Cross channel tracking and marketing is a relatively new technology that enables companies and their marketing departments to locate and target users across multiple channels. The channels can be online ones such as personal computers, mobile devices, tablets using such apps as email or social networking and offline ones as well such as print, television and radio. This type of marketing enables companies to run a single campaign across all these potential channels with a consistent message.
The use of cross-channel marketing and targeting has the potential to open up an ad display market worth billions of dollars. The new technology enables ads to be formatted for the device on which they are being viewed and for consumers to see ads that are consistent regardless of the device, whether it be a smartphone, a home computer or a tablet. Algorithms in the technology are able to make educated guesses as to what type of device the ad is being viewed on and whether the ad is being viewed by the same person based on location information and other means of unique identification.
There are several strategies that need to be undertaken in order to make cross-channel marketing most effective. The primary goal is that companies need to define and set their goals so that they can provide focus and meaning to those tactics and strategies that are part of the overall marketing plan. Goals need to be clearly defined at the beginning, effective and manage expectations and be communicated to the marketing team. A guideline to follow when setting goals is to use the SMART framework—Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely.
The right tracking systems also need to be used when implementing cross-channel marketing. This means that one should be aware of comparing apples to oranges, meaning that someone who is a fan on Facebook is not the same as an email subscriber. Google Analytics is one such tracking system that is one of the best ways to track behaviors online in order to measure conversions across multiple channels.
With cross-channel marketing, companies need to be aware of the number of clicks their prospects need to make in order to get the information they want. Having prospects click numerous times over several channels and entering their information more than once is not a way to get high conversion rates. By reducing the number of clicks, the friction can be reduced between a company’s prospect and the desired action. Companies need to refrain from having prospects fill out long forms and jumping through hoops just to get on a mailing list.
Finally, when using cross-channel marketing, companies need to understand the demographics of each market segment that uses that channel as people communicate differently in each channel. Some people communicate only through Facebook while others people more “traditional” email. By understanding the differences among the various users of their respective channels, companies can use these as opportunities to better connect with potential customers.
