understanding you have to dominate within your industry. The days of mass marketing, appealing to the crowds, and waiting for people are over.

Kent and I go in this podcast episode blind without any notes of any kind.

Kent’s company, Anvil Media.
Kent’s profile, LinkedIn.

Enjoy the show!

Click here to submit your iTunes review!

Dream Big,
N

Resources

Six Habits of Professionals More Successful Than You
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/six-habits-professionals-more-successful-than-you-kent-lewis/

How to Become a Social Media Guru in 3 Easy Steps
https://nwebsterllc.com/2018/01/11/become-social-media-guru-3-easy-steps/

Three Reasons Why You Should Publish on LinkedIn Pulse
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/three-reasons-why-you-should-publish-linkedin-pulse-kent-lewis

Three Not-so-Secret B2B Sales Hacks
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/three-not-so-secret-b2b-sales-hacks-kent-lewis

The Three Golden Rules of Networking on Social Media
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/three-golden-rules-networking-social-media-kent-lewis

Referral-based networking
https://www.anvilmediainc.com/marketing-resources/articles/referral-based-networking/

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Getting To Thriving With Sarah Oliveri

It’s always nice to run into professionals who understand the nonprofit hustle. The grit and grind it takes to run a nonprofit doesn’t always have words. Sarah Oliveri is one who has lived it and helping others in the vein with her PivotGround organization.

Sarah’s secret sauce is her Nonprofit Blueprint.

Don’t let the nonprofit trick you. Her methods are not just for nonprofits. Sarah’s business acumen reaches in both sectors, nonprofit and for-profit.

Check out the podcast for yourself down below. Also, there’s the opening paragraph to her secret weapon article. If you like what you see, click on the link to learn more of how she can help your organization grow.

__________________

The Secret Weapon to increase capacity without spending more money that Nonprofits NEED to start using: The Nonprofit Blueprint™

Most nonprofits are organized with a lot of heart, which is to say, that many are relatively disorganized. When they are “organized” we find the issue of silos forming with communication and collaboration divides between departments or administration vs. non-administration. There can also be entire functions that are missing from an organization resulting in stagnated growth and diminished impacts. Without the right kind of organizational structure for your nonprofit, you are bound to feel overwhelmed, wear too many hats, and struggle with delegation.

To continue reading, go to her site by clicking here.

Sarah’s company, PivotGround.
Sarah’s profile, LinkedIn.

Click here to submit your iTunes review!

Dream Big,
N

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How to Grow Your Business Managing Online Reviews

I’m not a huge online shopper, but when I do reviews are a huge part of it. I probably peruse over 15 to 20 reviews from 5-stars to 1-star, and that’s on the first site. After two to three more consumer platforms, I go thru another 10 to 20 reviews. Lastly, I like to see it in person depending on the product.

It’s not for everything I buy, but something I could have buyer’s remorse that’s one of my processes. To shop online is difficult because I don’t have the immediate gratification of walking away with it. On the contrary, it can also work to my benefit.

The worst part of going to the store and they don’t have it. Even though their site states they have it at that location, nothing is there. Those experiences push me more and more to an online shopping experience. Hence, why I look at reviews.

How about you? How do you shop online? Do you look at reviews?

Kent’s article he wrote is a good guidebook to follow along as you listen to the podcast. I’ll tell you which one I’m guilty of too.

Here’s the link: https://www.sempdx.org/blog/online-reviews-management-tips/.

Kent’s company, Anvil Media.
Kent’s profile, LinkedIn.

Enjoy the show!

Click here to submit your iTunes review!

Dream Big,
N

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Black Suburbia Privilege

After the last couple of years from the Trayvon Martin shooting to the hate crimes being committed, I wanted to revisit a topic I wrote years ago in 2015. In my life, I’ve been extremely blessed to have dodged social minefields of uncomfortable conversations and unfair treatment.

Our company goal was to speak the truth and stick up for the little person, but I had no idea how my life was going to be turned upside down.

Since this article was on my experience, I wanted to marry to controversial topics together, black and privilege.

My privilege of being in the black suburbs caught up with me in 2015, and it has changed my outlook of how I run my business, why I love Vancouver, WA, and the need for us to come together and make change.

I proud to be black, from the suburbs and my journey.

So enjoy the podcast!

Sincerely,

Nathan A Webster

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6 Digital Marketing Predictions for 2019

For those looking for marketing hacks to grow your business, look no further. Anvil Media’s Kent Lewis and I are at it again. This podcast breaks down super simple hacks for your brand to capitalize on in 2019.

If you’re asking, “how do I market myself?” We have the answer.

Are you asking, “how important is SEO (aka, search engine optimization) in my website?”

Is your marketing person wanting to know how to better position your website, we have the answer.

As we move into 2019 as a pivotal year for brand promotion on countless media platforms, are you ready to begin the new year gaining an edge on your competitors?

That’s what I thought, so let’s go to the next level!

Read Kent’s blog:

As the momentum of 2019 rolls in, it is a great time to look ahead to what we can expect in the digital marketing industry in the year ahead.

As we’ve done for the past 12-plus years at Anvil, we sat down as a team to discuss our 2019 digital marketing predictions, and we want to wish you the happiest of holidays with this special gift. Enjoy.

Video trends will increase in marketing, messaging and media.

Live video content, i.e. streaming, encourages high engagement and will be an even more valuable tool for brands in 2019. This type of video content will be more search friendly with more prevalent use of closed captioning and the power of artificial intelligence. AI can transcribe audio to make video more searchable. Video previews will auto-play on most platforms. With the ease of video production essentially being in everyone’s phone, video will also take on more of a 1-to-1 approach. Personalized video messages will start replacing chat, email and phone calls as ways brands communicate with customers. Videos will be created to thank a customer, deliver support or follow up on customer questions.

To read the full article, click here.

Click here to submit your iTunes review!

Dream Big,
N

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