How To Use Different Marketing Channels to Engage Customers Across the Life Cycle

Sometimes it can seem like engaging customers gets a little, well, stale. Especially when stretched over the customer life cycle. Businesses can get to feeling like they're going through the same motions. And if companies get that feeling, they can be sure customers have long felt the ennui. It's not just marriages that could use some spicing up every now and then — the customer relationship, too, benefits from a change of pace.

In the marketing context, this amounts to using different channels for customer outreach. Switching up the method of contact — like sprinkling in some social media engagement with that direct mail initiative — can can have a host of benefits. Different channels are most effective at different points in the customer life cycle.

However, having a multichannel mix requires a bit more strategy than just blasting your message across different platforms.

Don't discount the power of email

Most marketing attention these days goes to social media, but it's email that still reigns king. According to a 2017 survey from Adobe, Americans spend an average of 5.4 hours each day using email  , including 2.1 hours for personal accounts. Not only that, but younger consumers are even more likely to be using email. Adobe found that of Americans aged 25 to 34:

• 76 percent use email in bed.
• 53 percent while in the bathroom.
• 47 percent while commuting to and from work.

The most important takeaway for marketers is that email is the preferred channel for receiving brand information: 61 percent of consumers said they wanted to receive offers or promotions through email, while just 6 percent said so for social media.

Use social media to augment the conversation

However, social does have more use down the funnel. While email still be tops for getting seen by customers, social media can have value in spurring honest engagement. Businesses should be using their social media pages not for sales advertising, but for humanizing. These days, consumers want to feel like they interact with a brand that is socially conscious, knowledgeable and fun. It's hard to get that done through email, but social media can change the game.

The best way to leverage social is in sparking conversations with followers. Whether on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest, think about posting a daily question or poll to engage your followers. Be sure to respond with a like or comment if they weigh in, as it promotes a virtuous cycle of engagement that may be hard to come by elsewhere.

Keep messaging consistent

Regardless of which channel you use, be sure to have a consistent voice and presence across your efforts. This goes down to the colors you use for email or social media posts: Everything should be uniform. That way, customers know you and your business; they can recognize it, describe it, or pick it out of a crowd. Having a unified message on all active platforms helps build a cohesive image.

If your business could benefit from operational help in order to more effectively address multichannel marketing, talk to Vectra Bank today. Our suite of business products and services can help your firm find its best financial footing from which to succeed.