I learnt a new term. Understanding it might help you too.

By Peter McDonald

I heard a term recently that I wasn’t familiar with: omnichannel marketing. In the interests of contextual full disclosure, I’m tertiary qualified in marketing and multichannel marketing was what I was taught about.

It’s been a while and my career has taken some tangents since I gained my degree, but my interest in marketing is ever-present. I got to wondering how events fit into this newish concept. Curiosity got the better of me, so I explored it.

For the equally uninitiated, omnichannel marketing is the integration and cooperation of the various channels organisations use to interact with consumers, with the goal of creating a consistent brand experience. It is the seamless integration of branding, messaging, and online and offline customer touchpoints enabling a more impactful customer experience.

Omnichannel marketing takes a consumer-centric view of marketing tactics. Consumers can now interact with brands on innumerable channels. An omnichannel approach ensures that the consumer has a positive, consistent experience on each channel, by offering cohesive, identifiable brand tone and vision; personalised messaging based on specific interests; and, content that is informed by past interactions and the current stage of a buyer’s journey.

It differs from the more traditional multichannel marketing strategy. Multichannel looks at the specific channel and how the transaction will be completed there. Alternatively, omnichannel considers that the customer journey may span multiple channels - and looks at how to create the best experience as consumers move between them. One e-marketing platform provider reports that in 2020 marketers using three or more channels in any one campaign earned a 287% higher purchase rate than those using a single-channel campaign.

So, if omnichannel marketing is the emerging trend, what role does events play in it?

Events can serve as key touchpoints within an omnichannel strategy. Whether it's a physical event, a webinar, a virtual conference, or a social media livestream, these events should align with the overall brand message and customer experience that is aimed to be delivered across all channels.

The messaging, branding, and content presented during events should be consistent with what customers encounter on a website, mobile app, social media profiles, and other touchpoints.

Events provide valuable opportunities to collect customer data and insights. This data can be used to better understand customer preferences, behaviours, and engagement patterns. Omnichannel marketing relies on data integration across channels. Information collected during events can be combined with data from other touchpoints to create a more comprehensive customer profile and inform personalized marketing efforts.

Omnichannel marketing thrives on personalisation. Events can be used to gather information about attendees and tailor future marketing efforts based on their interests and interactions. For example, event attendees can be segmented into specific audience groups and sent personalised follow-up emails or offers based on their engagement and preferences expressed during the event.

Events can facilitate a smooth transition between online and offline channels. For instance, physical events can be hosted and promoted them through email campaigns, social media posts, and a website. After the event, the engagement can be continued with online content or exclusive offers.

Attendees who couldn't make it to the physical event could participate virtually, ensuring that everyone can engage in a way that suits their preferences.

Events are excellent tools for engaging with an audience in a more personal and immersive way. They can help foster a sense of community and brand loyalty. By integrating events into an omnichannel strategy, ongoing engagement with customers can be maintained and keep them connected to the brand throughout their journey.

Events can be a powerful component of an omnichannel marketing strategy when used strategically to create consistency, gather data, personalise interactions, enable seamless transitions between channels, and build engagement and loyalty. By aligning events with broader omnichannel goals, the customer experience becomes enhanced and drives meaningful results for a brand.

An omnichannel marketing strategy allows teams to meet their consumers where they are, with the right message at the right time. Some of the above might be stating the obvious, but to the buyers of the industry, if ever the value an event you deliver adds becomes questioned by a client, I hope this piece can be turned into a ‘here’s one I prepared earlier’ response. Likewise, to the sellers of the industry, your participation in industry events such as MEA’s annual Evolve conference as a sponsor or exhibitor in complement with other business development campaign initiatives has the potential to deliver a 287% purchase rate. Could you do with that?