In this ever-evolving world, where technological advancements and social media overload reduces our attention span by the day, businesses can’t rely on a particular strategy to bolster their sales/closures. When clients are spoilt for choices, business owners need to look for the most effective ways of reaching out to them. According to the latest marketing statistics, over 90 percent of marketers, belonging to some of the best marketing companies, believe lead generation is their prime focus.
Additionally, more and more businesses these days are opting for a comprehensive lead generation strategy and including as many channels as they can. In fact, a McKinsey report states that 94 percent of B2B decision makers believe that the trending omni-channel sales model has been as effective or more than the existing sales models that they had been using so far. So, what is this omni-channel strategy that businesses are increasingly relying on? Let’s read on to find out:
What is Omni-channel Lead Generation?
Now that we know omni-channel lead generation is the new kid on the block when it comes to online marketing, let’s find out what all the hype is all about! Omni-channel lead generation involves the use of various channels to reach potential clients. It’s a strategy that is extremely beneficial to those in the B2B scene. It comprises a cohesive integration of the myriad of channels of reaching out to prospects that are available to businesses. It can be a cohesive integration of several internal and external teams, such as a social media marketing agency, an e-mail marketing company, and an in-house sales team.
What Are The Various Channels in Omni-channel Lead Generation?
Omni-channel lead generation involves the use of several channels, all at once. Let’s take a look at a few such channels that marketers opt for while using this method:
· E-mail marketing:
This remains one of the most-used and most efficient tools for generation of B2B leads. In fact, data projections suggest that by 2027, the global e-mail marketing market will amount to $18 billion. Targeted emails deliver personalized messages, letting businesses nurture long-term client relationships.
· Social media channels
Social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Instagram allow brand exposure and direct interactions with prospective clients. With a scope for call-to-action initiatives and community engagement through newsletters, targeted ads, and contests, businesses can not just create brand awareness but also attract potential clients.
· Content marketing tools
Be it blog posts on trending topics, webinars, or well-researched white papers, creatively crafted content, along with a fair use of SEO-optimization services, on trending and industry-relevant topics have no alternative when it comes to attracting valid and genuine queries. You can hire one of the reputed search engine marketing services for better rankings on the search engine results page (SERP).
· Websites
A well-made and visually appealing website (even a basic one created by one of the local website designers or a web development service agency) that explains your company’s core values lends credibility to your brand’s voice. The website can also explain your business operations and give a detailed idea of what the customer can expect. Graphs, charts, infographics, and interactive elements add value to such content and help you generate quality leads.
· Web push notifications
Close on the heels of creating an eye-catching and informative website is strategizing web push notifications. Targeted and timely notifications based on audience behavior drives traffic to your site and increases the chances of quality lead generation.
· Paid ads
Paid or sponsored content, such as LinkedIn or Google ads, too play a major role in getting quality leads and is an integral part of omni-channel marketing. Strategic keyword bidding and utilization of pay-per-click ads can help businesses score genuine clients.
How Different is it from Multi-channel Lead Generation?
Another term that any business owner or marketer is well-acquainted with these days is ‘multi-channel lead generation’ and often, omni-channel and multi-channel strategies are mistakenly used synonymously. However, they are similar yet quite distinct methods.
To begin with, you aren’t completely wrong when you assume they are similar concepts. Both multi-channel and omni-channel lead generation aim at using as many channels as possible to reach out to prospective clients/customers. But while traditionally, multi-channel marketing was the order of the day (the outsourced social media firms or teams had no clue what the e-mail marketing teams were up to), of late, omni-channel marketing has opened new avenues to make the whole customer experience seamless and integrated.
So, what are the major differences between the two methods? Let’s find out:
Here’s an example to help you understand how omni-channel could be better than multi-channel lead generation for your business:
Let’s assume you own one of the new and innovative digital advertising companies in your locality or are someone new in the SEO business. Annie, a flying prospect, lands on your brand’s social media page. She “likes” a certain post on your Instagram page that talks about optimized digital marketing services and lists out the services that your company offers. Your outsourced social media marketing firm/team gets in touch with Annie with a personalized direct message, asking her if she would be interested in any of your services. She responds affirmatively, and your social media team follows up and gathers her e-mail ID.
The next step would be a direct mail by your e-mail marketing team, stating a detailed write-up about your products and a link to order or enquire further. This way, you have the choice of making your lead generation process seamless and more personalized.
By the time your sales representatives reach out to your client/customer over phone, your deal is half closed, as the customer/client is already anticipating the conversation and is ready to talk to your sales team about a particular service he/she is interested in. This is the magic of omni-marketing lead generation.
Why Omni-channel Lead Generation: The Benefits
According to a report by reputed marketing automation platform Omnisend, organizations that adopt omni-channel marketing campaigns do 250% better in terms of lead conversion than those that do not. But why is that so? Below, we have jotted down some reasons why your business can benefit from an omni-channel lead generation strategy:
· An integrated and holistic view of client/customer preference and behavior of decision makers gives you the opportunity to streamline your lead generation strategies and provide personalized solutions
· The collaboration across platforms ensures your consumers/clients aren’t receiving unwanted messages or inconsistent communication
· Since personalization is the primary element of omni-channel lead generation, it creates better customer satisfaction
· Omni-channel lead generation helps you approach a wider pool of clients/customers
· There is better customer/client engagement in the omni-channel lead generation process, as your actions are driven by your observation of the client’s/customer’s behavior across platforms, ensuring you aren’t pursuing inert/inactive leads
· Per Omnisend’s research, companies that have made use of at least three marketing channels in their campaigns have witnessed a customer retention rate that’s 90% better than those that have used just a single channel
Challenges of Omni-channel Lead Generation
Like any other marketing strategy, the omni-channel method too has its fair share of hurdles. Let’s look at a few such challenges that your business can face while employing omni-channel lead generation:
· A large number of touchpoints to connect with your target market makes your marketing efforts more complicated
· The more channels you use, the bigger your workforce will be. Managing operations and people across teams may become a cumbersome process
· Ensuring that all the channels put across a unified and consistent brand message can be a challenging task too
Tips to Create a Successful Omni-channel Strategy
It’s evident that an omni-channel lead generation strategy translates into a more focused and streamlined approach. Nonetheless, adopting an omni-channel campaign blindly, without preparing for it, may not be a good idea. There are certain aspects that you should keep in mind when you decide to take the plunge. After all, statistics have proved that 53 percent of marketers end up spending half their budget on lead generation. So, you wouldn’t want your strategy to fall flat in any case. And here are some tips to make sure you do it right:
· Identify your target market
The most crucial aspect for any marketing strategy is to identify the target client/customer base. Create a customer/client persona, jotting down the age group, sex (if applicable), geographical specifications, etc.
The next thing on your list should be to identify the journey map of your customer. A thorough journey mapping helps you locate the various touchpoints your customer/client would be coming across while interacting with your company.
· Identify and integrate the channels that suit your offering
For an omni-marketing lead generation strategy to succeed, you need to have a clear idea about the suitability of the marketing channels you intend to use. For instance, a B2B lead generation campaign can rely on social media apps such as LinkedIn, business websites (created by professional web development service agencies), webinars, and email marketing.
You can then integrate the chosen channels by ensuring all teams understand your brand message and deliver the same message to all consumers across all channels. This brand voice might include the tone, visual elements, and other content of the message.
· Run an A/B test
Before you go for a full-fledged campaign, make sure you run a test to check if your strategy resonates with your target market. The audience for this test can include a sample pool of your prospective clients/customers. The content being tested can include graphics, email subjects, and ad creatives. ·
- Utilize analytical reports
Maintain daily reports of the data from your CRM teams and utilize them to fine-tune your campaign. Make a note of all the difficulties faced by your teams, any miscommunication of your brand voice, or any client/customer feedback for improvement. You can also take the help of one of the reputation management companies to manage your online reputation by addressing the negative feedback and utilizing it, instead of deleting such reviews.
Industries Best Suited to an Omni-channel Marketing Strategy
Omni-channel lead generation strategies work for both B2B and B2C sectors. Yer, there are some industries that benefit more from this method. For instance: The software-as-a-service (SaaS) industry that makes use of dynamic channels such as live chats, webinars, social media platforms, and email campaigns The services industry that doesn’t have tangible products on offer but gains clients through well-researched case studies, white papers, blogs, and website articles that they promote or post on social media or send through emails Manufacturing organizations that use both age-old sales methods with digital brochures, mobile online factory/warehouse video tours, or social media apps to help clients connect with their offerings
Key Pointers
Omni-channel lead generation is one of the newest strategies that marketers across the world have been using of late Omni-channel lead generation involves using as many channels of marketing to reach out to consumers and making the consumer/client experience seamless and consistent across marketing platforms The various lead generation channels in this strategy are: a detailed website designed by a reputed WordPress web design company, social media apps such as Instagram and LinkedIn, e-mails, web push notifications, and paid ads It is different from multi-channel marketing in the sense that it focuses on the consumer/client as opposed to organization. It is geared toward sending a consistent brand voice to prospects, according to their needs, and not merely toward reaching out to as many leads as possible Some of the benefits of this lead generation strategy are: better reach, better collaboration across platforms/teams, personalization that brings in better customer satisfaction, and a higher customer/client retention rate One of the major challenges of this method is the maintenance of consistency across huge teams and diverse platforms Some tips of using this strategy include: identifying the target market, integrating communication efforts, running a test, and using analytical reports to fine-tune the process The SaaS, manufacturing, and services industries gain the maximum benefits from this strategy
Final Thoughts
We hope we have been able to offer a comprehensive guide to using the new sensation in the arena of marketing: omni-channel lead generation. We also hope your B2B sales will reach new heights after you engage in this method, thereby streamlining your sales and marketing efforts to reach out to the right set of clients/customers.
Additionally, don’t forget that omni-channel lead generation scores over multi-channel lead generation tactics because it caters to what customers/clients want and doesn’t just aim at selling what you have on offer. So, hire one of the best marketing companies in your vicinity and use this tactic right away, because your business will thrive only when you consider your client’s perspectives too. As entrepreneur Seth Godin rightly said, “Don’t find customers for your products. Find products for your customers.”