Web marketing practices have greatly evolved in the last few years, but are still increasing in complexity due to the emergence of new mobile platforms and online distribution channels. The new consumer behaviour triggers a greater need to integrate multiple channels, goals and measurement options within a B2B marketing strategy, thus establishing omnichannel approach as a key to improving sales and marketing outcomes.
Today, marketers have the ability to use more sophisticated targeting options and implement local tactics to ensure engagements across all of the target channels. For B2B marketers, therefore, omnichannel means a greater focus on optimising for excellent user experience across all the potential touch points.
How omnichannel works in practice
One of the most comprehensive reports done in the field is Oracle's big omnichannel research that revealed the extent to which integrated marketing and sales can benefit a business. According to The Omnichannel Challenge: Strategies that Work, several key findings recommend the implementation of omnichannel strategies:
- 40% report increased brand awareness
- 66% say they saw increased brand loyalty
Overall, the answers to the question: “Which are the most valuable ways your omnichannel strategies have improved your business?” look like this:
With online consumers increasingly shifting between devices and platforms to make decisions in micro-moments, the fact that marketing practices transform to follow such a behaviour comes as no surprise. Today’s consumers are mobile, social, overloaded with information and have a greater awareness of online marketing practices. This means that businesses should invest more time in researching their target audience’s habits, interests and desires in order to be able to provide an exciting brand experience.
What B2B marketers should know
Marketers have the ability to use more sophisticated targeting options and implement local tactics to ensure engagements across all of these channels. Much like B2C businesses, B2B can also benefit from focusing on these tactics. The possible benefits were outlined in a recent report by Forrester and Hybris, which highlights several key trends, with more than 60% of B2B companies surveyed saying their customers are expecting omnichannel capabilities from them.
For B2B marketers, therefore, omnichannel obviously means a more successful business. By tailoring the experience across multiple digital channels to help their consumers, B2B companies can significantly improve their lead-to-revenue capabilities. In relation to this, chief strategy officer at hybriss software, Brian Walker notes:
“Professional B2B buyers’ expectations have changed dramatically, driven by the simplicity and efficiency of online consumer sites. How people behave as consumers now drives what we expect at work, including how we interact with the manufacturers and distributors who supply businesses.”
Now, of course, different industries may see some significantly different results after implementing omnichannel, but are likely to face similar challenges in terms of strategy implementation and measuring.
Facing the challenges
As mentioned in the Oracle report, the major challenges retailers face when dealing with omnichannel in practice are related to budgeting and measurement. While most recognise the potential of the strategy, its execution remains a significant issue.
Last year, a study by CMO Club and Visual IQ revealed that the following represent major challenges for CMOs:
- Inability to measure results (82%)
- Lack of in-house talent (80%)
- Assessing the impact of one channel’s performance on the performance of another one (69.8%)
Clearly, omnichannel is not all unicorns and rainbows, but a potentially exhaustive strategy whose cost-efficiency may not be easy to measure. Yet, regardless of the goals a business may set, there are several techniques that are likely to bring results.
Key implementation steps
Without a comprehensive, documented omnichannel strategy, businesses may fail to generate desired results. The strategy should heavily focus on:
- Creating and optimising a mobile website. Mobile searches have topped the ones on desktop platforms, which means that smartphone and tablet users have become a critical audience for businesses. Mobile websites provide instant information for this group of users and contribute to creating a positive perception of the brand.
- Mapping a customer’s journey. Data analysis is the key for creating effective customer journey maps and it refers to identifying demographic characteristics, as well as behavioural patterns of a targeted consumer. This data enables companies to create a buyer persona and design their offer according to their needs. Mike Dragan talked about this in more detail, and his research is a great resource for marketers planning to implement omnichannel.
- Going local with offers, SEO and content management systems and strategies. Local offers and digital strategies are probably the most effective way to attract consumers who increasingly require local information on the go. By optimising a website for local search and providing content and offers that match those consumers are most likely to make, industries can see increased engagements.
- Implementing the right technology. The IT aspect of the omnichannel strategy is equally important as the steps outlined above. Namely, marketers now have a greater availability of tools at their disposal to collect users’ data, communicate with consumers and monitor their engagements. Therefore, deciding on the right set of the omnichannel tools to use is definitely something that can greatly influence the outcomes of the strategy.
Understanding the value of omnichannel is the first step to its efficient implementation. As discussed above, it is designed to follow the pace of consumers’ changing habits and effectively engage them across multiple channels with an aim to increase conversions. This is why a greater number of marketers decide to focus on it, despite the fact some businesses still believe it is nothing but a marketing industry buzzword. Evidently, the practice shows the opposite and reveals a great potential for these strategies.
