An Introduction to Cross-Channel Marketing

Cross-channel marketing is often mixed up with the concept of multi-channel marketing. In truth, they’re two entirely different things. Here are some of the primary differences…

Cross-Channel Means Channels Crossing

Well, obviously, right? But the basic definition of cross-channel marketing is that you have two different forms of marketing, say, a website and a catalog, and both of them are leading prospects to the other. In the cross-channel structure, you have two forms of marketing supporting one another like a pair of crossed fingers. They are both strengthened by the other, and in fact, intertwined to the point where they are best kept part of a singular ad campaign.

Multi-Channel Just Means Many Channels

Advertising using print, the web, television and radio is not cross-channel marketing unless they are actually referring to one another in some way. A radio ad that says “Get online to see more great deals” or “Check out our catalog for a great deal” is cross-channel. A radio ad that simply says “Come on down” is multi-channel marketing. Multi-channel simply means that you have multiple channels for marketing, regardless of whether or not they are “crossed.”

Using Marketing Automation Software in Cross-Channel Marketing

Crossing your channels can be easier if you have the right marketing automation software. What you’re looking for is software that is, first of all, easy to use. No matter how powerful, efficient or effective it is, if you can’t get it working then it’s not going to do you any good.

Email campaign management is one of the easiest things to do with marketing automation software. If you ever want to test the waters with a new program, just try out a trial run of a new email campaign and see how it performs.

Cross-Channel Challenges

However, you should know that cross-channel campaigns can be tough. They come with a lot of challenges. One of the main issues is that the data can be a little harder to track. It’s difficult to be absolutely certain as to whether or not the catalog campaign is working, for instance. The only way to know for sure is to stop running the catalog and see if it hurts your other forms of advertising.

Of course, nobody ever said that tracking data in a marketing campaign was easy, but when you start mixing your media, you can be surprised how fast it gets out of hand for an amateur or even a pro. This is why the right email campaign management software is so important. At the very least, if you can make a few parts of the job a little easier, then you absolutely should.

Is it worth it even with these challenges? Absolutely. Today’s consumer is unpredictable. You may think an email campaign is enough, but some people still don’t use computers. You may think email and a catalog will do, but some people throw catalogs away. Covering as many bases as you can and trying to bring leads in from one area to the rest is a challenge, but when you see what it does for your business, you may be wondering why you haven’t been doing this for years.