Multi-channel marketing refers to the practice of interacting with customers across multiple distribution and promotional channels. Through a multi-channel approach, businesses are able to interact with their target customers at multiple touch points in their decision-making journey. By reaching their potential customers at different stages in their decision journey, small businesses can increase their brand recognition in a much more encompassing way.
Companies may use direct channels as part of their marketing strategy such as direct mailers, signage, and brick-and-mortar locations but also indirect channels like social media or food delivery platforms like DoorDash. In order to promote your business successfully, it is important to market your business through both direct and indirect means in order to achieve the best results.
Multi-Channel Marketing Strategy
It is important to properly strategize to give your multi-channel marketing approach the best chance for meaningful success. Here are a few best practices to keep in mind as you begin to plan your multi-channel marketing strategy:
Stay Consistent
While it may be fun to promote in a myriad of different ways, it’s important to keep your brand consistent across your marketing channels. A consistent brand will resonate with your target audience and help cement it in their mind - especially if they interact with your brand in more ways than one. Consistency can be achieved in simple ways like using the same colors and logos on your promotional materials.
Choose the Right Platforms
Not every channel is going to be the right fit for your business, it’s important to choose the right platforms to help you achieve your desired objective(s). Find out which channels or platforms your target audience is located to help market your business from a position of strength. For example, if you want to promote your location to a younger demographic you would most likely want to market your business through social media like TikTok rather than a newspaper advertisement. This is because TikTok is typically a better avenue to reach that demographic. You need to understand your customers' habits in order to choose the best platforms to reach them.
Leverage Your Store Front
A bar or restaurant store front is an easy channel to implement as a part of a small business’s marketing strategy that can often go overlooked. Leverage your store front with outdoor signage to promote your business to passersby. Accel Entertainment offers a large variety of exciting outdoor signage to our partner locations to help them utilize this marketing channel to its fullest capabilities!