Jan 18, 2022

Omnichannel communication is the backbone of branding and user experience, both of which are integral to maintaining a customer base.

There are people who remember where they were when the Apple iPhone 13 was announced in 2021. That’s not a statement about the quality of Apple’s products, nor is it really a comment about the power of the company’s branding. It’s a simple fact.

The important thing to take note of in the statement is the “where” part. Because Apple managed to reach their users around the world, across a multitude of devices, to share the announcement of their new product pretty much simultaneously. And that is why many remember where they were. The news came to them rather than the other way around.

That’s the power of omnichannel communication at work.

But let’s back up. This article is about why you should be using omnichannel communications for your business’s interactions with your customers. As such, we think it’s important to clear up some misconceptions at the ground level first.

Multichannel Communication Isn’t Necessarily Omnichannel Communication

Most modern businesses are making use of multichannel communications these days. What that means is they’re sending out marketing materials and, well, communicating and interacting with their customers and potential customers across a variety of channels.

For example, let’s say we run a small potato chip company. We have a website, we have our product being sold at physical locations, and we have an email list which we use to send out regular updates, news articles for potato chip enthusiasts, and discount offers.

Those are three separate channels that we’re using: Website, physical retail, and email. There are a lot more channels we could be using as well, such as social media, YouTube, Google Ads, etc., but let’s stick with those three right now.

This is called multichannel, as it involves a variety of channels that we’re using to sell our product and interact with customers.

Omnichannel, however, is when we use all of those multiple channels to communicate the same message. It’s a strategy for utilizing a multichannel setup that unifies messaging across channels.

This is an important distinction to make, because a lot of companies out there are under the impression that using multichannel communication is the same thing as using omnichannel communication, and their brands are suffering for it.

Webinar on-demand

Brand-Building Omnichannel Webinar

In this webinar our speakers challenge the current definition of customer loyalty and argues that in fact loyalty should be considered “the new brand”.

Communication is Interaction With Customers

It’s important to note that, when we say “communication,” we’re not just talking about promotional materials or sales pitches.

Communications are really any situation where you’re interacting with your customer in some way. When they’re going through the checkout process on your website, you’re communicating to them about your brand. The experience itself is a communication. It’s a way that they’re interacting with your company’s story and identity.

Going back to Apple, they’re communicating a brand identity that speaks of a lifestyle, a space where creative professionalism meets everyday life.

BMW communicates luxury engineering. Mountain Dew communicates youth and fun.

What all of these brands have in common is that they’re communicating these things via an omnichannel method. If you go to any one of their websites, you’re going to be met with the same thing that you’ll find on the physical products, in any marketing materials, on their phone apps, etc.

Why Omnichannel Communication is Important

The big idea behind omnichannel communication is maintaining consistency. People are interacting with your business on multiple fronts. Some are on their phones, some are on their computers, some are browsing magazines. Omnichannel allows you to reach all of these people with the same message about who you are and why your business specifically is where they should be looking.

Imagine going to BMW’s website and designing a car to your liking. Everything about the experience is sleek and cleanly designed. You’re provided with a smoothly rotating image of your vehicle that updates as you alter it with your personalized specifications. It’s neat and, more importantly, it’s consistent with BMW’s brand.

Now imagine you’ve gotten everything configured to your liking, and you purchase the vehicle. Immediately you get a followup email containing the invoice, and it’s just plain text with a misspelled word here and there. Suddenly, you’re not so sure about the company you gave all that money to. The spell is broken.

Omnichannel communication unifies your message across all channels and ultimately strengthens your brand by creating a memorable experience that drives loyalty.

Not using omnichannel strategy in your multichannel communications will weaken your brand. Not only that, but you may end up competing against yourself by pitting your channels against each other. And you know what they say about competing with yourself…no matter who wins, you’ll lose.

Omnichannel communication unifies your message across all channels and ultimately strengthens your brand by creating a memorable experience that drives loyalty.

Avensia Can Help With Your Omnichannel Messaging

Omnichannel communication is a major part of success in the world of e-commerce, and nobody knows that more than we do.

If you or your company are looking to turn that branding that you’ve worked so hard to create into an omnichannel strategy that can reach people no matter how they’re interacting with your company, contact us today and find out how we can help.

A big part of omnichannel communication is the technology that drives it, and we’ll work with you to find the perfect components to enable your success. We’ll also help you determine how to use an omnichannel strategy that works for your specific business needs within your market.

Our e-commerce experts, tech specialists, and designers always work together to ensure that the customer experience is prioritized when we work with a client. After all, it’s the customer who’s driving business. We’ll help you use omnichannel strategy to attract new customers and strengthen the loyalty of your existing customers and, ultimately, bolster your bottom line.