Every month we throw a shady or outdated practice, dose of snake oil or over-hyped buzzword into the special place in marketing hell that is the Rockstar CMO Swimming Pool. This month, Ian Truscott is inspired by L. Michelle Smith as he looks to heft “omnichannel for the sake of it” off the penthouse balcony. Don’t agree? Tweet us!
Dallas native, L. Michelle Smith is an author, speaker and marketing leader with over 25 years of experience as a communicator and integrated marketer. When I went backstage with her, we discussed what she would like to see plunging into the Rockstar CMO Swimming pool and this is what she shared:
“while omnichannel has its place in some consumer experiences and can be effective, sometimes this surround sound approach can be super-sensory overload and, in some cases, borderline creepy if not executed with care. Some targeted audiences aren’t tuned in to every channel and prefer their messages in particular ways and spaces, and become endeared. If you can hit one or two channels with just the right message, creative and nuances, that audience will keep returning for more”
I agree with Michelle.
If there is one business discipline where the phrase “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should” applies, it’s marketing. We are often guilty of playing with every shiny bauble that rolls into the marketing office, irrespective of whether it’s helpful for our audience or delivers on our objectives. Omnichannel or multichannel marketing is a prime example of something we can do, but really need to think about first.
Almost every marketer is resource or time constrained and there is a lot to be said for investing that time crafting a more focused channel strategy and building a community there, rather than spreading your creativity, budget and time over a broader set of channels, where you will be hard pressed to give the audience enough attention to build anything.
And let’s face it, done badly, remarketing across channels has moved from the creepy mystery it was, to being seen as annoying, clumsy, inappropriate and lazy, by an increasingly savvy online consumer. It’s more of a risk to the brand’s reputation than the 0.7% click through rate it yields (a figure widely reported across industry publications, probably sourced from this article).
In an age of influence, especially when working with an increasing number of micro-influencers, building communities is essential and takes focus. Taking care, focusing on one channel, developing an appropriate message and relevant creative, and nurturing an audience will change the experience and the return you get from the campaign.
Plus, this channel focus sets up a certain expectation in terms of service and experience with the consumer. If you have an Instagram account and start blasting out pretty images of your products or people, make sure you can respond and service clients via Instagram.
So… with a final shove, there it goes – “Omnichannel for the Sake of Omnichannel” whistles past floors 27 to 1 to its watery demise, in the Rockstar CMO Swimming Pool.
Find out more about Michelle including the podcast Cultural Soup and her 30 Minute Mentor program on her website.
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